Cutting Carbs

The Atkins diet has been around for decades but only now is reaching consumers en masse. Atkins Nutritionals (Hauppauge, N.Y.) markets its own products and releases several each month, such as the latest Green Tea Blend concentrate. However, several companies are getting in the action.

In Canada, Herbalife (Inglewood, Calif.) introduced Herbalife Thermojetics Ultimate High Protein Low Carb Program. It includes several supplements as well as food products such as shake and drink mixes and protein bars. A new bread from Flowers Bakeries is Nature's Own Low-Carbohydrate Premium Wheat Bread, which has half the carbs of regular bread. The company replaces wheat flour with soy protein to cut the carbs.

Flavor Focus: Cherry

Cherry has been popping up in several tasty places. BarBeQue Man's (Elgin, Ill.) newest sauce is Door County Cherry Gourmet Bar-B-Q Sauce, described as “a bowl full of cherries with a bang!” It features sweet-tart cherries in a sauce made in small, “micro-que'd” batches.

Schwan's (Marshall, Minn.) recently added a Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream Bar to its range of home delivery options, and Kraft (Northbrook, Ill.) is turning the Fig Newton brand around with the launch of Newtons Snackable Dessert Cookies, available in a Cherries 'n Cheesecake flavor.

Rising Energy

Emerging energy bars often are promoted as meal replacement products, such as the Slim-Fast (West Palm Beach, Fla.) Meal Options line, and are loaded with vitamins. GeniSoy (Fairfield, Calif.) Xtreme Crunch Bars, launching in mid-April, are a new sub-brand of the successful Xtreme bar line and are uncoated energy bars in flavors such as Summit Splash and Lemon Shot.

Energy bars positioned as natural also are gaining a place. Honey Stinger Pure Natural Energy from EN-R-G Foods (Steamboat Springs, Col.) is made from a honey-based energy gel with a soy-coated chocolate bottom layer. It comes in several varieties like Peanut Butter 'n Honey and Berry Banana Buzz.

Seeing Green

Steap Green Tea Sodas from Healthy Beverage (Bucks County, Pa.) are all-natural beverages, and the company claims they are the first sodas to sport the new USDA certified organic seal. The soda is brewed using Ceylon green tea and comes in cola, lemon dew, raspberry, orange, key lime, and root beer flavors.

Green tea is also an ingredient in Cricket Green Tea Cola from Cricket Cola (www.cricketcola.com), available in regular and diet versions. Green tea is making waves in areas other than food, as well. Colgate-Palmolive's (New York) Aroma Therapy line of dish soap includes an Energy variety enhanced with green tea essence, and Bayer's (Morristown, N.J.) One a Day's recent Weight Smart supplement also features green tea as an ingredient.