William...I agree with the others that what you are doing is not Atkins...but it seems to work for you and that's all that really counts. Your health, we found out, is fine...so you obviously are no longer worried on that count.

As for the bashing...I think that alot of people come in here ready to bash...it's the war-zone...and many people who are loyal to Atkins arrive in here already on the defensive.

I think one of the biggest worries for those faithful folks is what a bad rap atkins gets from people who either:
1-know nothing about it or
2-say they're on atkins and when they in fact aren't.

Alot of us have had to deal with the prejudices and verbal attacks of anti-atkins folks that fall into those two catagories.

So your title and phrasing probably just set a few off who were a bit sensitive about it. I'm not saying it's right or necessary...but perhaps you should have posted this in a different area of the forum.

I'm glad your health is ok and you've no reason to worry any more...and I'm sorry you've had a couple of rough days in the war zone. Congrats, though, on your successes!

"This was one of the many sites I discovered attempting to discover the benefits of combining Atkins and Ritz." (willem)

thought I'd pipe up say that Willem DID NOT say that the link SUPPORTED Atkins and Ritz, but that while he was researching eating Ritz crackers on the Atkins plan he came across that site!!!!! It was worded in a way that could cause confusion, but I'm pretty sure that's what he meant

Go ahead and eat your Ritz if it works for you. I don't incorporate them into my plan, but that's me.

Take care, Willem!

I'm a new low carb dieter. I've been doing this since June 18th of this year. I need to share with you that on June 3, 2004 I had blood work and my total cholesterol was 307. My LDL was 210 and my HDL was 71.... my cholesterol/HDL Ratio was 4.32 my Triglycerides was 131 On July 21st, I had my blood done again. This is after starting a Low Carb diet (June 18, 2004)
My blood test showed the following:
Cholesterol 197
LDL 108
HDL 71
Glucose 118
I am ecstatic! I also lost 10 pounds as of July 30th 2004. Not bad huh? I attribute the weight loss to low-carbing, and even though I am taking a cholesterol lowering drug (Zetia 10 mg.) along with Niaspan 500mg. at bedtime I definitely am improving. I am hoping to gradually decrease my meds.
Low carbing has definitely changed my life. I am feeling better. I used to be always tired, with no energy to spare. I just thought I'd share the good news with you guys. You have all helped me with the many comments, and advice shared. Thanks!

Why Low Carb Should Be High Fat...

"Trying to keep both your fat and carb intakes low in the hope of losing weight more quickly? It's
probably not a good idea, and you do it only at your own risk.

Your body needs energy to perform all the little daily tasks it's called upon to do. It takes energy to
walk, to digest food, to sit in an erect position, to move, to breathe -- even to think. It even requires energy to sleep,
and for your body to repair itself of all the little damages it incurs during daily life.

Fortunately, your body is a very efficient power plant. It can use any of three fuels to generate the
energy it needs. Only if it runs out of those fuels will it be totally unable to produce energy and cease to operate. But
before it reaches that state it goes into a stage comparable to rolling blackouts -- a condition in
which it warns you through various symptoms including, but not limited to, hunger, aches and pains, extreme fatigue,
bowel irregularities, and even problems with the texture of your skin and hair, that it needs more fuel.
However, you should never let your body get to the point of warning you that it's out of fuel. Here's why:

The three types of fuel the body can use are carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Carbohydrates are the
body's "preferred" fuel -- the one it will use first, if available. If there are no carbs (sugars and starches) available,
then it will use fats. And only as very last resort -- after having warned you via the "rolling blackout"
method that it's in real trouble -- will the body use protein as a fuel.

That's because the protein you eat is needed by the body's organs and muscles, and is constantly
used by those organs and muscles to keep in good repair. So if you require protein to produce the energy for your
daily activities, you divert it from its prime -- and very important -- purpose. You could even end up
cannibalizing your body, causing a breakdown of first its muscles and then the major organs you need to simply
sustain life. (This, by the way, is why some doctors and nutritionists are so convinced that
low-carbing will shrivel your muscles, eat your liver and do unspeakable things to your kidneys. They don't consider
the
fact that the body will use fat for energy before it'll use protein if it's supplied with enough fat for its
needs. And because they're so conditioned to the low-fat way of eating they can't even imagine anyone eating
enough fat to supply their body with energy, for heaven's sake!)

Now back to the body's preferred fuels. We are mostly conditioned from birth to use carbohydrates
for fuel, so the body will use them automatically. (There's a good reason why human breast milk -- nature's intended
food for infants -- contains more than 1.5 times the carbohydrates that cows' milk does.)

Most people get more than enough carbohydrates to fuel their bodies' daily activites. The body, being
a well-run power plant, puts the leftovers in storage to use in the future if it's needed. But it can't store
carbohydrates, so it turns them into fat and keeps them on deposit in the body's cells. And we see it
walking around the streets wherever we go, hanging off bodies in a most unattractive way. Some of us see it every
time we look in the mirror, as well, and don't like the way it looks on us.

An excess of fat storage is usually the reason we choose a low-carb way of life. We want our bodies
to use the stored fat for energy and leave our bodies lean and sleek looking. And, as we all know, it works. But we
can make it work far more efficiently by understanding the way the body uses fat.

The switchover from using carbs for energy to using fats for energy is only semi-automatic. In the
absence of carbs the body will use fat, but only sparingly. Remember, the body is conditioned to store that fat
against the time when it runs out of fuel. It considers fat an "emergency ration" and it goes into
conservation mode, producing only the amount of energy that's necessary to sustain life, and you go into those
"rolling blackouts." You may feel hunger, fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain, etc. You may become
extremely constipated. Or you may just feel a general malaise. This happens to many people when they begin a
low-carb diet, and often keeps them from following through. "Oh, I tried that," they'll say, "And it
didn't work for me."

There is a way, though, to train the body to use fat automatically as its preferred fuel, and one that it
can safely use to produce unlimited amounts of energy. You do that by depriving it of carbohydrates, while at the
same time providing it a good supply of dietary fat. After a while -- usually only a few days -- this
convinces your body that it can always expect to have a bountiful supply of fat to use as fuel for its energy generator
and takes it out of conservation mode. Because it has both dietary fat and stored fat to draw upon,
and has no reason to stay in conservation mode, the body will produce lots and lots of energy. You'll avoid the
"rolling blackout" warnings and feel far better, with plenty of energy. And this will continue for as
long as you eat enough fat to keep your body out of conservation mode.

This is one of the reasons that doctors who support the low-carb way of eating tell you that you
shouldn't eat fat-free mayonnaise, salad dressings, cheeses, etc. (The other reason, of course is that most of them
contain added carbohydrates just to make them barely edible.) It's also the basis for the widely
touted and very effective "Fat Fast" method of jolting your body into weight loss if you find yourself in a persistent
plateau.

But what the doctors often forget to mention is that these days even eating full-fat condiments and
foods may not provide you with as many fats as you should have to encourage your body to freely burn fats. This
is because so many of today's foods are routinely stripped of the good, healthy fats they used to
contain.

For example, food animals are bred to be as close to fat-free as possible. Beef and pork is touted as
being "lean," and it is -- almost to the point of being tasteless. It's nearly impossible to get chicken with the fat and
skin still attached -- I have to order it specially from my supermarket. Recipes routinely call for pans
to be sprayed with fat-free sprays rather than using fats to keep the food from sticking, and even those of us who
follow a low-carb way of life often use them, thinking we're doing the right thing.

So to avoid depriving our bodies of both fats and carbohydrates at the same time, we often have to
consciously add fats to our diet. Trying to eat a low-fat or reduced-fat diet along with a low-carb diet is almost a
sure recipe for failure. It may appear to be effective, at least for a while. You may lose some weight,
but despite cutting your carbohydrates down to almost zero you probably won't lose as much as you would if you
were eating more fat. You surely won't feel nearly as good as you would if you ate more fat. And you
may even end up falling by the wayside along with those people who say "Oh, I tried that, and it didn't work for
me.""

Source: http://www.low-carb.org.uk/lowcarbhighfat.htm

Acceptable Foods on Induction

Acceptable Foods
These are the foods you may eat ''liberally'' on induction::

All fish
including ...tuna, salmon, sole, trout, flounder, sardines, herring.

All fowl
including ...chicken, turkey, duck, goose, Cornish hen, quail, pheasant.

All shellfish
including ...oysters*, mussels*, lobster, clams, squid, shrimp, crabmeat.

All meat
including ...beef, pork, lamb, bacon**, veal, ham**, venison.

All eggs
including ...scrambled, fried, poached, soft-boiled, devilled omelets.


*Oysters and mussels are higher in carbs than other shellfish, so limit them to four ounces per day.

**Processed meats, such as ham, bacon, pepperoni, salami, hot dogs and other luncheon meats and
some fish may be cured with added sugar and will contribute carbs. Try to avoid meat and fish products cured
with nitrates, which are known carcinogens. Also beware of products that are not exclusively meat,
fish or fowl, such as imitation fish, meatloaf and breaded foods. Finally, do not consume more than four ounces of
organ meats a day.


OTHER FOODS THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE DURING INDUCTION

Cheese
You can consume three to four ounces daily of the following full-fat, firm, soft and semisoft aged
cheeses*, including:

cheddar
cow, sheep and goat cheese
cream cheese
Gouda
mozzarella
Roquefort and other blue cheeses
Swiss

*All cheeses have some carbohydrate content. The quantity you eat should be governed by that
knowledge. The rule of thumb is to count 1 ounce of cheese as equivalent to 1 gram of carbohydrate. Note that
cottage cheese, farmer's cheese and other fresh cheeses are not permitted during Induction. No
"diet" cheese, cheese spreads or whey cheeses are permitted. Individuals with known yeast symptoms, dairy allergy
or cheese intolerance must avoid cheese. Imitation cheese products are not allowed, except for soy
or rice cheese but check the carbohydrate content.

Vegetables
You can have two to three cups per day of:

alfalfa sprouts
daikon
mushrooms
arugula
endive
parsley
bok choy
escarole
peppers
celery
fennel
radicchio
chicory
jicama
radishes
chives
lettuce
romaine lettuce
cucumber
sorrel

These salad vegetables are high in phytonutrients and provide a good source of fiber.

Other Vegetables
You can have one cup per day of these veggies if salad does not exceed two cups. The following
vegetables are slightly higher in carbohydrate content than the salad vegetables:

artichoke
celery root
pumpkin
artichoke hearts
rhubarb
asparagus
chard
sauerkraut
bamboo shoots
collard greens
scallions
dandelion
snow peas
bean sprouts
dandelion greens
spaghetti squash
beet greens
eggplant
spinach
broccoli
hearts of palm
string or wax beans
broccoli rabe
kale
summer squash
brussels
kohlrabi
tomato
bean sprouts
leeks
turnips
cabbage
okra
water chestnuts
cauliflower
onion
zucchini

If a vegetable, such as spinach or tomato, cooks down significantly, it must be measured raw so as
not to underestimate its carb count.

Salad Garnishes

crumbled crisp bacon
grated cheese
minced hard-boiled egg
saut mushrooms
sour cream

Spices
All spices to taste, but make sure none contain added sugar.

Herbs

basil
garlic
rosemary
cayenne pepper
ginger
sage
cilantro
oregano
tarragon
dill
pepper
thyme

For salad dressing, use oil and vinegar (but not balsamic vinegar, which contains sugar) or lemon
juice and herbs and spices. Prepared salad dressings without added sugar and no more than two carbs per
tablespoon serving are also fine.

Acceptable Fats and Oils
Many fats, especially certain oils, are essential to good nutrition. Olive oil is particularly valuable. All
other vegetable oils are allowed, the best being canola, walnut, soybean, grapeseed, sesame, sunflower and
safflower oils, especially if they are labeled "cold-pressed" or "expeller-pressed." Do not cook
polyunsaturated oils, such as corn, soybean and sunflower oil, at high temperatures or allow to brown or smoke.

Butter is allowed. Margarine should be avoided, not because of its carbohydrate content, but because
it is usually made of trans fats (hydrogenated oils), which are a serious health hazard. (Some nonhydrogenated
margarines are available in health-food stores.)

You don't have to remove the skin and fat from meat or fowl. Salmon and other cold-water fish are an
excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Remember that trying to do a low-fat version of the Atkins Nutritional ApproachTM will interfere with
fat burning and derail your weight loss.

Artificial Sweeteners
You must determine which artificial sweeteners agree with you, but the following are allowed:
sucralose (marketed as Splenda), saccharin, cyclamate and acesulfame-K. Natural sweeteners ending in the suffix
"-ose," such as maltose, fructose, etc., should be avoided. However, certain sugar alcohols, such as
maltitol, do not affect blood sugar and are acceptable.

Saccharin has been extensively studied, and harmful effects were produced in the lab when fed to
rats only in extremely high doses. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had removed saccharin from its list of
carcinogens, basing its decision upon a thorough review of the medical literature and the National
Institute of Science?s statement that there is "no clear association between saccharin and human cancer." It can be
safely consumed in moderation, meaning no more than three packets a day. Saccharin is marketed
as Sweet'n Low.

We discourage the use of aspartame (marketed as NutraSweet and Equal) because of clinical
observations that it slows weight loss in certain individuals. The FDA has approved the herb stevia for use only as a
supplement, not as a sweetener.

The Atkins preference, however, is sucralose (Splenda), the only sweetener made from sugar.
Sucralose is safe, noncaloric and does not raise blood sugar. It has been used in Canada for years, and the FDA
recently approved it after reviewing more than 100 studies conducted over the past 20 years. Note
that each packet of sugar substitute contains about 1 gram of carbohydrate, so don?t forget to include the amount
in your daily totals. [note.... personally I don't agree, nor does Dr. Richard Bernstein, the most
renouned, respected and revered diabetes specialist today. Splenda has dextrose and maltodextrin which
constitutes 96% of that envelope and can spike sugar, and also slow down ketosis, therefore losses, which ALL
those envelope powders have, and to use the liquid or tablet versions.... NO powders.]


Acceptable Beverages
Be sure to drink a minimum of eight eight-ounce glasses of water each day, including:

Filtered water
Mineral water
Spring water
Tap water

Additionally, you can have the following:

Clear broth/bouillon (not all brands; read the label)
Club soda
Cream, heavy or light (limit to two to three tablespoons a day; note carbohydrate content)
Decaffeinated coffee or tea*
Diet soda made with sucralose (Splenda?); be sure to count the carbs
Essence-flavored seltzer (must say "no calories" and should not contain aspartame)
Herb tea (without barley or any fruit sugar added)
Lemon juice or lime juice (note that each contains 2.8 grams carbohydrate per ounce); limit to two to
three tablespoons

*Excessive caffeine may cause unstable blood sugar and should be avoided by those who suspect
they are caffeine dependent. Everyone should try to avoid caffeine. Grain beverages (coffee substitutes) are not
allowed. Alcoholic beverages are also not permitted during Induction; those low in carbohydrates are
an option, in moderation, in later phases.

Special Category Foods
To add variety, each day you can also eat 10 to 20 olives, half a small avocado, an ounce of sour
cream or three ounces of unsweetened heavy cream, as well as two to three tablespoons of lemon juice or lime
juice.
But be aware that these foods occasionally slow down weight loss in some people, and may need to
be avoided in the first two weeks. If you seem to be losing slowly, moderate your intake of these foods.

[Note: This is ''Atkins'' diet, and he says if it isn't on this list..... then DO NOT EAT IT. Any modifications are of
course anyone's own choice but it won't be "Atkins" and will change the whole chemistry of losing and being able to
lose but more importantly.....interferes with the ''health'' factor of what this diet is also trying to achieve. I can say
on my own that adding BAD carbs is offsetting the effects of all the fats required on this diet and making them
detrimental and UNsafe to consume in that quantity. The low carbs go along with the volume of fat. Anything else,
is at your own risk :-)

I would still maintain that the instant William eats his "3 Ritz a day", he is no longer doing Atkins.

He may be eating relatively low carb even with the Ritz. But you can't "do Atkins" while eating Ritz crackers. That's some other Semi-LC regime. But not one that I've read about. Refined flour, transfats, sodium: which plan would that be?

Well, that's induction, at least. There are plenty of foods that aren't on the induction list of foods, but are still a part of the Atkins diet, such as nuts, fresh cheeses, berries, and even legumes, whole grains, starchy veggies, and wine (depending on one's CCLL).

Still no Ritz, because trans fats and high fructose corn syrup aren't a part of the plan, of course!

QUOTE BY WILLIAM...."Dr. Atkins never intended us to be a bunch of high stepping Atkins Nazis that are never allowed to deviate from almighty DANDR. I believe that he intended for his plan to be flexible and allow each of us to tailor a WOE that works for us. Look at my stats one more time and tell me again that I’m wrong!!"

Atkins' flexibility and ''tailoring'' refers to making it palatable and livable strictly within the realm of only those foods. [He even states to go at least 4 days rotation, separating different meats etc., not only for variety, but for other nutritional reasons]. There's no need to get angry. This is just one diet [the only healthy way of eating in my personal opinion] but anyone is entitled to seek what's most comfortable for them, but once chosen, it should be followed correctly and adhered to, which is all everyone is trying to say.

Also, I'd definitely think about finding another doctor if their office didn't even initiate a call to YOU to immediately tell you of their mistaken report, and alieviate you of whatever distress that they caused you and which they were responsible for and what you were experienceing due to their inaccurate report.... and that you only accidently found out about it when calling THEM. That is unacceptable and very suspect, in my own personal values, and not at all professional of them.... and simply not very kind and considerate ......at the very LEAST.

I have more to comment on but my keyboard is acting up and am also in the middle of a couple of other things, and will be back.

[PS.....The post above says there are other foods allowed after induction. Of course there are, but my post clearly states that it IS only referring to 'induction'].

First of all, is there some new diet out there that I'm not aware of called "Atkins + 3 Ritz" ? Have I been missing somethig? lol The way it's being referred to seems like it IS something that actually does exist. I'm serious, and I'm hysterical from this, and my stomach hurts already. Okay, let's get serious.

Yes, William.... Atkins WAS a nazi when it came to his regimen, there was NO give and NO nonsense and I can
vouch for that having been right in front of his face, and it was either go on this strictly.... or ''go'' period. There was
no 'give' on his behalf, and no wamby pamby.... either his patients were serious about improving their health and/or
losing weight or he had no time for them and couldn't be bothered and he had NO patience for anyone WASTING his
time nomatter how much he was being paid... and believe me, it was plenty. [Today Bernstein is 480 PER hour with a 13 hr minimum stretched over 3 days. I opted for a world cruise instead, it at least lasts longer. Kidding.... and Atkins was the equivelant back then].

I on the other hand do leave room for the human element and weakness, but the whole idea of this is to customize it
according to your basic likes and dislikes within HIS perimeters because of the metabolic, phsysiological, and
scientific chemistry of the effects it has on the system.

You happen to like Ritz, what if others had to have their ice cream and chocolate cake and introduced that as a daily
exception... much worse than your ritz, but that's the thing.. even a ritz can offset the chemistry, [moreso in
induction], but you're talking about a daily regimen and you have no idea how that effects what you're trying to
accomplish..... but on the other hand, 3 ritz ain't gonna kill you, that's for sure if you're so intent on having them... of
course you'll still loose weight, but why not choose another program that IS set up differently to allow for something
like that and are more lenient with those types of carbs? They're certainly out there.

If you're so intent on doing a modified version of Atkins, there's nothing wrong with that, and it's certainly up to you,
but why not choose a diet that does allow what you want in it. Ritz crackers are not really things that are allowed
into any diet when just considering health aspects, but Somersizing allows a window for one whole carb meal per
day, [not Ritz, but it would certainly 'fit' more easily into that, than Atkins, if you're so intent on having those Ritz], or
if not wanting the carb meal once EVERY day, it has to be a minimum of at least once every four days, or maybe 4x per week, not sure. I've never
tried any of these, and never had to because when I found Atkins in my early teens, I didn't have to go any further...
just interesting to keep up on the many other diets to see what's going on, and I'm sure everyone else is much more
familiar with what they entail.

Weight Watchers allows all types of foods but very limited portions, South Beach is a modified version of Atkins but
allowing more carbs which also might be more comfortable for you and you wouldn't be breaking such STRICT rules,
but if you'd rather stick with atkins + 3 ritz, [lol, love it] that's also your choice, but how about pork rinds for that
crunch, dipped into Temptee cream cheese mixed with onion powder, maybe chives or any seasonings you want [I
let it get to room temperature so it's soft and easy to mix, and also put a little melted saccharin into it to taste more
like a dip and just keep one container full of that in the fridge aside from my regular plain Temptee]. There ARE
substitutes if you're just imaginative, and won't even MISS your RItz, especially having so many other alternatives
after being out of induction.

I would be curious as to where this specific 'Ritz' thing came from. There are so many better things to cheat with out
there that are more value, food and nutrition-wise that you're also not allowed to have, so why Ritz? Something in
your childhood? There really isn't that much TO only 3 ritz crackers that are even worth the sacrifice. And how can
you eat only 3? Are you 'always' eating only 3? *wink* Don't mean to pry, and certainly not ridiculing, but it just
struck me as odd from the very first post.

Why don't YOU analyze where this is coming from and think about it and if you really need them so badly, what it is
you need about them and why, and what could possibly be substituted for them, etc.

Always after induction, throughout the many years I've been following only this way of eating, sometimes
moderately, sometimes strictly.... I've always had to have my really great bran muffin with my morning coffee and
DID when not on induction, The really big quality home made kind.... and hey, I'm still here! But at least they are
healthy, and have some food value..... Ritz are really junk food and only one step above potatoe chips, if even that.

This is also supposed to teach you the VALUE of good foods and get us into a regimen af eliminating the junk... it's
long term and for a very good reason. I just don't see how far the actual enjoyment of three measly Ritz crackers can
take you. Think of something better to even 'cheat' with! Eat too much of the foods 'allowed', that's the best way to
cheat without really hurting yourself by going OUT of the circle of allowed foods. If it's psychological and you just
don't want to feel completely 'controlled' and have to have your one little thing to make you feel independent.... then
why not pick something more nutritional at least, that won't wack out the chemistry of the diet so much.

.....or just eat the damned Ritz if that's what makes you happy lol Whatever you're doing has to be better than before when not on any diet at all..... even with the 21 Ritz per week. But think of how it adds up. That's 84 Ritz crackers a month. Think about it. How many are in a box? That could be a whole box per month. How about cutting down to only 2 per day.... then slowly to one? Or how 'bout finding a whole wheat, whole grain, or bran cracker? There are really great ones out there, if you must have something like that.

And by the way, congratulations for what you HAVE accomplished. That's fantastic. Didn't mean to overlook it, and it SHOULDN'T be overlooked. But I've gotta admit, I'll never be able to hear the words "Ritz Crackers" again for the rest of my life.... without doubling over. Com'on, William, ya gotta have a sense of humor, this has gotta be the diet breakthrough of the Century and the most unique, and I didn't even catch onto it right away and had to literally do many double takes to make sure I was reading right....... ''ATKINS + 3 RITZ" !

I think the main message here is that Atkins can't be killing you if you're not following Atkins.
I know that there are lots of folks who include "cheat days" and "refeeds" as part of their plan and if it works for them, great, but unless it's a part of the plan they are following, then they're doing their own thing and cannot fairly blame the established plan for any results they get that they may not like. Mixing and matching plans (as in selecting aspects of different plans that you like and putting them together into a new plan) may or may not be a good idea.
Do you have to follow your chosen plan to the letter? Not necessarily, but at least follow the principles such as avoiding transfats and other ingredients that you are warned to avoid.
Going back and forth between starvation levels of calories and binging on high carb/high fat foods is hard on your body.

I must admit that Mamzelle is quite knowledgeable. I had to read her posts a couple of times to 'digest" it. Thank you Mamzelle, I've learned a lot from you. Just recently I heard about Trans fats. You explain it quite well. Others have tried to explain it to me, but I was getting a chemistry report with other than lay terms. You did it best! Thanks again.

Sometime time ago I stumbled upon the Atkins + Ritz project. Having included 3 Ritz a day as a successful component of the Atkins diet I was immediately intrigued and wanted to know more. What I discovered was that Ritz was experiencing a phenomenal increase in sales worldwide. Could that somehow be related to the Atkins + Ritz concept?

We have to keep an open mind here. We all know that today’s scientific fact may very well be shown to be tomorrows folly. Who would have dreamed a year ago that Vicks VapoRub would be shown to cure toenail fungus or that Preparation H would be shown to be an effective face cream and wrinkle remover?

I’m not sure if the Atkins + Ritz concept will become the diet breakthrough of the century, however this is a work in progress so I wouldn’t rule it out. This forum is read worldwide and perhaps in the future some obscure scientist somewhere will proclaim that Atkins + Ritz is truly the diet of the future.

William

Ummm...unless they come across some astounding scientific evidence that transfats are actually good for humans, I really can't see that happening.

Come now, I'm sure they can make Ritz crackers w/out transfats. With all the pressure from the govmt, etc., the cookie, and cracker companies are starting to come out with transfat free products.

Frankly, I don't see how 3 Ritz crackers are going to have a huge negative impact on carb intake. Pork rinds aren't an approved foods but lots of Atkins and low carb devotees eat them, me included.

William, I think this thread has demonstrated that there are people in the low carb community who have closed minds, who believe that nobody in the whole wide world, could wind up with poor cholesterol readings, etc. due to the this WOE. I know yours was just a scare, but the inability to understand that there may be genetic differences between people, shows a certain closed mindset. No doubt low carb works well for most folks, but let's keep an open mind!

I'd be interested in a link to that project. It seems bizarre that any project would include Ritz crackers. One slice of bread or a bowl of oatmeal, perhaps, but Ritz?