The Change Mariner

CKE Restaurants Tout 'Low-Carb' Burger

Yahoo! News:

Hardee's and Carl's Jr. fast-food chains consider it thinking outside the bun -- capitalizing on America's low-carbohydrate craze, they're launching a bunless, lettuce-wrapped burger with just a handful of carbs.

CKE Restaurants Inc., the chains' parent, has unveiled the new menu item as Americans look to lop off carbs, in everything from beer to ketchup. Not coincidentally, the rollout precedes Americans' traditional New Year effort to lose weight.

But dietitians are weighing in, warning that whether it's the Hardee's low-carb Thickburger, with a third of a pound of beef, or its Carl's Jr. low-carb, half-pound Six Dollar Burger cousin, consumers should chew on this: it's still high in fat and calories.

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For the record, the low-carb Thickburger has about 420 calories, 32 grams of fat and 5 grams of carbs, compared with its original's 850 calories and 57 fat grams. The low-carb Six Dollar Burger has 490 calories, 37 grams of fat and 6 grams of carbs. The regular? About 960 calories, 62 fat grams and 61 carbohydrate grams.

Low-carb, high-protein diets have enjoyed a resurgence, with books such as "Atkins for Life" reversing decades of dietary advice and saying the way to lose weight is to cut out carbs in favor of high-protein diets.

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