Wednesday, December 17, 2003

Have your low-carb cheesecake ... and eat it too!

By ELLIE WHITE-STEVENS
ewhite@thecitizennews.com

Thanksgiving dinner with Chasity Manning’s family concluded with two cheesecakes, pumpkin and chocolate chip.

“They loved them and ate them all,” said Manning. “When they asked where I got them, I told them they were low carb, from my store.“

Chasity and her husband Erik Manning, both of Fayetteville, opened the doors of Diet Delicious just after that Thanksgiving feast with family. Specializing in low-carbohydrate foods for dieters on Atkins, Sugarbusters, South Beach and The Zone, and for foods good for dieters and bodybuilders, Diet Delicious is located on Ga. Highway 85 in Fayetteville, just north of Allan Vigil Ford.

“You can get everything from the grocery store here, only low-carb. There’s pasta, rolls, breadsticks — all the ingredients for Italian and Mexican meals,” said Manning.

Gazing at the items on the shelves at Diet Delicious makes it apparent that an Atkins dieter isn’t limited to meat and vegetables. Manning has a diverse selection of snack foods, cereals, candy, carbonated beverages, even cocoa for a cold Georgia night. There are baking supplies and muffin and cake mixes. Many of these are made with Splenda, which doesn’t have the aftertaste of other sweeteners, because it’s made with sugar.

“People on low-carb diets usually just eat eggs and bacon for breakfast,” said Manning. “But we have waffles and bagels.“

Before opening, Manning did her research. She read all the low-carb diet books, so that she would be able to advise her customers on what would fit in their plan at a particular time. Many of those books are on sale in the store. And she lived low-carb.

As a petite young mother with rheumatoid arthritis, the weight gain from childbirth was hard on her body. With exercise not an option, Chasity Manning began following the low-carb plan of South Beach in September. So far she’s lost 35 pounds and gone from a size 14 to a size 8.

The only bad thing about being on that diet was the lack of variety, she found. She saw a need for a store like Diet Delicious, where low-carb dieters can find everything they need and not be tempted by pans of high-carb sweet rolls.

For Manning, Diet Delicious is about providing dining options. “You can’t go out to eat Italian food if you’re on these diets, but you can make it at home,” she said. “Ragu, for example, has 32 grams of carbs, and most of it is sugar. Our sauce has four grams, and none of it’s sugar. Ours is also high in fiber, and it’s good.“

One repeat customer came in saying the sauce is wonderful, shared Manning.

It’s almost as though all forbidden food has been returned to the low-carb dieter. With low-carb bread, Manning can make grilled cheese, one of her former favorites. Chips and dip are in, too.

Individual cookies can be found for only 99 cents. One of Manning’s customers comes in every day for a cookie, protein bar and a low carb drink.

If you miss sweet tea, you can add Splenda; it tastes just like it, said Manning.

These low-carb dishes don’t break the diner’s bank, either. For a fettucine alfredo meal, just add chicken to the Atkins Quick Cuisine version, retailing for $4.99. Without the chicken added, it has 70 percent of the recommended daily allowance of protein.

Creating healthier meals, even for a family that’s not dieting, is possible. Where the Diet Delicious products cut sugar, they often increase fiber. And they also are often low in sodium, great for diabetics or hypoglycemics.

“One of my customers has an adult son with Down Syndrome. He has lost over 100 pounds on Atkins. She was so happy to see our store open with a huge variety of foods he can now eat,” said Manning.

Other customers have driven from metro Atlanta locations like Decatur, specifically for items like Just Cheese, a one gram of carbohydrates snack that’s also gluten free, for $2.99.

“Who says you can’t eat pasta or cheesecake?” concluded Manning. “Our cheesecakes are delicious and low-carb. You can have your cheesecake, and your cocoa — and even have marshmallows on it! There’s no reason not to start a low-carb diet.”

For more information call Diet Delicious at 770-719-1514.

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