The Vanishing Potato: Understanding the World of Low-Carb Dieting from a Consumer Perspective

Based on what the media has been reporting over the last nine months or so, the popularity of low-carb dieting is at an all-time high. Yet, our Fall 2003 Pulse Report, The Low-Carb Diet and Today's Consumer, revealed that very few consumers were intentionally on a strict low-carb diet. The Vanishing Potato explores this disconnect to truly understand how to effectively communicate with these consumers.

What we found is that following a low-carb diet is very loosely defined by consumers. For a small percent of people, "following" means strictly adhering a pre-defined diet plan (such as Atkins or South Beach) for a short, focused, period of time. For the majority, however, it does not mean following a strict diet, but simply "watching" carb intake in varying degrees.

In fact, we found the percent of people who have created their own low-carb diet exceeds the percent of people who have followed every low-carb plan except the Atkins diet. Furthermore, it is this segment of people who are the most likely to be long-term low-carb dieters.

In addition to these key findings, this report offers thorough research and insights into how consumers:

• Select, adopt and quit low-carb diets,
• Define, learn and talk about carbohydrates,
• Change what they eat and how they shop as a result of low-carb dieting,
• Gather and disseminate information about carbohydrates and low-carb diets, and
• Incorporate low-carb dieting within a healthy lifestyle.