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Low fat, mo' fat: A faceoff
Is Homer Simpson your hero? The Thickburger your lunch? Here's a comparison of two lifestyles.
By Matthew Boyle, FORTUNE
February 23, 2006: 1:19 PM EST

NEW YORK (FORTUNE) - The recently released, groundbreaking eight-year federal study refuting the weight loss and disease fighting benefits of low-fat diets sparked controversy and has added to Americans' increasing confusion over what to eat. If you're thinking of ditching that low-fat diet, here's a quick comparison of the low-fat and high-fat (or mo'-fat) lifestyles.

Height of concern: In 1994, 51.1 percent of Americans completely agreed with the statement: "A person should be very cautious in serving foods with fat," according to research outfit NPD Foodworld. Last year, only 30.8 percent agreed. Top of page

  Low fat Mo' fat
IDEOLOGICAL CHAMPION Dr. Dean Ornish, founder, president and director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute. He has argued for the past 25 years that lifestyle changes, including a low-fat diet, can stave off heart disease. People magazine named him "one of the most interesting people of 1996." Homer Simpson, nuclear safety inspector and portly patriarch of The Simpsons, the longest-running sitcom on American TV. He has argued that the purple filling inside a jelly donut "is a fruit." The BBC named him the "Greatest American Ever" in 2003.
BEST IDEA Nabisco's SnackWell's cookies, which have zero grams of fat per serving. SnackWell's rang up sales of approximately $450 million in 1995, while 2005 sales were just $76 million, according to data tracker Information Resources, Inc. (2005 data excludes Wal-Mart.) Hardee's Monster Thickburger, which has 107 grams of fat. Same-store sales at Hardee's were up 12.4 percent in January, its best one-month performance since April 2004.
WORST IDEA Frito-Lay's Wow! chips with Procter & Gamble's faux-fat Olestra, which was found to cause "anal leakage." Wow, indeed. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association web site, designed to encourage carnivorous behavior among our nation's youth with fun games like "Burger Boggle" and recipes for tasty dishes like "Beefy PB&J Wraps."
BEACH READING The American Heart Association Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook
Amazon.com sales rank #18,912		 French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure
Amazon.com sales rank: #750
PIVOTAL YEAR 1996, when 2,076 low-fat products launched, according to Mintel. Mo' fat: 2004, when 2,380 low-carb products launched.
Source: FORTUNE

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