Flax-Z-Snax Busted On Net Carb Counts?; Dr. Norris Chumley Helps You Live The ‘Satisfied Life’
Filed under: Health,Low-carb Stores — @ May 5, 2010
Low-carb retailers are often criticized by people for carrying products that may or may not be appropriate for people following a controlled-carbohydrate lifestyle change. While I can appreciate this sentiment and certainly want any store claiming to cater to low-carb dieters to be on the up and up, a recent independent lab test of a perennially bestselling low-carb product found it to contain some major discrepancies in the net carb counts as much as TEN TIMES HIGHER than what the nutritional label said it had. Needless to say, this raised more than an eyebrow or two with the owners of two of the leading low-carb retailers in the world today.
Bernie Roddy from Netrition.com and Andrew DiMino from CarbSmart.com have collectively been in business for nearly a quarter century and both of them have long prided themselves in stocking their low-carb stores with quality low-carb products for people on a healthy sugar-free, low-carb lifestyle change. One of those line of products that has been consistently popular for many years is Flax-Z-Snax from Parkside Cafe providing delicious-tasting low-carb granola and hot cereal made from flax, seeds, bits of dried fruit and sugar alternatives. In fact, I’ve given glowing recommendations of these low-carb breakfast and snack items for many years and long held them up as one of the better low-carb products on the market today. Sadly, though, that may be changing based on the results of some recent independent lab tests conducted in late March 2010 on these products paid for by Netrition and CarbSmart.
As you can see from their independent lab results, the difference in the net carb counts was startling. On their latest product Blueberry Flax-Z-Snax Granola, Parkside claimed the product only had 1g net carb per serving. However, after a closer examination breaking down all the ingredients, the lab unveiled that the fiber content was less than half what was being claimed on the label and higher in sugar resulting in a difference of 9g net carbs. Similar results were found in the Cranberry Macadamia Nut Flax-Z-Snax Granola product with variations in the total calories, total carbohydrates and net carbs. Consumers who rely on the accuracy of these nutritional labels deserve to see the results of these lab tests which is why I’m sharing them with you and why I wanted Bernie and Andrew to come on at the beginning of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show” today for a mini-interview update to talk about why they conducted this test and subsequently removed the Flax-Z-Snax brand from their inventory.
I attempted to interview the owner of Parkside Cafe and distributor of Flax-Z-Snax products Dave Martinez on Tuesday afternoon for his response to these lab results and he refused. However, when I questioned him about the results they found he responded angrily to this “ploy” by saying there is no proof these tests of his products are real since he has not been provided with any of the original lab results. Additionally, he says this is simply a “vendetta” against him by the owners of Netrition and CarbSmart since they are now selling a comparable product under the name Sensato Foods. Martinez cites growing unrest between the business relationship of his company with Netrition and CarbSmart that dates back to 2004. He maintains that his products are what he says they are and that people shouldn’t fall for this attempt to smear him and the Flax-Z-Snax name simply to market a new product line.
What is the truth in this whole nutrition labeling debacle? Who knows? But now you are armed with information to make better purchasing decisions for your healthy low-carb lifestyle. Alright, on to today’s podcast interview…
In Episode 358 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we are delighted to welcome Dr. Norris Chumley, a columnist at BeliefNet.com with one million subscribers to his “Satisfied Life” articles. Listen to Norris share about the desperation he felt to get the weight off and be happy, how he tried diet after diet losing and gaining well over 1,000 pounds for twenty years of his life, what changed him to begin eating in a healthy, ordinary way at long last, the unique role God played in helping him shed the pounds, the fortuitous meeting with a cab driver that led him to write his first book The Joy Of Weight Loss, the difference between joy and happiness, the infamous “Dancing Doctor Norris Chumley” YouTube video, how he learned carbohydrates in the form of sugar was a big problem with his weight, the disgusting ingredients food manufacturers are putting into what passes for food these days, why eating healthy isn’t as expensive as most people think, why happiness does not come from consuming old processed high-carb “food” products, his apparent aversion to saturated fat and regular consumption of animal-based products, what his daily diet looks like, and the “forbidden fruit” syndrome and why you shouldn’t ban any food from your diet forever.
Click here to access the exclusive interview with the owners of Netrition and CarbSmart discussing the Flax-Z-Snax labeling controversy and to hear Norris share his cheerful attitude when it comes to promoting weight loss and healthy living!
