Low-carb ... maybe after the new year

Alicia Robinson

If the eating habits seen at local bakeries and cafes are any

indication, some people probably put pants with elastic waistbands on

their Christmas wish lists this year.

Low-carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins, the Zone and the South

Beach diets have climbed to the top of bestseller lists in recent

years, but apparently, not everyone follows them religiously.

At Pacific Whey in Newport Beach, customers this holiday season

have been eating up all kinds of pies, bread pudding and the cinnamon

custard Danish, store manager Teresa Hunter said.

“There are a lot of people here that order egg whites only and no

carbs” in their dishes, she said. But most people go for the full-fat

options.

“For many people, if you’re looking for a low-fat, low-carb diet,

this is not the place to come,” Hunter said.

Because the bakery is next to a Pavilions grocery store, where

workers are picketing, it’s hard to tell whether the store’s brisk

business is due solely to the holidays, Hunter said.

People certainly haven’t held off buying cakes and pies for their

holiday meals, she said.

In some cases, people haven’t stopped eating pastries, they’re

just reaching for lower-fat options, said Kenji Vanek, owner of

Aromas Espresso Cafe in Costa Mesa.

Aromas has been selling scads of low-fat raspberry muffins,

oatmeal raisin cookies and ham and cheese croissants, he said.

“Christmas Eve was just crazy,” he said.

Post-Christmas pastry eaters were flocking to Pain du Monde bakery

on Balboa Island on Friday, but some just came to salivate, manager

Randy Hein said.

“I find a lot of people are tempted to get something, but they

won’t because they know they’ve already eaten a lot at a holiday

party or at Christmas,” he said.

The bakery does offer three types of multigrain rolls as well as

low-fat cookies and muffins, but Hein said customers haven’t entirely

abstained from scones, cinnamon twists and croissants.

“Some people just don’t worry about it,” he said of holiday

indulgences. “I get both sides of the story when I ask people if they

want something else with their coffee.”

People may not want to be reminded of how many calories they’re

taking in this time of year, but it’s going to hit them in a few

weeks.

The New York Times bestseller list shows the “South Beach Diet” at

No. 2 on the hardcover advice book list, and “Dr. Atkins’ New Diet

Revolution,” now at No. 5 in the paperback advice titles, has stayed

an amazing 342 weeks on the list.

But Michelle Williams, manager of Barnes & Noble bookstore at

Triangle Square, said she hasn’t sold too many diet books as holiday

gifts.

Once the remorse and resolutions kick in after Jan. 1, the store

will be pushing fitness and diet books.

“That’s our big promotion in January,” Williams said.

Dietary restraint doesn’t seem to be in the vocabulary of diners

at the Yardhouse restaurant in Costa Mesa, kitchen manager Ron

Stoffel said.

While the menu does include salads, people have been ordering

appetizers such as fried calamari and spinach cheese dip.

“To be honest, people are eating whatever they damn well please,”

Stoffel said.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers business, politics and the environment.

She may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

alicia.robinson@latimes.com.