CARBLESS in Exeter

By Rachel Forrest

newsletter~seacoastonline.com

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Hershey’s is introducing a low-carb chocolate. So is Russell Stover. Michelob has created a 2.6 g. carb version of its beer called Ultra. The government is poised to begin a two-year study on the effects of a low-carb diet. Pouring lots of money into studies and products can mean only one thing - the low-carb diet isn’t just some flash in the pan fad, it’s being taken very seriously.

Jerry and Jodi Robinson know that the low-carb lifestyle is here to stay. They opened their low-carb and carb-free grocery store Carb Counter (Everything but the Carbs) at 155 Front St. in Exeter on April 5, to help those on diets like the one developed by the late Dr. Robert C. Atkins find foods that satisfy as much as high-carb items do.

The couple, married for almost 10 years, are former Stratham residents who work in Boston - he’s a stockbroker, she’s house manager for a prominent Boston family. Jodi Robinson embarked on her low-carb diet only eight months ago and in just two and half months lost 35 pounds. She says she was disappointed by the selection of foods she found that would fit into her diet.

Jerry Robinson says, "My wife was dragging me everywhere for a loaf of bread. Around the end of February I got the idea to open a place ourselves."

A low-carb diet, as outlined by Atkins, involves reducing the intake of carbohydrates, which is the first fuel to be metabolized for energy needs. The second is fat, but often fat-free foods are full of sugar. Without carbs, the body burns fat as the main energy source. The diet is also used for lifetime maintenance and control of diabetes.

"I was a carboholic," Jodi admits. "Mostly sweets, not so much the breads."

Sweets and breads, primarily in the form of processed white flour and white sugar, are out in a low-carb diet, as are potatoes and corn, which are high in starches. The Robinsons are at the lifetime maintenance stage of the diet, and dispel the misconception that you have to eat a lot of meat for it to be successful. The Robinsons are both vegetarians, Jodi Robinson for 13 years.

What can a carb craver do without Wonder bread, creamy mashed potatoes, potato chips, salty pretzels or hot Italian bread and pasta? What about a rich fudge cake for dessert? Thanks to stores like Carb Counter, you don’t have to go without or feel deprived. Jerry Robinson went on the diet a few months after his wife and found it a challenge to maintain the diet. "I needed choices," he says.

And the shop is filled with choices, from five varieties of freshly made low-carb breads and seven kinds of bagels to pastas to an easy ice cream mix, the shelves are stocked with alternatives that are tasty and satisfying. There are Belgian chocolate bars, brownies and the Gold-Lite line with low-carb versions of M & Ms and Snickers bars. For the salt craving, there are cheese-flavored chips with no potato at all.

On one wall is an area devoted to the books of Atkins and some of the products his company invented. There are pancake mixes, ketchup (normally full of sugar), and bread and pizza dough mixes as well. And in the center aisle are the drink mixes for margaritas, bloody marys and daiquiris. Jody Robinson notes that while alcohol itself is low or no carb, it’s the mixes that add up to almost 30 grams in one drink.

Customers come in from Maine and Massachusetts as well as the local area and often suggest new and different items, and there are many distributors adding products every day as the popularity of the diet grows. There are a number of diabetic customers who rely on the sugar-free products. One customer comes in the day of his weekly poker night to stock up on carb-free snacks. All six of his poker buddies are on the diet.

Jodi Robinson says she was was surprised at first at how many men have taken up the carb-free lifestyle, but then she realized that unlike Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig, "the men don’t have to go to a support group to maintain the diet. They can come in alone or even with their male friends. Plus, they can eat the stuff they want, not a pre-made meal." Weight Watchers does include carb counting, however, and lower points are used if the products are sugar-free.

Store manager Catt Collins is always there to offer suggestions and educate. She was interested in the low-carb diet, but didn’t begin until she started at Carb Counter when it opened.

The Robinsons are quick to note that they are not about advocating one diet or another, they’re not "Atkins evangelists," but they’ve experienced firsthand the benefits of the lifestyle and are eager to share all the variety of foods and other products they can to help other be successful as well.

And weight loss isn’t the only advantage. Cardio health improves on this diet, and Jodi reports that while her cholesterol numbers were always good, they’ve gone down further. "Living low-carb satiated me more. I never feel hungry. I feel great."

Even local restaurants have jumped on the bandwagon. On a recent visit to a local chain restaurant, the waiter recited the specials. The last one was a low-carb offering.

While the Robinsons both have full-time jobs outside the shop, they plan to open a new store in Portsmouth soon, and hopefully add more and more. Also soon to come: low-carb recipes.

"We want Carb Counter to be synonymous with the low-carb lifestyle." Jerry maintains. "It’s not just a hobby, but a passion."

Carb Counter can be found at 155 Front St. in Exeter. It’s open Tuesday through Friday from 11:30-7 p.m. and Saturday from 9:30-5:30 p.m. It is closed Sunday and Monday. A Web site http://www.carbcounterononline.com will be online soon.