Dieters Moving Away From Beverages Labeled ‘Diet’

NEW YORK (AP) — Obsessing over calories alone is becoming passe.

The calorie counting that defined dieting for so long is giving way to other considerations, like the promise of more fiber or natural ingredients. That is chipping away at the popularity of products like Diet Coke, Lean Cuisine and Special K, which became weight-watching staples primarily by stripping calories from people's favorite foods.

Part of the problem: "Low-calorie" foods make people feel deprived. Now, people now want to lose weight while still feeling satisfied. And they want to do it without foods they consider processed.

In the past four years, sales of 100-calorie snack packs of Oreos have plummeted 72 percent, according to market research firm IRI. And Frito-Lay also made its last shipment of 100-calorie pack Cheetos and Doritos this past summer.

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