Low-carb bread arrives

Any Atkins dieter will tell you it is difficult to resist a tasty bacon butty. It's not the bacon they worry about but the fact that the low-carb regime forbids the eating of bread.

Now a bakery claims to have found a formula to let butty lovers feed their craving without breaking the rules.

Its loaf is said to be the first in Britain with such a low carbohydrate content that it can pass the Atkins test.

Each slice contains only 7.6 grams of carbohydrate - 25 per cent less than regular brands.

Wheat starch has been replaced by fibre and wheat proteins. According to a survey today, missing butties is one of the biggest factors behind diet drop-outs.

Atkins limits daily carbohydrate intake to 20 grams a day - so, baker Nimble says, dieters could enjoy two slices.

Spokeswoman Marie Davies said: 'Bacon is all very well but you really do need two pieces of bread to wrap it in.'