Some dieters think so, hoping to shed their porker images by munching on pork rinds.
Pork rinds, crispy chips made from slices of pig skin deep-fried in lard, may be a scrumptious snack to some Southerners, but they sure don't sound like a dieter's delight. The Snack Food Association, an industry group in Alexandria, Va., reports that sales of pork rinds this year are up 18 percent, three times as much as snack foods overall. Many think not. We've seen sales increases in the high double digits. Pork rinds are 70 percent protein and contain no carbohydrates, unlike other snacks with a crunch, like potato chips and pretzels.