Catch the Buzz
Zamlow’s Sugar-Free Low-Carb Center

By Kathy Martin

The word “diet” often conjures up thoughts of starvation or depravation. Now, maintaining a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be unbearable or tasteless. New specialty stores such as Zamlows Sugar Free low-carb make eating low-carbohydrate and sugar-free foods convenient, tasty and, dare I say fun.

Pasta, pecan pie, and even Rice Krispie treats are just some of the special foods readily available in sugar-free and low-carb varieties at this combination grocery store and specialty shop in Jackson, Tennessee. So many products are available, such as bakery items, candies, snacks, supplements, beverages, breakfast items, and cookbooks.

With Internet ordering, catalog sales, cooking classes, and in-store sampling, owner Charlene Brown calls her growing business a success because of its emphasis on customer service. “We operate more like a support group,” she says, which means that staff people spend extra time helping customers find what they need and assisting them in reading the labels. Cooking classes offered one night a month give participants a chance to learn how to cook the products, as well as sample and taste-test two meats, two vegetables, one bread, and two desserts.

Recipes for many dishes are posted on the shop’s Web site too. “This is not just a diet, it’s a way of life,” explains Brown. As demand has increased, Brown has trademarked the company name and has pursued franchise operations, including a Memphis store that will open December 1.

Zamlows opened several years ago by JoAnn Zambo, who developed the business long before the craze in low-carb and sugar-free foods began. She was motivated to offer the special foods because her father was diabetic and she had fought a weight problem throughout her life. Brown kept the name to preserve the history of the company when she bought the store about a year ago.

After operating a day care center and selling real estate franchises, the Dyersburg, Tennessee native was ready for a change. She watched her own grandfather suffer with diabetes and felt that the store could offer a real health benefit and vital service to others at similar risk.

More importantly, she says that she’s a Christian woman who desired to help people and witness to them.

Diabetics and dieters alike finally have a place to go where they can eat anything in the store – and someone to help them along the way.