PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – In the last two months, the bakers Jeff Compper visits have all asked him for the same thing – a way to make bread that will appeal to consumers on high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets.

“Somewhere within the first five minutes you hear the word ‘low-carb,”‘ said Compper, a bakery supplier for Best Brands Corp., of St. Paul, Minn.

Industry leaders said the popularity of Atkins-style low-carbohydrate diets may mean new ways of doing business.

“There is an opportunity here to really provide Americans with whole grain, healthier breads,” said dietitian Carolyn O’Neil, who on Friday presented results of a survey that examined how Americans perceive bread. She spoke at the National Bread Summit in Providence.

Bread manufacturers, distributors and sales people also said the trend toward low-carb diets has left them fighting the perception that bread is bad.

“The baking industry should fight back,” said Louis Cicerone of Superior Bakery Inc., of Cranston. “Consumers are misinformed right now. They need to know (weight loss) is all about calorie intake.”

The theory behind low-carb diets is the body too quickly converts carbohydrates into ready energy, ignoring existing fuel stored as fat.

The medical community had harshly criticized such diets, but the debate has reignited with recent studies suggesting such diets help people lose weight without damaging their health.

Results of the survey, sponsored by the Atlanta-based National Bread Leadership Council, showed the majority of Americans don’t know that the federal government recommends more daily food servings from grains than any other source. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food pyramid advocates more carbohydrates and fewer servings of meat.

The survey also found that 54 percent had not changed their bread consumption in the last year, 6 percent were eating more bread than a year ago, and 40 percent had cut their bread consumption.

“Carbs are the enemy of the day, and we’ve rounded up the wrong suspect,” O’Neil said.

She encouraged the industry to promote high-fiber, lower-carbohydrate products.

Compper said that can be done, but there are some challenges to making a tasty, low-carbohydrate bread.