Low- Carbing in Australia- we need help

[Aussie Jo]

I have been following the Atkins diet successfully for about 4 weeks now, however I am having problems trying to source some basic ingredients in Australia which pop up in your recipes.The most important of these is Soy Protein Isolate. All I keep getting offered are protein drinks which are way too expensive to use for cooking by the cupful, (especially since our dollar is so low compared to yours). Are protein drinks the only form that this ingredient can be purchased in? Is there something I can substitute for Soy protein isolate when cooking - (eg baking) that will give similar results? As we do not have manufactured low carb foods available, I basically have to make my own. Please help.:confused:

[tamarian]

Hi Jo, welcome aboard. Soy protein isolate is not known as a low-carb product, even though it's very low in carbs. Try to look for it at nutrition shops like bodybuilding type of stores, or at any supermarkets with a focus on vegetarian/organic products and you might find them. So protein products have unflavoured poder, which can be used on recipes.

There a good chance you'll be able to find it locally, and once you do, please let me know where you found it. I'm trying to build a database that will list such information and make available so people can do search by city/country etc.

Wa'il

[nrussell]

Hi there

I've only been doing this about as long as you but it does seem to take some tracking down. Heres what I've found so far, dont know how perfect it is but I'm going to give some baking a whirl as I feel like I'm starving to death. Which I'm not at all but something other than meat and veg would be nice.

I havent used it yet but I will tomorrow but I found "Natures Way" instant Natural protein, in Safeways. It is natural isolated soy protein, high in protein and low in fat and I'm pretty sure it's the stuff Wa'il was talking about. I think it was about $8 so it isnt cheap but I must admit that nice low carbing isnt the cheapest diet you can go on. Also at Safeways I found Lowans (Aussie made as well) Gluten Flour which I hope is the same as the Vital Gluten Flour that turns up in various of the recipes. Its fairly low in Carbs but high in protein. Lowan also does natural oatbran which I think maybe able to be used as Oat Flour but I'm waiting to hear as its very high in carbs. Apparently whey protein can be used in place of soy protein and tastes better so I'm currently trying to track that down and in fact am hopeful that my husband may have found it on his way to work tonight. I am tracking Stevia via the Aussie distributor who is here in melbourne and will let you know when I find some and whether its any good.

I have already made a nice cheesecake without anything special and find that karens recipes in particular are life savers and not difficult to do. Safeways own brand soda water and diet lemonade are 2 of the best tasting around but are really cheap at around 89c. safeways also sells hazelnut and almond meal if you dont have a coffee grinder. Apparently nut flour is much nicer in cooking than some of this other stuff.

I'm currently also tracking unsweetened dark chocolate so if you find it please let me know as I am determined to make chocolate chip biscuits.

This diet really works, stick with it. Its a real life saver and with a bit of organisation, i think it can work well and sustainably.

Good luck

Nicola
Anyway I'm trying muffins and maybe bread tomorrow so I'll let you know if they're edible and will keep you posted if I find anything else.

[Kay]

Hi you two!

Good research Nicola. Sounds like you are finding everything you need.

I just wanted to let you know that oat flour is beautiful to use. It creates a special texture in baked goods. Adding just a little makes quite a difference in tastiness.

So the good news is that you can make oat flour by grinding dry oat flakes (rolled oats, oatmeal) in your blender. It's very easy. Just add about one cup of oats and pulse the blender until it is powdered. It doesn't even have to be a uniform texture for most things, but if you are fussy, sift it.

Oat bran still is quite chunky and probably much more expensive.

I have experimented a lot with bread recipes. In a couple of days I am going to post my "Final" Bread Recipe. No low-carb bread tastes just like fresh-baked homemade bread (in my opinion they all taste more like eating a sea sponge) but this is really good toasted.

Kay

[Karen]

Originally posted by Kay




I have experimented a lot with bread recipes. In a couple of days I am going to post my "Final" Bread Recipe. No low-carb bread tastes just like fresh-baked homemade bread (in my opinion they all taste more like eating a sea sponge) but this is really good toasted.

Kay

Then you haven't tried Wa'ils most fabulous bread posted in our recipe section.

Karen

[Kay]

You're right, Karen. Shepherd's loaf does taste really good. It was one of the first ones I tried.

I should revise my statement to say "bread machine yeast loaves". While I was experimenting I learned a lot about what doesn't work and why, what makes the loaf taste better and what will keep the carb count low. Calling it Final Bread is probably irony because I find my recipes are always in a process of being refined.

By the way, making bread is dangerous. Just the yeast smell alone makes you want to eat it. Lots of it. Peanut butter toast is way too risky. ;)

[nrussell]

Hi Jo

To update you, I tracked down stevia at a healthfood chain store called Healthy Life but it was very expensive at $38 a smallish jar. At 'My Chemist' I found a bag of cheese whey powder which i am fairly sure is whey protein powder and it was under $3.00.

Meanwhile I made 'Bonnies Blueberry Muffins' from the recipe section using oat bran instead of oat flour and almonds and blackberries instead of blueberries and walnuts and whilst they look like funny little soggy things, they are yum - particularly when hot. Also they are surprisingly sustaining and really go down well with a cup of coffee mid afternoon.

I'm finding with this woe I have to get organised, shop more often, prepare sauces ahead of time and now snacks and other alternatives. Otherwise, a very wonderful diet can seem like a really restrictive one.

Nicola

[doreen T]

hi Nicola,

Seems you missed my post to you yesterday, regarding the whey powder, so I'll copy and paste it here -- hope you see it ..:)Originally posted by nrussell
........... And if you do jump in - is cheese whey powder the same as whey protein???

Nicola I doubt that the cheese powder is whey protein. I suspect that it's a cheese sauce powder, such as would be found in Kraft Dinner, or similar packaged macaroni and cheese dishes. They do contain powdered whey, which gives a tangy quality, and is cheaper than milk powder. And very high in carbs. Whey contains most of the lactose (sugar) from the milk, as well the mix likely has starch ingredients to thicken it when cooked....

Also, don't mistake plain powdered whey for the whey protein. The powder is simply dehydrated whey, which contains all the lactose, and is higher in carbs than skim milk powder even. Whey protein is filtered and isolated to remove every trace of lactose. All that's left are the pure proteins lactalbumin and lactoglobulin, and traces of other proteins. You can tell by the price --- isolated whey protein is much more expensive than simple powdered whey, at least triple the price! Whey protein isolate is usually purchased as flavoured shake mixes in the sports nutrition section of health shops or pharmacies. Don't be put off by the pictures of muscle men on the label, but do check to make sure that they are low CARB. Some of the sport formulas are very HIGH in carbs, meant for athletes in training.

hope this helps

Doreen

[kelsie]

Hi there,
Nice to meet other Australians on this site. I have just discovered it.

I am on a low carb program called Ultralite I have been on it for 2 weeks.

I lost 2kg and 2% body fat in the first week. I was overjoyed because past diets have never worked for me.

The second week I felt defeated when my ketone reading was negative and proceeded to break the diet and gained 0.6kg.

I am now at the beginning of the 3rd week and am prepared to be diligent once again. I was very impressed with losing 2kg and 2% body fat in one week and want to lose another 5kg. This program is really good as far as low carb programs go and it does keep you honest for the most part as you have to see a natropath once a week and they take your weight, bodyfat % and measurements for you. The website is www.ultralite.com.au if you are interested in checking it out. I think it is a really good and safe program.

[Aussie Jo]

Nicola,

Thanks for the information on the Soy Protein Isolate. I also stumbled across Natures Way Instant Soy Protein in Coles Supermarket and I have since also found that Woolworths carries it, although in Sydney the price is around the $14 mark.

I have found a good web site that may help finding some alternatives for ingredients, called www.switcheroo.com . It is basically a cooks Thesauras and I have found an equivalent for the unsweetened bakers chocolate on here, using cocoa and oil. However I have found that it only tastes okay in small quantities.

I'll keep everyone posted on anything else I find in my hunt for products in Australia.

Joanne

[nrussell]

Thanks Joanne and welcome Kelsie

Joanne

I'm still searching out that whey protein powder (its out there somewhere) and I can recommend the banana sour cream bread which is easy to make (just use a banana and less sweetener) and light and quite pleasant with some butter on. A nice light breakfast and portable too.

Kelsie

Things can be a bit tough and low carbing is still a daily challenge like any weight loss programme but it probably is the easiest one overall. Did your measurements change at all?? My scales have floated around the same number coming up for three weeks now and i really feel depressed about it but there's no denying that my measurements are better and my clothes are starting to fit. I said to myself today, I think I'm going to give this away as I've been feeling really low as well but I discovered two things - one my multivitamin (sold to me as the best around doesnt have any where near enough B vitamins or chromium, selenium and a few other important ones) is crap and two, what's the alternative?? Live a miserable life as a fat person (not saying that being fat makes you miserable but I know for me it does) or keep biting the bullet and accept that this is life from now on. I've already lost 2 stone quite quickly so I would be mad to go backwards.

Even though things are going a bit slowly for you, keep at it. Visit Tinakayes website and let it inspire you. Every two months or so, I hope to post photos like that too. It can be done and we're going to do it.

Anyway the main thing is that you get back on the wagon when you fall off. Somebody around here (Karen I think) says progress, not perfection.

Nicola

[Aussie Jo]

Nicola,

2 stone is excellent news! Try and stay on the bright side. I know I look at what can be purchased in Canada and the USA and find it a bit of a downer when you compare it to what you can buy here. Would be great it there were enough Aussies who could start hasselling some of the local manufacturers here to do something. I must say I was most upset when I found all the stuff that Darrell Lea make that low carbers can eat and then went to my Darrell Lea store and found it we can't buy it here. Even a call to the factory asking if I could get the local Darrell Lea shop to order it in got me know where. I certainly told their production manager that I thought it was nuts for me to have to order it off an internet supermarket based in Canada or the States when they make it 20km down the road.

Anyway, if we can all keep circulating information it should make life easier for the Australian connection. One of my neighbours is also on the Atkins diet and I know she is also getting a bit down as she has plateaued for some time- she is considering reverting to the induction level again to try and kick start herself again. I seem to have levelled out a bit in kg's but my clothes still seem to be getting more and more loose. So I am rapt! I don't have a great deal more to lose ( I only wanted to lose about 10 kg) and I am about half way there. After my two babies I just didn't seem to be able to shift the left over weight up until now. However, I certainly am going to maintain the diet once the weight is gone.

I am hoping to find some cooking software that will enable me to put in my own recipes and work out carbs. I have found a couple of potentials on the net aimed at diabetics, however I think I will try out a local software supplier first- as I would prefer one that uses the same level of measure as us. I am hoping that this may let me work out conversions for some of my own favourite recipes ( like lemon meringue pie) and substitute locally available ingredients. If I find one that I am happy with I will let you know.

Joanne

[Kay]

Have you seen Mastercook?
It allows you to choose your measuring system and comes with a database of foods that you can edit or add to. You choose what format and size you want to print i.e. recipe cards. It does the nutritional calculations for you, and has lots of features like menu-planning and shopping list. I have never taken time to learn how to use the whole program, so I am probably missing out, but I do use it for recipe and nutritional counts every day.

I got my copy in a store, but here is the website http://www.mastercook.com/
At one time they had a downloadable trial version. I don't know if that is still true.

Hope this helps!
Sincerely
Kay

[kelsie]

Nicola,
2 stone is amazing - well done! That is so inspiring. I look forward to seeing your "after" photos. Thanks for the tips and maybe I can post some after photos too!

[Aussie Jo]

Kay

Thanks for the info on Mastercook. I'll check out their website and look into it locally as well. I was hoping somebody would recommend something. I certainly didn't want to get a program and find out it was a dud!

Kay, Nicola & Kelsie,

Now to everyone, I have a confession to make. After finally finding the Soy Protein Isolate, I decided to have a go with some low carb garlic and herb biscuits today . I made up a faux Atkins bake mix which I had found a recipe for and then followed the recipe for the biscuits.... they came out looking beautifully. But I have to say it, they tasted disgusting. So my mother in-laws dog is in for a protein treat. (That's if he'll eat them). I am actually quite a good cook and this is my second big flop... I am wondering if it is just because I am not used to cooking with Soy flour and protein... they seemed very dry and I can't say I have liked the taste of anything I have made with it. Is it just me? Or is it a taste that you have to get used to? My previous flop was a flourless fudgy chocolate cake. I am putting that one down to the fact that we haven't yet found unsweetened bakers chocolate here and a cocoa and oil substitute I found on www.switcheroo.com is not suitable for recipes that call for a substantial quantity,

Joanne


:(

[Aussie Jo]

Kay

Thanks for the info on Mastercook. I'll check out their website and look into it locally as well. I was hoping somebody would recommend something. I certainly didn't want to get a program and find out it was a dud!

Kay, Nicola & Kelsie,

Now to everyone, I have a confession to make. After finally finding the Soy Protein Isolate, I decided to have a go with some low carb garlic and herb biscuits today . I made up a faux Atkins bake mix which I had found a recipe for and then followed the recipe for the biscuits.... they came out looking beautifully. But I have to say it, they tasted disgusting. So my mother in-laws dog is in for a protein treat. (That's if he'll eat them). I am actually quite a good cook and this is my second big flop... I am wondering if it is just because I am not used to cooking with Soy flour and protein... they seemed very dry and I can't say I have liked the taste of anything I have made with it. Is it just me? Or is it a taste that you have to get used to? My previous flop was a flourless fudgy chocolate cake. I am putting that one down to the fact that we haven't yet found unsweetened bakers chocolate here and a cocoa and oil substitute I found on www.switcheroo.com is not suitable for recipes that call for a substantial quantity,

Joanne


:(

[nrussell]

Hi Jo

They do say that soy protein has a disgusting flavour, Doreen even bakes/toasts? hers first to get rid of the flavour. Thats why whey protein is the one we need to find as it is fairly acceptable in taste being derived from dairy. It's true that the texture of these false breads and cakes does take some getting used to but i was reasonably happy with the muffins and unless you dislike banana, the sour cream banana bread is absolutely fine. Cheesecake and desserts are usually ok too. I think if you only have soy protein, you have to stick to recipes that only use a small amount or substitute ground almonds or hazelnuts if you can live with everything being slightly nutty tasting.

Obviously have to accept the inevitable - that they're never going to taste like the 'real' thing but I think it is just trial and error slowly weeding the edible from the inedible.

I have also been drinking farmland lemonade but the safeway's own brand tastes drier and I looked up the numbers and it is made from splenda and one other sweetener (cant remember the one but I checked it out and it was one of the less suspect ones). Certainly not our favourite neurotoxin, Aspartame.

I'll try a few more recipes this week and see if I can find anything edible. I've been putting more and more into 'mains' as these can be really delicious but you do need the odd snacky thing to keep you going.

Nicola

[doreen T]

howdy folks,

Just wanted to mention that soy protein powder, or isolate, is NOT the same thing as soy FLOUR, and will give totally different results in baking... ;)

Soy FLOUR is basically ground up soybeans, that have been partially cooked (to inactivate the phytate enzymes, which make the beans extremely difficult to digest otherwise). It may or may not be defatted. Full fat soy flour is yellowish in colour, and VERY strong beany tasting. And it goes rancid quickly. YUCK! Lowfat soy flour is paler, like unbleached all-purpose flour, and less-strong tasting. Its flavour can be improved by toasting briefly in a dry skillet (keep stirring, or it will burn) The lowfat flour is slightly higher in carbs than the full fat, 33.4 carbs/9 fiber vs. 29.2 carbs/8 fiber for 1 cup (85 gm). (still less than wheat flour, which is 95 carbs per cup!)

Soy protein isolate is a highly refined product, which has all or most of the starch and carbohydrate removed. It's 90% or higher protein. Some brands are zero carbs, some have a trace, usually less than 2%. A few brands have added lecithin, and they may be flavoured as well, vanilla or chocolate. There are a number of soy shake powders on the market, promoting the isoflavones and benefits for menopause symptoms, often containing other herbs, cranberry extract, ginseng and who knows what all. They are way HIGH in carbs, 8 to 14 or even 20 gm per serving, because they are typically sweetened with fructose (sugar).

Breads, biscuits, damper, scones and the like require the starch in soy FLOUR to give the texture and structure we expect. Even so, because soy flour has less starch than wheat flour, the results will certainly be different from what we're used to from our HIGH carb baking days! .. :rolleyes: ... The protein isolate mostly is added to bump up the protein content in a recipe, and it does provide a bit of texture, especially when used with eggs. But, substituting the protein powder for soy FLOUR (in hopes of creating a very lowcarb bread or whatever) will yield very disappointing results.

Oh, one more thing .... soy FLOUR, because of the starch and oil content must be stored in the fridge to keep it from going rancid once the package is opened.

Hope this has been helpful .. :)

Doreen

[nrussell]

Hi Jo. Kelsie and all

Not usually about at this hour, put poor little baby is so tired from keeping me up all evening that I will sneak in a bit of e-mailing etc.

It occurred to me that the sour cream bread recipe works so well because it doesnt have any soy protein isolate in it and that once we track down some sugarfree chocolate. It would probably make quite a nice moist chocolate cake using melted chocolate and cocoa???

Also I'm back on the straight and narrow today as I have been carbing at about 60gms/day and with no action on the scales for 3 weeks and no further inch loss for a week. I'm getting decidedly paranoid so I'm going to try to get down to 30gms and see what happens.

Hark, is that a rattle I hear??? The day begins .... For that matter, the week begins....

Good luck to you all this week! Dont forget those photos we're working on!

Nicola

[Aussie Jo]

Nicola,

I saw you have made the Banana Sour Cream Bread in one of your previous posts. I was wondering if you just used Splend and omitted the Brown Sugar Twin since we can't get that here, I also saw that you used a real banana. Did you adapt anything else to get the recipe to work?

I also wanted to let you know that I tried out the Almond cookies. I was a little short on the Almond meal, so I made it up with 1/2 cup of oat flour on Kay's suggestion. I'm not fond of a strong almond taste so instead of Almond essence I used orange brandy essence. Came out pretty good. In fact they reminded me a bit of a melting moment (well a crumbly one, because of all the butter.)

I can also recommend the New Cheesy Danish on the low carb luxury site. I made this today and it came out tasting quite good. I let my husband try it and he reckons it tasted a bit like a chees omlette, but it is the closest thing I have had to a bread in texture for a while.

Joanne

[nrussell]

Hi Jo

How's it going?? How was your mother's day??? Mine was a disaster - on a trip to the shopping centre (to get the groceries and a mother's day present), I got more of a present than I bargained on.

Got as far as the supermarket and was standing in the queue at the checkout with all these people behind me when Baby, who I was giving a cuddle, threw up all over me. Total vomit easily half a pint, I was covered, he was covered, the pushchair was covered and the shop was covered!!! I've never seen the queue empty so quickly .....

So embarrassing as it was at least 250mls of prunes and a jar of orange veges. Worse still, it's a long walk so I usually take a taxi back and after that nobody was going to let us in a taxi. Spouse got to take the taxi home with the groceries and baby and I got to wander all the way home looking like somebody had tipped a skip of pig slops over us.....

To add insult to injury, as my scales are just so useless - I decided to use the one in the shopping centre and to my horror, it said I'm half a stone heavier than I thought. Talk about stink. We got home and baby and I went to bed ....

As for the banana cake, I used a large not too ripe banana(less carbs) and only the splenda otherwise its too sweet and there's not much alternative otherwise. Also, err on the side of more dairy as that keeps it moist. I'm going to make another one tonight and will try hazelnut flour instead to see if its anymore interesting.

Spouse is into making meringues (you have never seen a better pavlova) so I'm going to see if I can coerce him into making a lime meringue pie this evening(on the site) as a mother's day present! I still havent got around to any bread but will try the almond biscuits. How is the weight loss going?

Nicola:)

[Aussie Jo]

Hi Nicola,

Gee you must think I have been slack in responding to your last post. Have been checking the site, but somehow managed to miss it. Anyway, mother's day was fine. Nothing fantastic to report... I can't even remember if I got a gift which probably means no????

I have found some Whey Protein Concentrate in the form of Life Body Shaping Food..it's one of the muscle mix formula drinks you find in the health food stores. It's made by Aussie Bodies and is quite expensive at about the $24? mark. I made a LC pie crust using it (I have to find which recipe it was now- as it asked for the vanilla shake flavour.) It was actually very nice.

I have also been reading a book by Donna Aston who is an Australian female body builder. The book is called Body Business, and it is quite a good read. She also advocates a lower carb style of eating , although is perhaps not as extreme as say an Atkins diet. She also advocates low fat where possible as well. Anyway, it is a good read, even just for the run down she gives on various vitamins and minerals. It is also written from an Aussie perspective, so when she goes into eating out, she gives a run down of what is available in Australia. She ignores weight however and says that it is body fat that is what is important, and works her menu as a serving size based on body fat range. The recipes are good, but it is a bit harder to work out how many carbs you are eating as it is not based that way.

I was in a McDonalds the other day with the kids and noticed this old fellow eating off a hotcakes plate at lunchtime (after the breakfast menu had finished). I told him I noticed that he was eating off a plate and I was interested because I couldn't eat bread. He responded by telling me he was on a low carb diet and that he had lost over 4 stone! He then went on to tell me he was 82 years old. ( I would have guessed early 70's). So anyway, he told me he just asks for a Big Mac with no bun, if you get stuck and they will serve it for you. I actually think he got more that way anyway.

Better run now, it is getting late.

Joanne

[nrussell]

Hi Joanne

Good to hear from you. I have also been slack about everything since starting back at work about three weeks ago. I've even been off the diet for about 2 weeks but have resolved to go back on it this week as a couple of pounds have crept on and I feel so tired all the time. Carbs are also insidious, once you have a few the next thing you know they're back in your diet full on.

Anyway I'm getting my self organised over the next two days and back into it. I will look out for the Donna Aston book as I heard about her on a current affair a month or two back and couldnt remember what her name was.

Also I 've been reading this book on Glycaemic Indexes and diet by a Sydney research doctor (Dr Jennie Brand Miller) who is probably leading the world in research in the area and it's official, all carbs are not equal in terms of their impact on blood sugar. Some of the Burgen breads, particularly Soy Lin have a very low GI so what it means is that it would probably be ok for some low carbers to eat some food items prohibited on their carb value alone. Presumably as the active phase of low carb weight loss is so low for most of us, it might be counterproductive to play around with it but I think it spells good news for maintenance of weight loss. When I get around to it, I'll scan in the GI tables as they are all based on Aussie foods and they are the most comprehensive currently available worldwide. They make interesting reading if nothing else. I'll figure out some way of attaching them to the site.

Anyway, work tomorrow so I'd better go. Husband worked for OneTel so is now full time baby minder heh, heh. You wont believe how much easier it is going to work - and that's with only one kid!! But its really interesting though, he totally ignores me most of the week when I'm home and only gets affectionate and responsive late Saturday on. A bit distressing but definitely food for thought when you think about making a choice about going back to work early (for those women who have a choice). Anyway Dad is itching to get back to work but I'm really hoping he'll stay at home for another six months at least as my darling baby is only 1 (last week) and still needing plenty of interaction and affection.

Nicola

[Aussie Jo]

Hi there again Nicola,

I know what you mean about getting slack on the carb count. I have been having porridge for breakfast lately, but that has been my ownly evil and my keto sticks are still trace so hey, what the hell! Am happy to report I only have 2 kg's to go to get down to my goal weight. Mind you I am really pleased with myself so far at the moment as I am back into all my pre-baby clothes now. Mind you the body just aint ever going to be the same! I think I have the stomach of a 60 year old, my stretch marks are so bad! I put on over 25kgs with my first baby, didn't lose the last 5 kg's and then put on about 25kg's again with the 2nd baby. If I pick them both up (one in each arm) the are bout the equivalent of what had been carrying during pregnancy. Makes me wonder how I lugged myself around.

Have been paying regular visits to my Darrell Lea shop for my chocolate fix. The sugar free choc coated almonds are in now, and they are supposed to be getting the lollies soon. Mind you my craving for chocolate is slowly diminishing with time. Lately I have been fancing more hot tea with milk & sugar, so I have been sneaking the milk in with a splenda tablet.

Bad news about One tel. At least your husband will get a chance to experience what you have been up to for a while. My husband is fortunate enough to have a rostered day off every fortnight and that is his day of babysitting the kids. Mind you since I work 5 days each week I get very jealous of his day off!

I have also bought Mastercook and am slowly putting some recipes of mine in, to work out the carb contents. I have determined that Mum's home recipe for plum pudding has about 45 grams of carbs in it. Which although high isn't as bad as I was expecting. I am going to play around with some recipes now and substitute local ingredients and see what the effect it. I am hoping that it might let me broaden my menu some more. I was impressed in that it actually lets you add ingredients, so for instance you list the ingredient, the serving size, and what ever nutritional information is on the label and then when you use it in a recipe it calculates it all out. The problem now is more finding the time to do it all.

Anyway, better run.

Joanne

[nrussell]

Yippee!!

Cant wait to get through induction again (It is the pits) but I'm going to zap round to DL tomorrow (just round the corner from work) in my lunch hour so I can celebrate in style on the weekend. Where did you find master cook?? It sounds good and I'd be really interested in plum pudding if you can come up with an alternative. I love it !!

Only 2kgs to go - you are so lucky and well done!! I'll get on with this GI list and while you're on maintenance, you can play around with this and see if it affects your weight. It is not a lot different to low carb but there are just a few more choices which makes it all more liveable.

I probably put on about 25kgs too but they're almost all still there. I wonder how I do lug myself around!!

I get an RDO too but only once a month. What a cool system and they've just introduced this flexibility system where you can get a compacted working week (work 37 hours in 4 days) or opt for 4 weeks unpaid a year on top of your annual leave. Majorly cool.

Nicola

[Aussie Jo]

Hi there Nicola,

Did you manage to get the Chocolate Almonds? I pigged out on a pack the other day. Only thing is you do need to heed their warning that excess consumption has a laxative effect! I thought that eating a whole pack would be okay- since it is only 85 grams and mostly nut. Anyway, take note of the warning... I will say no more.

I bought Mastercook from the Harvey Norman Computer Superstore up here. I am not sure if you have them in VIC, but any large computer software retailer should have it. My neighbour lent me her copy of the Carbo Addicts Cookbook, which I find a little hard to work out for Atkins since it doesn't give carb contents, anyway I have plugged a few of the recipes that interested me into Mastercook just to see what the carb contents were like. I am intending to have a play with Mum's pudding recipe when I can. Thing is most of the carbs I think are in the fruit, as her recipe only has about 3 tablespoons of flour in it. My neighbour also imported Dr Atkins Cookbook whic I had a look through, but unfortunately again most of the ingredients cannot be bought here.

Have you tried the Almond cookie recipe yet? I have been a little naught and have been making them ( I use Orange Brandy essence in place of the almond essence which I don't like much) and have been spreading very thinly onto it some Sugar free fruit spread ( I bought the one with the lowest carb content I could find) and then putting a dollop of cream on top!

I have also found the chocolate mouse recipe to be pretty good. Although I find I have to refrigerate it over night before I eat it, because for some reason it seems too rich if I eat it straight after I whip the cream.

I also bought the other Donna Aston book.. Fats or Fiction yesterday (the first book). Will let you know what it is like when I get around to reading it.

I have to confess to being naughty this last week though. I was on a conference on Saturday, and the only available food was sandwiches and muffins. The sandwiches were not of the variety where one could pick the fillings out in a socially acceptable manner, so... Then since I had already blown it, I figured I might as well enjoy a muffin also. The following day was my husbands birthday and his mother makes THE BEST lemon meringue pie I have ever had any way and so..... you get the drift. Anyway, I was back to my good behaviour again on Monday. I haven't done the hard line back to induction, but have cut down back to the on-going weight loss kinds of levels again.

It is my birthday today and my husband is taking me out for dinner... he isn't saying where so I hope it is somewhere that I can be good (like not a pizza place).

I sit on the board of our work credit union and our meetings usually run through dinner. We no longer have catering provided and the manager has been getting pizza lately, along with a heap of junk from Woolies. The board has gotten more used to me eating the toppings and discarding the base. I may even be starting to convince some of them to give the low carb way a go.

Anyway, better run.

Joanne

[poptop]

hi fellow ausmates is there anyone doing the CAD/CALP

[barb55]

I found Stevia in a Go-Vita health food shop. 100 tablets was just under $15.00. I find them very sweet so only use half of one to replace my one teaspoon of sugar that I used to have. apparently it is available in powder form too. Barb

[Analog6]

I did send Nicola a private message but there seem to be a few queries. I got whey protein concentrate at my Go-Vita health food store at the weekdn, bulk price was $22.35 p/kg. Theay also had soy protein and whey protein isolate, and LSA mix, and ground psyllium husks, all in bulk. They have bulk herbs and ground chillis and peppers and and amazing variety of nuts, and the prices are quite good.
If you join and get a crd you get discounts, and they have a super Tuesday thing when some items are very cheap. I suggest anyone with queries lookup their nearest one and see what they have. If there's not a Go-Vita, ring your local health food store and you might find they have all the stuff in bulk.
For price comparison, the cheapest pre-packaged whey protein concentrate I could find was $18.50 for 250g, which would be $74 p/kg!

[Rosebud]

I did send Nicola a private message but there seem to be a few queries.
I think you'll find that the original participants in this 5 year old thread are no longer current members. ;)

Roz :rose:

[Analog6]

Silly me, did not notice it was 5 years old! :confused:

Anyway, here is a bread recipe I found somewhere else on this site. I have all the ingredients but haven't made it yet. There were a lot of comments that it was good on the other thread though.

I only bought enough of the fibre mix ingredients (see end of recipe) to try it - I got 1/4 each of the amount he specifies. All the ingredients were available in bulk at my local health food store.

MY BREAD SUBSTITUTE
It looks like a bread, it tastes like a bread and I use it as a bread...Over the last six months I have refined the recipe to the point where it now forms the base of my LC foods...It's quick to make,(5 minutes to mix, 40 minutes to cook, 2 minutes to clean up and two days to eat), it's very filling and it's LOW CARB...You can toast it, you can make sandwiches with it, sliced thin you can use it as a pizza base...If you did it with HC bread you can do it with this and not feel guilty.

It is stated to be about 10 carbs per loaf.

Ingredients
2 cups Fibre Mix (see note 1)
1 tb/s Baking Powder
1 t/s Salt
½ cup Grated Cheese (Dry mix these 4 ingredients) (odille's note - I think parmesan would be nice!)

2 Eggs
1 tb/s Oil (I use flaxseed oil, canola or olive oil is ok)
1 cup Water
¼ cup Cream

Mix well and put into non stick 220mmX110mm meatloaf tin (I line mine with baking paper)...Cook in preheated oven at 190deg for 40-45 minutes...Turn out to cool on wire rack...ENJOY...I store mine in a paper towel lined plastic container in the fridge...Sliced about 7mm to 8mm thick, it holds together well because of the cheese...This recipe will keep you regular too which is a problem when low carbing.

Note 1

For the fibre mix I use
2kg LSA (linseed, sunflower & almond, ground)
1kg Psyllum Husks
½kg Whey Protein Concentrate (I use WP Isolate if $'s permit)

I premix and store the above ingredients in a large plastic container and is enough for about 10 loaves.