low carb foods available in australia

[plantair]

Can anyone give me names and brand names of low carb foods that you can buy in australia wo use with the atkin diet.
thanks linda

[Rosebud]

Hi Linda, :wave:

Welcome to the forum and to low carbing!

Firstly, I don't use much in the way of "products" other than fresh vegies, meat, fish, eggs, cheese and cream.

If you ever get to Sydney, there are GNC stores there that carry LC stuff. I've heard people say they dislike the Atkins Bake Mix.
I use almond meal (available in all supermarkets) on the rare occasions I do any baking.

If you check the "mayonnaise" thread below, you'll get some help there. On the whole, avoid anything that is labelled "low fat" as that is generally a pretty good indication that it will be higher in carbs than the full fat version.

Have a look through the forum here, and also check the Yellow Pages to the right of your screen.

Products such as low carb bars, while they sound convenient and tasty, often stall people who use them. They contain sugar alcohols. For more info on the sugar alcohols (and lots of other things) check the "Low Carb Tips" on the orange bar at the top of your screen.

One more thing, you might find your other posts on this topic get moved. The forum moderators try to avoid duplicate posts as people may miss answers which are posted in another forum.

One more suggestion is to start up your own journal here, a great way to make friends as well as keeping track of what you are up to. To read anyone's journal, simply click on the little journal icon at the bottom of each post.

Cheers matey, nice to "meet" you. If you have any more questions, please feel free to post 'em.

:rose:Rosebud:rose:

[LeonieAlex]

Russells shops have been taken over by GCN stores around Sydney. You can buy lots of products like Atkins choc.bars, atkins bake mix etc. They are in the city, chatswood, dee why.

Hope this helps.

Leonie

[princess_K]

Hi

There is low carb icecream.. but I am yet to find it.. I bought some low carb bread the other day and that was ok.. other than that.. it is not easy..

Karen

[LeonieAlex]

I have looked for the bread and the ice cream everywhere without any luck.
Where did you find them?
I live in Manly Sydney. I would love to find the bread and have french toast in the morning.

Good luck with your food. :wave:

[princess_K]

Hi Leonie

The bread is Country Life - Alpha Life Omega 3 Bread - 7gms carbs minus fibre content - works out to around 5gms carbs per slice.

Now the ice cream is made by Peters I think.. as I said I have yet to find it.. it has a lime green lid and has low carb written on it.. I have heard that you can buy it in Coles and Woolies.. but I haven't seen it..

I live on the Gold Coast but you may have better luck in Sydney.. I got the bread from a local health food store.. so can't help you there..

All the best

Karen

[Rosebud]

Hi guys,

About the bread: I used to think it was 7g minus the fibre, but I was wrong. The fibre has already been subtracted, so it's 7 g carbs per slice.

Roz

[princess_K]

Thanks for that Roz

I was only going by what was in the yellow pages thingy on the right..

Karen

[katticus]

Hi Lo-carbers.

I am new to this forum, and to low-carbing, but I have found that Darrell Lea have zero-carb chocolate which is made with splenda so it can be melted and used in cooking, and put on top of things like strawberries.

They also have low-carb choc-covered almonds (there are about 4.5g of carbs per 100g in the almonds, but the choc is zero carb), and they have some really nice zero-carb fruit chews which taste a bit like Starburst chews.

These have satisfied my cravings for sweet things, especially the almonds and fruit chews which I can't get enough of !! If only Darrell Lea made their licorice in zero-carb, my life would be perfect!

If anyone can tell me of low-carb icecream available in Australia, it will make my day.

Katticus :wave:

[princess_K]

Hi Katticus

Apparently there is a low carb icecream available from Coles and Woolies.. but I am yet to find it :( I guess my stores don't carry it.. I am thinking of asking them to stock it for me...

Karen

[katticus]

Thanks Princess. I will be on the lookout. I have an icecream maker but I just can't seem to get it to be quite the same texture as commercially available icecream... my local woolies is quite useless when it comes to product range as well, but I will look around.

Hey, your picture looks familiar... have we met before? :)

Katt :wave:

[vangal]

G'day all ...

Peters lowcarb icecream is available at my local Bilo in Adelaide and seem to recall seeing it in Coles a while back. Being an icecream junkie, I was delighted when I saw while shopping recently but when I read the label I decided it was no good ... I think it was because of the sweetners used in it.

Yes, it is a green tub with a yellowish lid and clearly states Peters low carb icecream.

Thanks for the bread tip! My husband and I are not eating it at the moment but it's good to know for the kids and for us later on.

Hope this helps.

VanGal

PS> Can any1 tell me any australian sites that support Atkins & lowcarbing and product purchasing. I'd be most appreciative. Thanks.

[katticus]

Hi VanGal,

Thanks so much for the tip - I will trawl through every Coles & Bi-Lo till I find it! I am curious to know what the problem was with the icecream - whether the carb content was too high, or you didn't like the sweeteners they used (aspartame maybe?).

I have learned on this site that GNC (Good Nutrition Centres) stock some low-carb products, so I am on my way there this afternoon to have a squizzy. An American friend told me she just lived on Atkins Shake mixes for her breakfasts when she was in the States, I would like to find something similar here... being a working mum, I don't have the time to cook myself bacon and eggs every morning!

Thanks again VanGal, how are things in beautiful Adelaide?

Katt :spin:

[vangal]

Hi there,

U R very welcome for the tip! I think it was because it had aspartame or something like that. Apparently it takes really nice but I don't like the idea of using aspartame and Atkins recommends against it anyway.

I've not heard of these GNC (Good Nutrition Centres) - can u tell me more. I would like to find something similar here also. I too am a working mum, and don't have the time to cook myself bacon and eggs every morning! ... although hubby usually looks after me like that. :p

Adelaide is beautiful and sun is shining (ps. "Son" is shining also!!!) heheee :D

[princess_K]

Hi

You will find that unlike America not alot of products are made on slenda.. most are aspartame

Karen

[wooby]

Originally posted by vangal
PS> Can any1 tell me any australian sites that support Atkins & lowcarbing and product purchasing. I'd be most appreciative. Thanks.

try www.pictureofhealth.com.au support network is great, and lc products available check out the shop button. But as katticus said, the GNC stores stock a lot of the atkins range - little pricey for me.

[LeonieAlex]

kATTICUS :wave: where do you live in Sydney if you can make ice cream the atkins way I will buy it from you.

I have gone to all the coles and wool stores looking for
Peters ice cream and bread. I searched high and low so
I rang Peter ice cream direct on 131077 and found out they have stopped making it. Maybe it is supply and demand.
Maybe if we all ring up and conplain they might make it again.

The country alpha bread base is Melbourne so I rang then up to see where they send their bread to. They had a first last month and have stopped making this bread but they should start making it again soon. Their no is 03 9768 3077.

Hope this helps someone.

[vangal]

mmm ... not good news for some!

Can u please tell me what GNC stores are and where to find them.

Thanks

[wooby]

vangal - i just checked on the telstra whitepages under SA and they did not have any listings of GNC, it is mainly NSW and VIC. Sorry :(

You could try going to your local healthfood shop, even better go to one of the larger chains they tend to hold a lot more stock and you may find LC products.

[LeonieAlex]

Gnc stores have also taken over the Russells heath foods shops in Sydney this might help you.
This might help you.
Regards
Leonie

[katticus]

I checked out my local GNC yesterday after work... they have a few low-carb products alright, but the ONLY thing 'low' is the carb... they cost a fortune! $5.00 for an Atkins chocolate bar, $50 for a can of Atkins shake. I would rather make my own! I understand why they're expensive - importing, exchange rates & all that - it's just mighty disappointing that there's nothing locally made. :confused:

Re the icecream Leonie... unfortunately I almost live on the other side of the world to you! Quakers Hill, which is north of Blacktown. However, you may be able to do what I did re icecream... I purchased my icecream maker on e-bay for about 35 bucks. I had to look for ages - they don't have them very often - but it eventually came up, and I got a bargain. Try sold.com.au also, they are not as good as e-bay but you never know.

Katt :wave:

[ahollowa]

The list of GNC stores in Australia is at:

http://www.gnc.com/about_gnc/international/internatmap.asp?country=AU

Mostly NSW and VIC.

I bought an ice cream maker recently and I've been making quite a few different types of low-carb ice cream. It tastes a bit too creamy for me, but it's better than nothing. I even made the Greens (low carb) ice cream cup cakes in it. It turns out pretty good.

I've also bought some low glycemic index ice cream by Peters (I think). It's in a blue tub in my local Coles. I only have that as a real treat 'cos it's still got quite a few carbs in, but it's OK for when you're in maintenance.

Alison

[bennejo]

Hi Guys

I purchased 100% soy protein from GNC which has zero carbs and can be used for lots of things. It is a little pricey ($33) for a container but you don't need to use much.

I use it as a sauce thickener, to make crepes and pikelets and also to make protein drinks for breakfast. I use a scoop of powder 1/2 cup water, 1 tspn splenda, 1 tsp vanilla essence and a handful of frozen berries for the smoothies. Very delicious as it doesnt have the really strong flavour or the carbs of premixed protein powders.

When used as a flour substitute it also thickens up if you can leave it for a while.

Cheers
Jodie

[LeonieAlex]

This is fantantic how every one gives you import. Its great to know that other people are in the same boat. Thanks heap everyone.

Great tip for the soy power from Gnc do they taste like real pancakes and what do you put on it it would be nice to have something sweet like honey do you know of any products that I can use? I tried the pancake mix from Atkins products but they were terrible and didn't taste any good and expensive at $20 per packet.

I have never made ice cream with a maker does anyone have any great ideas of how I can made it and thanks again for the help.

:wave: :wave: :wave:

[princess_K]

Lisa

What is the brand name on your soy protien powder as we don't have a GNC in Qld

Karen

[bennejo]

The brand name of the soy protein is Genisoy. the product name is ultra soy. The container says you get 15 servings per container.

I have found that the crepes or pikelets definately taste like regular ones, but with a hint of the soy. it is kind of hard to tell now as my taste buds have acclimatised very quickly. I normally have them with splenda and lemon juice on top. The recipe for them is contained in the breafast ideas section of the forum.

I also tried another recipe this morning for sweet egg omelete with sweetened cream cheese and it was awesome. My husbane kept on eating them, because he thought they tasted so oggd.

[Rosebud]

Hi Karen,

I have soy protein powder (although I don't much care for it) that I bought from the "health food" section in Coles. It is made by Nature's Way and comes in a green tin. They also have a choc flavoured one.

If you check in health food shops, you'll find a few other brands of soy and whey protein powders. It's pretty much a matter of just keep on looking.

HTH

:rose:Rosebud:rose:

[princess_K]

Hi Bennejo and Rosebud

Thanks for that I will keep my eye out and start being adventurous.

Karen

[Donna L]

I have also found Riga Wholemeal Light to be light on carbs.

Serving size: 2 slices = 15.8 less fibre of 2.3 = 13.5 or 6.75 gm per slice.

May be more readily available that the Alpha which I have not seen.

[FionaC]

Hi Donna

I've heard on another thread around here that most Aussie foods already have the fibre subtracted from the total carb value on the label ... so be careful this isn't the case with your bread..

Anyone know for certain????

:D Fiona :D

[susansmum]

Not sure if someone else has said this, but Coles make their own low carb bread, it is more expensive than there normal 89c loaf, but in similer packaging.

[samina9027]

I haven't seen any low carb icecream either but did find a link for home made ice cream. I've pasted it below. It's off wifezilla's website. Maybe you can try that in the meantime.


Wifezilla's Instant Blueberry Ice Cream
(Makes 2 servings)

Ingredients
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp Da Vinci sugar-free simple syrup (available from lowcarbzone.com.au)

Substitution options: You can use packets of Splenda or Equal if you don't have any Da Vinci syrup. Try 2 of each (mixing sweeteners tends to lower aftertaste). You can also use frozen strawberries, but they must be cut in to smaller pieces. Whole frozen strawberries are too big and hard to mix/cut properly. You can partially thaw them and slice, but they must be mostly frozen for this method to work. You can also dice fresh fruit and freeze it. Just keep the chunks about blueberry-sized and it will work great.

Directions: Place ingredients in a food processor with a chopping blade (mine is an old Black & Decker ShortCut). Pulse for a few seconds until heavy cream & blueberries turn in to nice, creamy, soft serve looking mix (you can also use a blender, but you have to mix & pulse repeatedly to get it evenly whipped). You can set it a bit more by placing in the freezer, but honestly, it seldom makes it that far. Hubby and I just take the food processor container and grab a couple of spoons (fewer dishes to wash!).



Yummmmmm....Low Carby Blueberry Goodness! Drooollll!


I am not sure what the texture would be like if you froze it overnight, but I do have some in the freezer right now. I will check it after work and see if it is still edible or if it turns in to a rock.

Here are the approximate carb and calorie counts. I list this recipe as making two servings, since hubby and I share a batch and it is very satisfying. This is not something you want to eat if you are on Atkins induction unless it keeps you from diving in to a pint of Ben & Jerry's. Other phases of Atkins, Barry Groves plan, or maintenance phases should have no trouble with this if you keep track of your total carbs for the day.

Per Serving...
Calories: 243
Fat: 23g
Total Carbs: 12
Fiber: 2
Net Carbs: 10


Enjoy everyone!

UPDATE: I froze some for about 6 hours and it did get kind of hard, but it also seemed to get "dusty" and crumbly. Yuck. I recommend only making what you immediately need.



Posted by Wifezilla at 7:44 AM

[clearviews]

Currently doing the caravan-Grey Nomad thing around Australia. In the product range we found a whole range of wafers both savoury and sweet which are dairy free, low carb, low GI, no added sugar by Sugarless Confectionery www.sugarlessco.com. The Vanilla wafers contain 0.6 gm carb per 100 grams and the Bruschetta wafer or the Herbs and Garlic are my favourite to top with stuff like smoked salmon, rocket and cream cheese.
Golden North Diet Plus Ice Cream -low GI and low fat vanilla - 16 gm carbs per 100 gms found in Darwin

[happyas]

Thanks rosebud, sounds like good reasioning to me. Love this site

[rania]

Ohh no are they really going to stop making the Peters ice cream? Still some in my local Woollies so I might have to go stock up!

[happyas]

Hi, The brand you are looking for is called "empower" I buy straight from the net or any health food store can get it in for you. I use the LC Sweet n Sour sauce, LC tomato sauce, LC FibreX is a wonderful cereal better than porridge only 2 carbs per serve. I have this most mornings because I LOVE it. LC Almond cookie mix,LC choc rush muffin mix all only 2 carbs and so healthy and tastey. My daughter-in-law uses the products now and the grandkids love the products.

[Sorrento]

I like this thread, so many good things to try out.

Can I add:

Cruskits Rye. 2 of these is 7.6g carbs. They are very light and not very satisfying, but if I have them with salad and meat they provide an interesting crunch for a change. I also have them with butter and vegemite for a lunch (as long as dinner is not too far away, that is).

Burgen Wholemeal and Seed "Weight Management" bread. 2 slices is 17.3g, so I wouldn't call it low carb, but its lower than any other supermarket bread I've found. I buy a loaf every 4 to 6 weeks, it lives in my fridge. I limit myself to 4 slices per week at most. It is handy occasionally for a quick breakfast (toasted, and again with the butter and vegemite :) ) if needed. I tried making my own low carb bread but after a good few tries with poor results I have given up (for now). I am going to try that "Empower" brand bread mix, though.

[clearviews]

Skinny Cow Ice-cream!! Now this is really low carb for me. Hardly causes a blip in my blood sugar. It is expensive and only comes in small tubs for single serves.
No grains seem to work for me, think I am not meant to eat them. I use flaxseed meal and almond meal and make my own bread or biscuits.
I have found a cracker type of item in the Asian shop called Bitter Nut. Little discs made from bitter nut only that you fry in hot oil and they puff up like papadams. Great for dips and I sprinkle salt over them when cooked or they are quite bland.

[rania]

In Australia fibre is already taken out (and shows as a separate main line item), so unfortunately it's the full carbs on the label

[Sorrento]

I've just had a "Goodness Superfoods Wholegrain Barley Wrap", to which I added roast beef and salad, for lunch. First 'sandwich' (but a wrap) for a loooong time.

These wraps come in a pack of 5, 225g total (45g per wrap). Each wrap is listed as having 10.6g of Carbs, which seems pretty good.

Verdict? Well, it was nice having a 'sandwich' again for a change. The actual wrap itself didn't taste bad. The salad and beef was what I mainly tasted, of course. The wrap was nice, but no nicer than having a bowl of salad and roast beef.

These are on special this week at Woolworths (well, at my local one anyway); $2.49 a pack (normally $4.99), so worth a try. Well done to the makers and a big thanks for getting the carb count down ... if the regular price can be brought down I'll be a repeat customer.

[Sorrento]

Just to bring everyone's attention to a low carb chocolate I found at the supermarket - 'Lifestyle' brand, comes in 100g pack, 6g of carbs per 100 grams. Its in the normal chocolate aisle in my local Coles.
It sounded too good to be true so I looked it up - it contains maltitol which I found out by reading can give you stomach cramps etc. I bought it anyway and have it as a treat in 20g amounts, a few times a week. No stomach cramps, no problems. then one I day I had a 40g piece - I got cramps that evening. So now I'm back to only 20g and no problems.
It isn't cheap, compared to 'normal' chocolate, around $4.99 for the 100 g block. The small portions I eat it in stretches it out though.
It is very nice. There is a variation with nuts in it - slightly higher carb count but not much when I'm eating only 20g.
A big thank-you to the manufacturer!

[luzdafuzz]

I get a lot of things online from iherb.com, works out cheaper for so many things even with postage. I can get stevia drops half the price of what I get them from a local health food store, also can get peanut flour from there. And Quest bars by the box- so much cheaper than anywhere else I've seen in Aus. They also do super heavily discounted express post to Australia now, usually only around $10-$15 for express with tracking. ***********

Was a lot cheaper before when our dollar was worth more but I still find it works out better than getting stuff from a shop that's been imported.

Other things I've bought from there:

Walden farms products
PB2
Natural flavours (frontier naturals brand)
Vitamins
Xanthan gum
Aluminium free baking powder
Bob's red mill products
Unsweetened baking chocolate
Erythritol (we get RIPPED in Aus- a 1.2kg bag is only $15)

[Sorrento]

Just to add on to my previous post on that low carb milk chocolate I WAS enjoying ... My supermarket stopped carrying it so I rang the number of the firm on the packet ... and the line is disconnected. Searching elsewhere for the product has been unsuccessful
What a shame, I was enjoying my few nibbles of low carb milk chocolate each week.
Never mind, I'm sure there'll be something else along soon enough.

[luzdafuzz]

There's a brand in Woolworths/Coles of chocolate that I like that is sweetened with erythritol and sweetener, the brand is Well Naturally. I like both the milk and dark chocolate! They only sell them in 45g bars though.

[Sorrento]

Thanks Lusdafuzz - I'll have a look for that. And thanks for the tip with iherb - I buy vitamins from them but hadn't thought they stocked low carb products.

[Shelleyvdp]

Da Vinci sugar free syrups, from low carb central. It seems expensive at $19 a bottle, but it's for 750ml and two teaspoons in a cup of coffee is more than enough. Great to flavour cream and mock cheesecakes too. I have caramel and vanilla, next I'm going to buy a torani brand peppermint syrup to try. They are sweetened with Splenda.

[Rosebud]

I have just had my first glass of Vitarium's Sugar Free Drinking Chocolate . And I loved it! No after taste that I could notice.

It's sweetened with Natvia, and we bought it from Coles. $6.50 for a 200g container.

I'm going to start experimenting with it soon to see what I can come up with for Christmas desserts.