Low Carber in Amsterdam (Netherlands)

[eva123]

Hey people.

I am a Frenchie in Amsterdam since 1998. I lived in London before and in my last trip last week, found that this Low carb stuff has grown there...unless I never paid attention before

Never really considered Low carb until last month. Cannot say it is widespread here...
Just closing off my INDUCTION.. and getting ready to start my new WOL.
So yes, not much to do or follow here in the Netherlands but.... easy to adapt it all I think. :)
Let me know of your favorite shops, restaurants or problems in the regions.
We might be able to help one another.... :wave:
I saw a post for Holland but given that the date said January 2001, I thought it best to start a new one..... :agree:

I buy my "cheap" meat from dirk Van den Broek, especially when they have offers

I do believe it is easy to accomodate because of the wide range of places. Not specifically for Low Carbers, but menus have a lot to offer. Has anyone found nice restaurants? :q:

I went ot a nice SouthAmerican one 1 days ago (I'd just started considering the WOE) and had a gorgeous (yes) entrecôte... just for me...hmm

:q: Would anyone know of a place for Nuts in the city or surroundings?.. (i am looking for a range other than CHOCOLATE COVERED ALMONDS!! Mixed RAISINS and nuts!!!!) Come on, there must be something....

If it is only support you are after, well, let's chat too. It is great to share (I believe that, people!!!)

[eva123]

<b> Do you know of any Atkin's products suppliers in Holland..?</b>

[eva123]

<b>Atkins products</b>
Just checked, and there are none.

Can only be ordered over the web unfortunately. Not that I'd all my shopping there but it would certainly help me to get some snacks to munch on from time to time...for diversity.
We have no porks rinds here or other goodies the Americans have managed to introduced in their supermarket shelves.
.....to be continued I guess.......

Cannot believe there is not much presence from Holland on this site....

:confused: am I all alone..?

[Tarrawack]

Hi

I'm doing Atkins in Friesland - so you're not alone here !!

I'm British - ex South Africa - on contract here with my
husband.

I've been doing lowcarb since early December and its
quite difficult to get things for me as we're in a very
small village.

Not been losing a great deal but very happy with the
way of eating - never hungry !!

Let me know if you want to get in contact.
Good luck
Val

[eva123]

Hiya Val!!

I was so sure I responded to your thread but notice there is nothing..........brain waves not quite how they should be...

So how come you never really lost anything on these nutritional habits? Perhaps you are not really following a plan... are you?

There is not much either in terms of low carb here in the big city, but be assured that it is only a matter of adjusting existing poducts. Also, for anyone following aparticular plan/regime, it would be difficult to properly count the carbs in all the foods.

How long have you been in Holland? Friesland...

What are your favorite places for food shoping then..?

[willeke]

Hi girls, foreigners in the Netherlands! I am Dutch and live in Ireland <g>. I am a member of a Dutch mailinglist for Atkins, though and they have plenty of tips for everything. But the problem is of course that all is in Dutch..

If you want you could give me specific questions, then I can ask them - but if your Dutch is good enough, you could of course take a look at www.atkinsisgezond.nl

BTW I did Atkins in the Netherlands in the seventies and it worked fine! You just have to get used to what you can and cannot have, but I can assure you the shops have more choice than they have here in the country in Ireland!

Good luck
en groetjes
Willeke

[eva123]

Thank you Willeke!

how is the WOE agreeing with you then? is it a success story?
You are right about adapting, it is just a matter of finding the right stuff.

groetjes!

[willeke]

Hi Eva,
yes, this WOL is a succes for me. I did Atkins twice before and it was a miracle, the weight went and stayed away - until I got tranquillizers because of a death in the family and gained 20 pounds back in two weeks and couldn't cope with that. This was in the seventies.
At the end of the eighties, begin nineties I did it again, and I didn't even have scales then, but it worked like a charm. Again I kept it off till something dramatic happened, and I wasn't able to say no to the food people kept giving me.
This is the third and last time now. It works a LOT slower than before, but I'm a lot older, too, of course - I'm 53 now. Sill, I feel so much better and am slowly losing weight again, too.

Now I know better than ever before that I must not eat sugar or white flour etc and I will just not accept it from anyone anymore.

As I said before, if you have specific questions about Dutch products I may be able to help you. I envy you, you can always get a herring when you feel like it!!!!

groetjes terug
en sneeuwt het daar al?
Willeke

[eva123]

Hello.

Yes, it is somehow snowing these last few days!!!

Do you by any chance know what I could get as a substitute for flour? i want to make some puffs (little pastries fried in oil) but I am a bit lost as to what I could get here for that?

I bought some protein white powder thingie from the health shop (I see it is actually used to thicken things like yoghourts, soups...) and will try my luck on that......

:D

[willeke]

Hi Eva,
most people use half protein powder, half soy flour (sojameel in NL) as substitue for flour in recipes. You will have to experiment a bit to find out what you like or not, but e.g. a cheese pancake is wonderful!

let me know how you go!
cheers
Willeke

[Tarrawack]

Hi EVA123

Thanks for your reply and sorry not to get back to you sooner.

In answer to your questions - yes I am following a diet -
the Atkins plan - to the letter - and have been on induction
for 7 weeks now.

My problem seems to stem from an underactive (hypo) thyroid problem which a UK doctor refused to treat me for. I am now
awaiting tests from a doc over here and hope that I can start treament soon to address the problem.

Favourite places for shopping ? I LOVE AHein and shop there either in Sneek or Harlingen - as you say its a question of adapting to the foods that are available. Other than that I shop at the local Kooistra or Co-op. We live in a very small village near the 'Kop Aflsluitdijk'.

We have been in Friesland twice - for 1 month in Feb 2000 - we then lived in Vlissingen for a year and we have been back here
for about 8 months. Love it here - people are friendlier and we love village life compared to any town. Miss my UK newspapers but I do get once a week and thats a real treat.
Thanks for replying
Val

[eva123]

Thanks Willeke for the tip!! Will experiment this week....
Cheese pancakes?
I will search for that recipe in the "RECIPE" section on this forum!!! Sounds delicious (greedy me~~)

[eva123]

How come you have been on induction for sooooo long?.
Do you feel you are losing more this way?
Are you resistant to slight changes in your carbs count?

I hope the doc' finds something for you. Wonder why the UK one refused to treat you?
How is this affecting your life?

Groetjes

[nele]

Hallo,


it's great to finally find some dutch speaking people on the forum. I live in belgium (west-vlaanderen). I don't know if you have the stores 'delhaize - de leeuw' in the netherlands. But there i found some bacon crisps from filler's.
Je moet wel wat gewoon raken aan de smaak. Maar ze zijn lekker als je eens iets knapperigs wilt!
I have been trying to visit the website 'atkinsisgezond' but the link isn't working at the moment.
I will try later.

Veel groetjes,


Nele

P.S. Kom je soms in de chatroom?

[eva123]

Hello Nele
(sorry....sorry... hoor... ik spreek geen nederlands...)

I have never seen nor heard of 'delhaize - de leeuw' but will sure try and have a look. Especially for the bacon crisps which might actually be our response to the "oh-so-talked-about"!!! pork rinds....

I also tried and get access to the site suggested by Willeke with no luck. Maybe later...

Yes, I am often on the forum. It is amazing what you learn and the response people always have for you. If there is no response, it is simply a word of encouragement.

Much valued..

[willeke]

Hi all, I checked with the list owner and she's indeed having problems with the site at the moment. I will let you know as soon as things work OK again!

groetjes
Willeke

[eva123]

Look at what I found.

Chocolate spread (http://www.cyberpaker.com/opis.asp?produkt=476)

It is good to know that there are certain things around like that. My only advice:... do not abuse it.
It might induce your craving for carbs or sugars ...

Doei...

I keep on looking around for things we can use. Not much apart from fresh food (which is great) but sometimes it is good to know....

[willeke]

Hi Dutchies <g>
the website is OK now, but the address is www.atkins.isgezond.nl

have fun!

too busy to chat now, sorry!
Willeke

[eva123]

Hi all.

I looked around today for "cream cheese" because I see many recipes refer to it.

Is my understanding correct? IS cream cheese "smeerkaas"?

I went to the big Dirk van den Broek in Hoofddorp and could only find little 100g packs.
I wish to experiment this weekend on some nice recipes I saw around. - tiramitsu
- cheese cake etc....

What I have trouble finding is
- some unsweetened cocoa powder or chocolate.
- sojameel....? anyone knows where to get some here?

Thanks!!!

[willeke]

hi! cream cheese is NOT smeerkaas, but Philadelphia!
and you can get cocoa in any proper supermarket, ask for Droste cacao or van Houten. Say it must be pure, no sugar added, (cacao is pronounced kahKOU)

good luck
en eet smakelijk
Willeke

[nele]

hallo,

you may also use mascarpone in recipes where they mention cream cheese.
Especially if you want to make tiramisu.

Nele

[eva123]

Thanks girls...
I had already gone shopping before reading your replies.

I found out (after I had bought 500g of it) that smeerkaas is more like "Vache Qui Rit" (the laughing cow) than anything else...

I wonder what I could do with it now....It is in 5 little 100g packs...

I also did get mascarpone so that will be for my Tiramitsu.

hmmm.... How are you guys doing with shedding the pounds? I am definitely stuck and do not move either way.

I started on January 6th, lost 4 kilos during induction, and since then after 14 days, nothing. I drink loads, eat meat, cheese, eggs.. all the good stuff I had during induction plus some veggies (salad veggies, olives which i count, broccoli etc....) Everything to the letter.

See you

[Vicky.S]

Pppping over from the other thread, sorry it took me so long but I spent the majority of March in NYC visiting family and doing some lowcarb shopping :D

Willeke, to answer your question from the other thread, I'm living in Hilversum. Do I have any neighbors on this board?

Has anyone here bought the Dana Carpender cookbook? I can not live without it, especially out here where there are NO lc products to be found.

[willeke]

Hi Vicky!
I don't know which thread you mean, must be an old one <g>, but there are quite a few Atkinsers in Hilversum that I know. If you're a member of Yahoo, you can subscribe to the list. Just send an email to atkinsdieet2-subscribe at yahoogroups.com, then they wil make you a member!

Haven't you got a journal yet here? You should go and visit some journals, then you'll see how much help that can be for you!

cheers
Willeke

[deme]

Hello Eva
I am new to this site and to the netherlands
I saw that you have been here for a few years and hoped that you had any suggestions for baking I was looking for atkins products in the netherlands which brought me to your answer to that question that there was none. I was wondering what to use then if you are going to bake or cook as subs. ??

Hope to hear from you
deme

[Sooike]

Hello everyone
I live in Belgium (near Antwerp)
If you can't find porkrinds, check out the chinese stores, that's where I buy mine. I also buy my almondflour and soyflour there.
Do any of you eat sugarfree chocolat ? I just bought a chocolat bar (pure) from Céréal and there are 51 g carbs ( 50 g polyols) in 100g and 1 bar is 42g. So does this means there is less dan 0.5 effective carb in the bar. I really hope so I just took one peace of the bar and it's just mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Dana

[Sooike]

Hoi Nele,
Tof om eens iets in het Nederlands te kunnen vragen. Ik las net dat jij bacon crisps in de Delhaize koopt. Waar ergens kan ik ze vinden, bij de chips en dergelijke of ergens anders ?
Alvast bedankt !
Groetjes,

Dana

[Charlif761]

Hi Guys! I am sooooooo glad to have found some Atkins/Lo Carb devotees her ein the Netherlands!!!! I just started a week ago, and b eing the social person I am, I have been looking and looking! I am in Hoorn, 20 miles NE of Amsterdam.....between Enkhuizen and Alkmaar sort of.

I have some info for you...... Apparently you can get something like pork rinds in a Slagerij (butcher's shop)...they are called Knappelspek. Go there and ask away! It's fried pork fat alright! They may look at you funny but what the heck!

The best place for nuts, I have found, is in any Toko. The Turkish ones have beautiful nuts and CHEAP (compared to US prices anyway). If anyone lives near me, I can point you to one in Hoorn. There you can also buy inexpensive olives, pickled peppers, roasted red peppers (paprikas) in oil and often nice veggies. Turkish or other middle eastern Tokos are fab for this!!!

In Asian Tokos, you can find Soja Meel ( I think I spelled that right ....soy meal) . Cream cheese is Philadelphia cream cheese found anywhere usually...but DEFINITELY at Albert Heijn. Unsweeteened Cocoa is easily found at Deen or AH. Just ask. It is WONDERFUL!!!

ANyway, I am looking for some buddies to help share this experience. And, I would LOVE to have a Lo Carb meeting. Wouldn't it be fun to go to dinner together...and eat RIBS!!!! lol Please feel free to email me at ********** I am having difficulties with the Private Messaging function. I will also check back here. Look forward to hearing from other lo carbers here in the Neth.

Charlotte

[Charlif761]

OH! I forgot...apparently ther eis a sugar free/lo carb "chocolate" spread here called "Twist". Anyone heard of it besides me? I found it on a web site...said it was imported to the US from here...but I have never seen it here. lol

[IslandGirl]

OH! I forgot...apparently ther eis a sugar free/lo carb "chocolate" spread here called "Twist". Anyone heard of it besides me? I found it on a web site...said it was imported to the US from here...but I have never seen it here. lolI think you can find the actual brand name (the company name that makes it) if you go to the www.carbsmart.com (http://www.carbsmart.com/) website where they sell it, Char. Hope that helps.

OR (and please pardon my fractured computer-generated Nedelandse):
Ik denk u de daadwerkelijke merknaam (de firmanaam die het) maakt kunt
vinden als u naar de www.carbsmart.com (http://www.carbsmart.com)- website gaat waar zij het
verkopen, Klusje. Hoop die helpt.

[nele]

Hoi Sooike,


Sorry, sorry dat ik deze site wat uit het oog was verloren en ik dus je vraag niet had gelezen! Hopelijk heb je ondertussen de pork rinds algevonden bij de chips!!!

groetjes
Nele

[IslandGirl]

I think you can find the actual brand name (the company name that makes it) if you go to the www.carbsmart.com (http://www.carbsmart.com/) website where they sell it, Char. Hope that helps.

OR (and please pardon my fractured computer-generated Nedelandse):
Ik denk u de daadwerkelijke merknaam (de firmanaam die het) maakt kunt
vinden als u naar de www.carbsmart.com (http://www.carbsmart.com/)- website gaat waar zij het
verkopen, Klusje. Hoop die helpt.
On the other hand, I tripped over the name today. The maker of the sugarfree Twist product (like Nutella) is DeBoer. Hope that helps?

By the way, there is another brand that appears to NOT contain hydrogenated oils, so should be a better quality product for one's health, that is the Torras chocolate hazelnut spread.

[Charlif761]

Hartelijk bedankt voor de informatie, Island. Ik heb de merken "Torras" of "DeBoer" niet gezien........ Helaas, maar ik zal verder kijken. "Porkrinds" zijn in de meeste "tokos" of bij chineese winkels te vinden. Kijk daar als je wilt.... Veel succes!!! Als je meer informatie nodig hebt, dan ben ik blij om te helpen!

Charlotte

(Ik hoop dat "JE" goed is met je! Ik voel dat je een vriend bent!)

[IslandGirl]

Hartelijk bedankt voor de informatie, Island... Ik heb de merken "Torras" of "DeBoer" niet gezien...

Charlotte

Ik hoop dat "JE" goed is met je! Ik voel dat je een vriend bent!
Hartelijk dank voor uw warme woorden, Charli. :rose:

Allen is goed hier, en ik wens slechts het beste voor u en voor uw familie en vrienden.

Gelukkig Nieuw Jaar!

[L.Smith]

Hi to all you English speaking out there, Im from Blackpool in the northwest, have lived in Holland since 1993. We're in Vlaardingen thats Zuid Holland. Started on Atkins two weeks ago and its going ggggreat. Just about to stop induction and go to the next stage,but its a hell of a job trying to find lowcarb products here. Have sourced a good line of bread ( fijn lijntje ) and for the odd treat chocolate fix is easy to come by. Gets me really angry when you can see all the fab products out there and we have to import from America or the UK. For those who havent found it yet KETOLIFE carry a small selection. Online ordering but del. cost isnt much, and its quick. Great to find this forum and hope to hear lots more from you all.

[willeke]

Hi L. Smith!
I have a yahoo mailinglist for English speaking people in the Netherlands.
if you feel that might be handy, send an empty email to atkins_netherlands-subscribe(at)yahoogroups.com

it's a small group, but it works!
cheers
Willeke

[L.Smith]

Bedankt Willeke,
Ik zal het vanavond gaan proberen, Ik zit al op een Nederlands Atkins forum, heel gezellig maar soms is het leuk een beetje in je eigen taal te babbelen. Maar ik zal ook heir regelmatig terug komen hoor, deze spreekt me ook aan. En trouwens ik heet Lorna. tot ziens

[willeke]

hi Lorna,
wat is je Nederlands goed!!! het gaat er bij ons voornamelijk om in de eigen taal te kunnen vragen wat er bedoeld wordt met sommige ingrediënten en opmerkingen op andere lijsten. op welke lijst zit jij?
groetjes
Willeke

[L.Smith]

Hi Willeka, It was interesting to read all about you yesterday, it looks like a beautiful place to live where you are in Ireland, aren't you lucky. Will you still keep this list when you go to the States. I'll be wonderful to live near your children and grandchildren though, I wish you all the very best for the future. That is really the worst thing about living outside your own country, you miss your family a lot and espescially your kids. My son lives in London with his partner. He's in the RAF so the last few years he's moved around the world a lot but hopefully now he can stay put for about five years. Don't get to see much of them but we mail and telephone often. Were hoping to go over in the spring, so looking forward to that. He'll be surprised to see his new slimmer mum,and I can't wait to get in the shops. They seem to have a much wider range of lc goods on sale over there. Whats it like where you are. Here in Holland there's very little, apart from fresh stuff which is really good, you have to really hunt for anything else. Had a free day yesterday so went off into town, took me nearly 4hours to find lijnzaad olie, protien powder and a couple of other simple things. Came off induction today, so treated myself to yoghurt for breakfast, mixed some protein powder in it mmmmmmmm delicious. Made a change from eggs. How are you doing on Atkins, ? how long have you been doing it, ? is it really as effective as they claim, ? I know I've lost 6kg in two weeks on induction, but then I always loose well in the first couple of weeks of any diet. The reason I'm going to continue with lc is the way I feel, got loads of energy, my mood swings have dissapeard, I'm never that hungry, and I just feel Good. Its great dont you think. My other list is Lowcarbdutchie, also a good one, the ladies come up with some good recipes, and they're lighthearted about it all, though very serious Atkinsers. And yours of course!!!! coincidence or what? Thought I was seeing double for a minute. Ha Ha. Take care. Lorna

[Klodo2]

Héééé... zo veel Nederlanders hier, dat had ik niet verwacht. Jullie zijn dus toch geen stamppot-volk? :lol:

[honeyless]

Hi L. Smith or anyone who wants to chat
I am new to Atkins and to the Forum so we I go. I have been sticking simply to eggs, cheese, fish meat, veggies and salad. Happily I have a few jars of Hellmans but I have found very little in the supermarket that I can eat. What is this pork rind that everyone talks about? Do you have any helping hints on anything? When I am in a cafe how can I have a black coffee with unsweeteened cream? How can I check that the salad dressing is without sugar? What is lowcarbdutchie? What protein powder are you eating? Sorry for all the questions but I feel frustrated that there is so little lc to buy. I am pleased to say that I am nevery hungry but the eggs and doing their best to bring my bowels movements to a halt.

[willeke]

hi Honeyless,
you will be able to find a lot of Atkins products in the shops soon, they are working on breakfast bars etcetera. I live in Texas now and it's wonderful to be able to get all that so easily, and your time will come, too.
pork rinds = bacon crisps

look on yahoogroups.com, there is an atkins list for Dutch people with lots of tips.

good luck, gewoon doorgaan!
Willeke

[IslandGirl]

... Happily I have a few jars of Hellmans but I have found very little in the supermarket that I can eat. ......When I am in a cafe how can I have a black coffee with unsweeteened cream? How can I check that the salad dressing is without sugar? What is lowcarbdutchie? ...I am pleased to say that I am nevery hungry but the eggs and doing their best to bring my bowels movements to a halt.
Have you found a copy of the Dr. Atkins book? A LOT of questions, like that about the bowels, is answered in such a boek. Also available online, try a veteran website like www.lowcarb.org (http://www.lowcarb.org) or www.atkins.com (http://www.atkins.com) or www.eatprotein.com (http://www.eatprotein.com) and search "constipation" or "fiber". Try increasing your green leafy vegetables only, like spinach or kale or chard or witloof....with boter! Also drink much more fresh water.

Yes you can have coffee with unsweetened cream, but best to have decaffeinated coffee if possible. Again, any good low carb book will help with that question, too.

Your salad dressing package or bottle should have ingredients/ingrediënten
information that will list whether there is added sugar or not. Also, look for carbohydrate (koolhydraten) count per 100g, then deduct (trek af) the fiber count on European package, which gives you the usable (bruikbaar?) carbohydrate count per serving if you use approximately 25-28 grams or mL of salad dressing.

I found also the lowcarbdutchie website for you, it's at http://www.low-carbdutchie.com/ and I'm sure a LOT of this kind of information for beginners is also available there, it looks very comprehensive (uitvoerig?) from the menu bar, though my Nedelandse simply isn't good enough for the rest of the content! I haven't spoken much since kindegarten...

Hope this is helpful....

signed Judith v.d.Broek over in Western Canada!

[willeke]

Have you found a copy of the Dr. Atkins book? A LOT of questions, like that about the bowels, is answered in such a boek.

Also, look for carbohydrate (koolhydraten) count per 100g, then deduct (trek af) the fiber count on European package, which gives you the usable (bruikbaar?) carbohydrate count per serving if you use approximately 25-28 grams or mL of salad dressing.
signed Judith v.d.Broek over in Western Canada!

In the book you will also find that in the Netherlands the fiber count has allready been subtracted from the total carbohydrate count, so the carbs per 100 gram are NETT carbs.

Willeke
(vertaler Atkins boeken)

[honeyless]

Help me please someone
I have been following the low carb diet according to the book but have not lost any weight. I am not on any medication. I take St John's Wort, calcium and evening primrose oil. Am I resistant somehow? Could it be a yeast problem?

[willeke]

is your weight in lbs? If so, you're probably already thin enough and have not much bodyfat to lose. You could move to the second fase, increase your vegetables and increase exercise, that will make you feel better and healthier.
hth
Willeke

[honeyless]

Hi Lorna
Where do you get the low carb bread (fijn lijntje) from? I also live on South Holland and mainly shop in AH. Today I discovered unsweetened UHT soya milk so I am going to use this in my morning shake along with the protein powder, cocoa, water and sweetner. I makes a change from the eggs for breakfast. I may have a second shake mid afternoon as I tend to get very sleepy at this time.
Hi Willeke
My stats are in lbs and yes I only want to loose 8 -12 lbs but it is very frustrating not to loose anything. I will go on to phase 2 as you suggest and I am going to the gym already. I enjoy power walking and step and of course the bicycle I ride to get there. Thanks for your advice
Hi Island Girl
I have seen Twist in the health food store but what do you use it with?
Bye to all for now

[Skyliz]

Hello everybody! It looks rather deserted on this thread. Anybody still there?

I've joined this wonderful low carb forum to try and lose some pounds in the next couple of weeks. I've been doing a lot of converting (into pounds, feet and inches)! ;)

It would be very nice to meet someone from The Netherlands as well.

Skyliz

[dustpuppy]

omg wow, just today I thought eh, I never looked to see if there was a netherlands thread, and to think it got updated (fairly recently) vs. last post from 4 years ago haha! I just spent a whole year there studying, (and gained something like 13kilos ........ damn kaassouffle bitterballen freikkendel frites met mayo kipnuggets that meatloaf/onion thing and all the doner kebab and gyros lying about!! and yes cheap wine!!) I miss my fietz so much haha, which part are you from? I was living in utrecht : )

[Skyliz]

I live in the region of Rotterdam. But as you know distances are quite relative in Holland.

[dustpuppy]

ah yes rotterdam, where they have the best frites met mayo in whole of netherlands!!!

[Skyliz]

Don't even mention them... I'll immediately get obsessed with the idea! ;)