Supermarkets shelves

[Ella]

Hello!

I've been reading messages on this forum for a month now. They are SO useful! First week of Induction wasn't easy. I had to spend hours in supermarkets to find low-carb foods, and it's not that easy in UK, unless you are a true meat fun (which I am now). I've started Atkins diet myself a month ago. I don't have to loose too much, so every pound counts. My main addiction were fruit and nuts. I could demolish a kilo of apples in an hour! A friend of mine who's diabetic said that's how I substitute my sugar intake, and that perhaps explains why I couldn't loose any weight at all, in fact pounds started piling up, which happened to all my family at this age, slow-down of metabolism. I thought it's a very healthy addiction till I read Atkins' New Diet Revolution. On the first week of Induction I was getting shivers from seeing somebody eating apples. Am I a sicko!

Well, anyway I'm clear now! And ready to share some shopping experience. I found an excellent beverage in Safeway called SoBe tropical fruit drink (trace of carbs sugar free, and contains chromium picolinate as well as vitamins). It's so refreshing! Never could get the taste of Coke, so Diet one is not for me. It's very good replacement for juices, which I miss. You can get some info on their web http://www.sobebev.com/site/lean/index.asp

Another thing I found in Safeway is German barbeque sausages (only 1.1g carb per sausage!!). I can't remember exactly the brand, but I can check out and post it next time. I also enjoy snacking on Macadamia nuts, which you can also get in Safeway, quite pricey though 3.75 quid!! But so worth it!

I would be interested to hear from you on how you succeed in low-carb food hunting in UK supermarkets

[fiona]

Yes, I must admit pre-Atkins I was a fruit addict - quite self-righteous too that I was following a very healthy diet - except that I didn't feel that healthy!! :lol:

Most of my shopping is done at Iceland (frozen and tinned fish; fresh chicken; cream; cheese) Kwik-Save (they do nice pumpkin seeds with kernals which are great to nibble on) simply 'cos they are local to me. Sainsburys do nice Dijon mustard, anchovies (100% protein), macademia nuts for £1.49 - i forget what quantity but probably 100g. And of course Holland & Barratt for things like Protein Whey, all kinds of nuts, herbal teas and soya milk.

I try not to purchase anything prepared 'cos I can't trust what it might contain or how accurate the food label is. Like you I spent hours reading labels when I started - now I know the more in its natural/original state the food is the closer I am to LCing.

Good luck and take care.

[Ella]

Thank you for advice! I'll definitely pop in to Sainsbury's, even though it's not my local.

This week I checked Marks & Spensers (always loved their food :daze:). Not brilliant, but they do Brazil nuts, which come only 1.9g carb per 100g , much lower than in Atkins carb counter and other supermarkets. I noticed that lots of products do vary on the carb scale depending on the store. Something like Brazil nuts have no other added ingredients.

Unfortunately, sometimes I haven't got time to cook. especially during lunch. And I don't really trust the office canteen, so I have to rely on supermarket ready food a lot. I liked M&S sandwich fillers. Though they do have little sugar (especially prawn and mayonnaise only 0.9g carb where 0.4g sugar per 100g :confused: ). I wonder if I'm allowed this, though it didn't seem to reduce ketones. In fact they are too high recently, I wonder whether it's because of my recent vigorous workouts in the gym.

[fiona]

Ella as you are well past Induction you can increase your carb allowance by 5g at a time - keeping an eye that you do not start gaining.

{Though they do have little sugar (especially prawn and mayonnaise only 0.9g carb where 0.4g sugar per 100g ). I wonder if I'm allowed this, though it didn't seem to reduce ketones. } That sounds fine to me. The only problem with sugar is that it is all too easy to keep increasing it and soon have the cravings start all over again without realising. But if you are vigilent you will be fine.

Exercise of course is a major element in increasing the metabolic rate and helping to burn off the calories.

Olives and Anchovies; cheese and nuts; lettuce + tin of tuna are great for quick snacks when I don't have time to cook.

Take care.

[rustpot]

:idea: Have you noticed that.........

Low carbohydrate foods being mainly fresh meat and vegetables
have less packaging and there is more space in my trolly and less bags to carry to the car. Just think of the size of a packet of cornflakes! :spin:

[Ella]

That's so true! I used to end up carrying 4 bags from the supermarket. Now it's hardly 1 bag. I say: quality not quantity! :thup:

Fiona, thank you for your snacks ideas! All these yummy things!!
:roll:

[Ella]

Last night I popped into Waitrose. Must say they have a very good choice of cheeses, especially cream cheeses from Italy, 1.7g carb per 100g and no added sugar. I found it quite hard to find sugar-free cream cheese.

Brilliant choice of nuts and seeds! :roll:

They also have sugar-free Italian dressing Cardini's :thup:. And Wairose free range chipolata sausages, 0.7carb per chipolata, 0 sugar. But bear in mind they are rather skinny comparing to English type.

Pates... Mmmm... You have to see for yourself!

Unfortunately, some of the yummy things from Europe don't state carb content. That's the only reason why I stopped doing my shopping at the Borough market before I familiarise myself more with all the carb contents in different foods to have a rough idea.

:wave:

[Ella]

As promised I'm posting an update on the new low-carb products I've seen.

I stopped loosing weight, in fact put all back again. But I'm not so easy to be put off. Mainly because I like my new WOE. I got rid of any cravings I used to have.... hmmmm.... maybe not all of them (nuts don't count, right?! ;) ). So I decided to check this Fat Fast diet for 4 days (today's my 2nd and am already 1kg less... :( a bit too quick, don't you think). First day was SO easy, I hardly thought of food, mainly because of Safeway's Italian soft cheese snack St Moret Appeteasers (cute little things shaped like chocolates with herbs, even look like white chocy and come with cocktail sticks) only 1.39. I think it's a special treat for Christmas, I hope they won't disappear after that. Just call it my new addiction. Hey! who cares if it works! :D

:wave:

[Ella]

Got my first box of goodies from Carblife! Yuppie! Was really hard not to get my hands on those chocolates, but I was strong, and after all it's only 2 days left of Fat Fast, which is actually working!!

So, I'm in my good moods today and feeling rather energetic. Since not much work at the moment I decided to use this energy for good purposes. I'm calling and writing e-mails to all the big supermarkets enquiring about low-carb products and explaining why they should introduce a wider range of sugar-free products. I think it's important to make them aware of such demand on the market. If they receive more inquiries of this sort they might consider to get more low-carb produce on their shelves. Some have no idea what I'm talking about and try to explain that they do actually do low-fat range :rolleyes:

So, why don't we try and make them aware of what we want to see in our supermarkets. :exclm:

What do you think?

[fiona]

I am glad your Fat Fast is working for you. Keep it up and stay off those chocolates.

I have already tried phoning, writing to and e-mailing a number of supermarkets. Like you I found most have no idea what I'm talking about and try to explain that they do actually do low-fat range . Some even sent me 100 page lists of Low-Fat foods after a full explanation of what I wanted !!! :mad:

Perhaps we ought to lobby the Food Minister!

Take care.

[Harley]

I have been wondering about something that Ella mentioned. I have a calorie counting book that also lists carbs etc and also I check out carb content from this site and the Dr Atkins book. I am confused though at the difference in carb amounts. :confused:
For eg, i have bagged salad leaves which are 2 carbs per 100g which is 2 large soup bowls full, yet Dr Atkins' book says that 1 cup of lettuce is 1.6 (iceberg), Ive also seen a marked difference with nuts.

Does anyone have an explanation for this?

Happy hunting

[Ella]

I did manage to stay off those chocolates, but had one after finished the Fat Fast, to treat myself. They are much better than I imagined and only 4.25g carb. But strange thing, I found them SO sweet, felt a bit sick to be honest half way through. Is that because I've completely gone off it.... Fab! It's like when you try something for the first time, and not quite sure if you get the taste of it.

Down 3kg just in 4 days! (too good to be true). But I had to start taking antibiotics to treat rush, that came out. Mmmm... it might spoil the result :( . I had the same problem, when I just started the Induction. And now again during the Fat Fast. It's spreading like crazy. I wonder if it's because I don't take enough vitamins. I take Solgar vitamins: multi-vitamisV2000 (1 a day), chromium picolinate (1 a day), Omega 3 and EPA (in 1 capsule 1 a day). I'm not very keen in taking too much. But I do feel that I need to increase the dosage, or add more. Could anyone tell me which supplements they take? Thank you.

He-hey! I've got reply from Safeway. Not sure if it means anything, but I did write a very long letter trying to explain the commercial benefits of introducing low-carb products. Mentioned that Atkins products are going to hit the UK market soon, and they should think well ahead to be successful in a highly competitive market. :D I'll post their reply below. I think if we try to make the point how profitable it could be for them, it will make them at least consider it. I said that it's not only for those who want to loose weight, but it's also for people with particular food allergies, diabetics etc. I sent them all the web links I could find, so they had to reply :p . Fiona, maybe we should be sending something similar to the Food Ministry? After all, they would never know untill they are told.

Harley, I've got the same problem figuring out the carb content in clean products (i.e. without any added ingredients). They vary a lot. At some stage I just stopped worrying about it. If I had too much I stop loosing or... start gaining :mad: . So I figured how much I should have (quite hard to do that with nuts, SO addictive ;) )

Take care

[Ella]

Here's the reply from Safeway:

Dear Ella

<<Thank you for your e-mail.
Your comments have been forwarded to the appropriate buying departments at our head office for their attention and review.
However, it maybe of interest to you that we have a dedicated nutritional advice service on 0208 970 3622 who would be happy to discuss such issues with you if you would like.
I hope this maybe of help and thank you again for your feedback.
Kind Regards
Jo >>

Is it a progress or just one of those thank-you-come-again things? :rolleyes:

[Harley]

I think its definately a 'patronise the customer with no intention of listening to or doing anything they have asked" sort of letter.

Good for you for trying, maybe your letter will get into the hands of a low carber.

Well done with the big weight loss on the fat fast. :clap:
What did you eat? ive been thinking of doing it for a while as the weight loss boost would do me good but not too sure what Id eat.

Harley

[fiona]

{Harley: i have bagged salad leaves which are 2 carbs per 100g which is 2 large soup bowls full, yet Dr Atkins' book says that 1 cup of lettuce is 1.6 (iceberg), } Harley it wall depends how the carbs have been calculated. Apparently there are various different ways: with fibre removed, without fibre , different countries have different ways of measuring. Like Ella I take Labels with a pinch of salt and go more on how I am feeling.

Ella, I have to agree with Harley about patronising the customer re Safeway's reply. The "dedicated nutritional advice" experts have completely closed their minds to the possibility that Low Carb could possibly be healthy! :mad:

{Ella: progress or just one of those thank-you-come-again } I call it Be-Polite-and-Nice-to-the-customer's-face-and-bin-their letter-when-they-are-not-looking sort of progress. You never know though - perhaps someone at Head Office might see a possibility of making money on us wierdos ;)

And yes I can't eat sweets as I used to - that's what happens once you get past the carb withdrawal stage.

Take care

[Ella]

Yeah... I think you are right about it, just wanted to make sure before sending my reply to them (unlucky for them I can get stubborn at times :D ) Right.... Jo person, where shall we start :cool: Must be fun (as soon as I don't get swamped with work) :roll:

Harley, Fat Fast worked for me, though perhaps there wasn't particular need for me to do it, as I was loosing during Induction. But it was definitely worth doing. At first I thought no way, I'd be starving. But I hardly even thought of food. The portions are small but very fatty, so you do feel full up, I did. I had 2 ounces of cream cheese 3 times a day, and 2 times - 1 ounce of macadamias (perhaps the main reason why I decided to do it ;) ). It came to 7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm and before bedtime (I wasn't that punctual of course, and I did have more than 1 ounce of macadamias at a time). I think after Fat Fast I started eating less potions, and even have to remind myself that I have to eat. I did put on 1kg back though (I think it's water), so comes to -2kg.

Good luck! :wave:

[juicyjacki]

Congrats 2 u Ella, you are doing good! I do have one word of warning though. I ordered a tonne of chocolates from carblife and they are gorgeous, but i found that they made me stall. It was very disheartening. I know that every body is differnet and that everyone has their own items that makes them hiccup, but a few people have said that these cause problems. If you start to stall i suggest that you stop taking them for a few weeks and see if there is any improvement.

[Ella]

Hi, Juicyjacki!

Thank you for the tip! I think I stopped loosing after having carblife chocolates (shame though, they are very nice!). I thought it was because I increased my daily vegetable intake. Maybe it's both. But they do help, especially when you get those cravings ones a month. Also when I go out, and have lots of sweet temptations round me, I keep thinking: just wait till you get home and you can have it all, unless I have 1 spare hidden in my bag ;)

Fat Fast was great - worked wonders for me. I'm considering doing it again.

[daisy]

Has anyone else tried the squirty whipped cream available at the moment with liqueur flavouring? I think it's the plain cream with courvoisier or drambuie, & chocolate with tia maria. About 1-2%carbs for the plain & 5-6% for the chocolate, so should be fine as long as you can hold back at a couple of squirts! We got these at Safeway, though possibly it was only a Christmas thing. Very nice, though!

Daisy

[Ella]

Hi, Daisy!

I haven't seen it in my local Safeway, but I discovered last night Cornish clotted cream :roll: :roll: :roll:

It is SO NICE with strawberries. Quite heavy, so you wouldn't have more than 2tsp. Decided to have it every morning with strawberries or blueberries to spice up my breaky!
:roll:

[odd sock]

Has anyone noticed that Waitrose dips into low-carb now and again? The recipe cards they give away often have what I realised were lc. Their magazine as well: There was an article on Nigella Lawson a while ago on her low-carbing with some recipes, and this month has "5 easy suppers" where three are completely lc (minus a pinch of sugar on one) and the others can be with the subtraction of their side dish.
Just thought i'd mention it since it helped me with variation on menus. ;)

[Jo-Ann 2]

Happened upon your thread by chance. I have a question for you all, I purchased some Somerdale English Devon Cream, can you tell me about it? Do you have any idea what the carb count is and what do you do with it. I put some in a quiche.
Hope you all are doing well and that you don't mind me jumping into this conversation.
I'm just experimenting with new products.
Yours truely Jo-Ann :wave:

[Ella]

Yes, Waitrose is really good for LC shopping. It's a bit far from my place, but sometimes it's definitely worth a trip. They also have a very good selection of nuts.

Jo-Ann 2, I haven't seen Somerdale cream, so can't really say much, the best probably would be to check out its carb content. I was enjoying Cornish clotted cream for too long, then realised that it has about 560ckal per 100g!! so, I realised why I was avoiding scales all this time. In fact I put on weight. Guess you have to bear in mind that cream is good in moderation, especially heavy one.

[Jo-Ann 2]

Thanks Ella, I took a chance, it doesn't have a nutritional breakdown on it. You are definitely correct in your statement that cream is something to be used in moderation. I have a hard time finding heavy cream (whipping cream especially) that does not have dextrose (sugar) added to it. The local distributors all put it in their products.
Thanks again. :wave:
Yours Truely Jo-Ann

[Daschnook]

Hi

I've been doing low carbs (Atkins Induction) for a few days now and find that the Kelp helps. As soon as I introduced it along with the Chromium Picolinate I began to notice the difference.

Solgar do 250 tablets of Kelp for about £5 and is worth trying to aid the metabolic advantage.

Daschnook

[Ella]

Hi, Daschnook,

I also found that certain supplements help to stop cravings. If I forget to take Chromium in the morning by lunch time I'm getting those mouth-watering images of different deserts, well any chocolate would do then to be honest.

I haven't heard of Kelp, have to check it out.

[Daschnook]

Hi

Kelp is a vita-nutrient recommended by Dr Atkins to help speed up the metabolic rate by working alongside the thyroid. Many people have underactive thyroid problems that go undiagnosed and this is a natural supplement to help boost it up and so speed up the weight loss (hopefully)...seems to work for me anyway! Its natural and it is safe.

Daschnook

[Ella]

Remember, I sent the letter to Safeway and got reply, which I posted earlier in this thread?

So... guess what? I've noticed some changes in my local Safeway!!! They started doing lot of varieties of SF jellies as well as soft drinks and other lc-friendly stuff. At the same time they introduced a low-fat line :confused: Hmmm... I guess it's the same old story when they go: "eh? what? low-carb? you mean los-fat!! oh, I see!" But at least some reaction is good :)

In any case I was very pleased hoping that my little vote made some difference :roll:

[sheila_K]

Hey Ella,

thats a great news, where about is this safeway? I dont think there is any safeway near where I live. There is a tesco, may be I should write to them, hmmm, may be they will listen, who knows, worth a try.


Ciao
Sheila

[fiona]

I've had a pretty good go with Tesco, Sheila. Exactly the same reaction as Ella got ... low-carb? ... oh she must mean low-fat. Sent me a huge list of products - absolutely loaded with carbs.

I went to Lidl last week. It is a longer walk, they have some yummy European (German especially) chocolates and carby stuff which is to be walked swiftly by but I did find some lovely frankfurters. Worked out at 0.6g carbs each. Worth a try if you wish to add a little variety.

Take care.

[fiona]

Juicyjacki / Ella

I just wanted to say this is a good title for a thread. I've started a new one (I give you full credit and appreciation as it is your idea originally) which we will keep specifically for information on UK Supermarkets and products. I can see it becoming a mine of information for current and future LCers.

Thank You.

Take care.

[fiona]

Daschnook: Hi. Can someone tell me what the soya drinks are about...how to make them and what they are, etc...what benefits if any we get from them?
Also - where do you buy Lidl products...?
Daschnook


Sorry but I moved this post out of the other thread as I'd like that to be strictly informative.

Soya drinks are High Protein Low-Carb powders. They contain lots of vitamins and minerals, are very low in carbs, easy and convenient and ever ready. The LC equivalent of SLIMFAST shakes.

LIDL is the name of a shop just like Safeways or Sainsburys. Some areas do not have them. It is a german shop. I was very lucky one opened in my area recently. The other alternative to LIDL is ALDI or NETTA. No frills just good food and household ware at reasonable prices.

Take care.

[Daschnook]

HI Fiona

Im glad you moved my post because almost as soon as I had posted it I realized it was inappropriate to put it there but I was curious about the Lidl products.

I live in central London and (have tube will travel) so please tell me where I can find a Lidl store to go and buy some low carb sausages.

As far as the soya stuff goes...waht is better...soya drinks or whey protein drinks?

Daschnook

[fiona]

Daschnook,

Soya drinks are soya based whilst Whey Protein, I think are milk based. It's just a matter of personal preference. I prefer soya because I am lactose intolerant.

Directions for one LIDL store I sometimes go to.

Take the tube to Kilburn underground on the jubilee line. Get a bus 16, 32, 316 from right outside the station going towards Cricklewood Garage. You will see the big LIDL sign (bright yellow and blue) from the bus before you get off the bus.

Thursday morning (9am sharp) is a good day for bargains. Every Thursday they put out a few very special household goods at bargain prices. It's as bad as Oxford Street during Christmas time shopping. If you are lucky some of Thursday's bargains may be left over the rest of the week. The food prices are pretty constant most of the time.

Have fun!

[Ella]

Daschnook

I know there's a LIDL on the Old Kent Road. You can call 192 ask for their head office and find out where is the nearest one to you.

I've also seen those sausages at my local Safeway near St. Katharine's Docks. But they might be a bit more expensive there.

BTW, did you notice how prices in the same chain supermarkets vary depending on the area? I was shocked when I did my shopping in Camberley, Surrey and compared the prices to the ones I pay in Central London supermarkets. what a rip-off! :mad:

[Ella]

About prices...

Some time ago Andy Davis suggested to buy meat in bulks from your local butcher, and freeze it. It comes cheaper than buying by portions in supermarkets.

So, I've got a question. Has anybody tried to buy meat at Smithfield market? I've heard that it's relatively cheap and much better quality. But it's open only from 5am till 2pm, not brilliant for me, but hey, if I can reduce my grocery cost, I'll do it, man!

[fiona]

I haven't done it myself but a friend of mine only ever buys a whole lamb. She asks the butcher to pack it in bags of 1 lb. It is conveniently handy at all times, saves on shopping trips and economical time/energy/cash wise.

Take care.