SB in Germany....
 

Hi all.....I was wondering if there was any SB/Atkins dieters in Germany, or even in Europe for that matter. Im an American living over here, and having trouble with a lot of the "reduced fat" cheeses and such....Sadly, no gigantic supermarkets where I live! Anyone else out there with the same problems?

Guten Tag!
 

Hey Courtney,

Though I live in the US now, I grew up in Germany. I have to say whenever I go back it drives me nuts that they don't put as much nutritional info on foods as they do here.... which is kinda funny, because when I was still living in Germany, I used to make fun of this "ingredient obsession"... oh well, things change.

And so far no answer to your question. You know, I really, really love cheese, and the low-fat sh** is just not doing it for me. I am on SB as well, but make compromises (mostly for taste) with a slight Atkins perspective. With cheese, for example. Or regular sour cream vs. light sour cream (not that they have that in my fatherland, light sour cream ;-)

more later,
Tash

Finding products in Germany!
 

Hi there! I read your post about finding products in Frankfurt (or that area). I cannot help you much....EXCEPT...My closest friend in Europe is a German who just moved from here back to Frankfurt!!! Your lucky day, I guess. Her name is Jeanette, and she speaks VERY fluent English...and is a DOLL!!! I would be happy to give you her number and tell her you are calling if you want to ask her for some help. She is originally from the Frankfurt area, so I am sure she has lots of info for you...or can get it! Message me and we'll chat.

Char

Courtney, what I read about Glyx diet - and confirmed by a German post to my request
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=179528
I think Glyx is not so dissimilar to South Beach. I have seen Glyx stuff around, check out their carb and fat counts. I think it might help. The labeling laws aren't as strict so you may have to guess but diet stuff typically has exact amounts.

large supermarkets may be in large department stores (like REAL (pronounced Rae-ahl) or woolworth or Karstadt). I can't believe Frankfurt doesn't have one of those! I also know from my long-ago low fat traditional dieting that Harzer and Limburger are German cheeses known to be low fat - they taste and smell very strong and may not be to your liking. Also, what I miss from Germany is Rotkaeppchen low fat camembert - it comes color coded (green low, blue high fat??/not sure ) - here brie and camembert is always high fat. Get a German to help you - low fat (in contrast to low carb) is established enough that you should be able to ask at the cheese counter which is their lowest fat cheese!

Diet stuff will be in bigger choices in Drogerien (drug stores).

Hi Courtney,

I am also an American living in Germany. It's a bit frustrating trying to figure out what the ingredients are in the German products since the labelling is so vague. However, I have found that the products from "Du Darfst" are very low in carbs. The camembert cheese only has 0.3g of carbs per 100g serving. If you would like to visit their website, try www.du-darfst.de (German only). I'm currently working on looking for other products that are LC-friendly, but if you'd like, I could inform you when I have found them.

By the way, I am fluent in German, so I could help you out with any questions you have about anything. OK?

Take Care!

Thanks everyone for your help! I have tried the Du Darfst brand cheeses and meats and surprisingly, are quite tasty. I think what I miss most is hearing about how everything in the States is low carb now, and here there are yummy bakeries every 100 yards! Thats been the hardest part-thinking ahead to pack cheese and veggies so when I am out I'm not finding myself walking to the nearest bread counter!!!

Hi Courtney,

The Du Darfst products do taste great. I especially like the Buttermilk Butter. Just make sure you read the labels on the lunch meats and avoid any with Nitratpökelsalz or Zuckerstoffe (nitrate and sugars). I have found it difficult to find any lunch meats without one or the other, or both. I don't buy the lunch meats on the economy because of this. I usually wait until I go to the commissary to buy my lunch meats.

Chynna

Hey Chynna,

I actually have been eating the Aoste brand turkey breast and salami lunch meat, and I just checked the ingredients and there isn't any nitrate or sugar in them...In 100g they have 1,2 g of fat, so it isn't fat free, but pretty close! I will have to try the Buttermilk Butter. This is great exchanging tips like this...I felt so alone here!!

Oh, one more question Chynna...

Do you know what Canadian bacon is in German? Or what something similar would be? I've been eating real bacon...maybe not so good on SB, but it's so good! :p

Hello again :)

I'm sure it's possible to find lunch meats on the economy that contain no nitrates or sugars, like Aoste. I don't eat pork, so I usually get my meats from a Turkish store (since even the Turkey meats contain a bit of pork fat). Unfortunately, all the lunch meats at the Turkish stores have ingredients that I cannot have. :( I usually go to the commissary once every 2 months and stock up on everything I need, but when I run out I usually make my own sausage (from chicken breast) or I just opt for an omelet with cheese and veggies.

As far as Canadian bacon goes, it's called "Schinkenspeck" here. It's just regular ham here. You could go to the meat and cheese counter and ask them if they have the schinkenspeck and ask to read the ingredients on the wrapping. If not, I am sure that Aoste, as well as other brands, carry a type of schinkenspeck.

Just out of curiosity....Are you/spouse stationed here in Germany? I was just wondering because it would be so much easier to shop in the commissary, since there are so many products there especially for low-carbers.

Chynna