|
| |
We are constantly on the alert for new low carb products and services. Especially when we travel outside our home base, we spend many hours
haunting the aisles of grocery stores, drugstores, and health food stores. We have found interesting products in the most unusual places. Going to a chocolate store and finding specialty sugar free chocolates, for example. We always go to the
diet or diabetic aisles in any store that has them. We ask our friends and family what new products they have tried recently.
Some of these products may be introduced into the marketplace in the US before they are available in Canada.
Many of these products are manufactured by companies that we normally see represented in our grocery stores in Canada, so if they aren't there already it should only be a matter of time before we find them at home. We suggest that you ask in
your local grocery if you cannot find any of these products on your shelves. Grocery chains actually keep track of the number of requests for certain products and types of products. This information influences their decisions about trying new
products and what to stock on a regular basis. UPDATE September 2004 We recently had occasion to attend the Canadian Food and Health Association annual
convention and trade show in Toronto. We were delighted to see a number of new low carb products being offered by some of the long-standing manufacturers of low carb and some brand new players. Over the next several months we will share with
you our assessment of some of these products. |
| |
|
| Cereal Hot Another great new CarbSense product is a low carb hot cereal called Roasted
Hazelnut Hot Cereal. This cereal has only 3 grams of effective carb content and is made with flax, soy and wheat. It is an instant cereal that only needs boiling water in order to be ready to serve. It is easy to prepare and has a
nice texture. It has real chunks of hazelnut that add crunch and interest. Patricia found the flavor a little disappointing, (not very sweet and too much nutmeg in the mix) especially since she does not put any Splenda on her cereal. With
the Splenda, Harv found the cereal quite tasty. This company has a website at www.carbsense.com |
Up to Page Index |
| Chef Personal Frances Metcalf of Travelling Gourmet Personal Chef Services in Vancouver BC will come to
your home and prepare a complete low carb menu package personalized to your specific tastes and nutritional requirements. Large low carb menu including pizza on her website at
www.travellingourmet.com |
Up to Page Index |
| Chocolate Low Carb Carbolite, one of the very first low carb manufacturers of low carb chocolates, has a number of new products
that they are introducing to consumers. We initially tried four new chocolate bars: Chocolate Almond, Chocolate Crisp, Crispy Caramel Bar, and Pecan Cluster Bar. All were very tasty, but we particularly liked the Caramel Bar and the
Cluster Bar - a bit like low carb turtles!
All of these bars are now made with Splenda, which we applaud. They do still have maltitol, but in relatively small amounts, and the maltitol did not result in any unwanted side effects.
The net carb of these treats is only 1.3 grams or less. It is wonderful to have new options for occasional treats, but they should be a "once in a while" thing, not a daily indulgence. |
Up to Page Index |
| Drinks Fruit We have found some new low carb drinks that are made with Splenda and have 0 grams of
carb. We are a little skeptical about the 0 grams, because even Splenda has some carb content, even if the grams are very low. Patricia plans to write to the manufacturer and ask how they determine their nutrition information. Even so,
they are a nice addition to the low carb approach to food. These products are made by bottled water company, Talking Rain. They call these new low carb drinks 'Diet Ice Botanicals'.
We found them at Costco in Seattle.
They are sold in Costco by the case and each case contains a mix of flavors including peach, strawberry kiwi, cranberry raspberry, and key lime. The drinks do have color, so they are not like a water that has some fruit flavoring to them,
they are much more like a fruit drink. This is particularly good for those of you who really want to start your day with a fruit drink. Let us know what you think. |
Up to Page Index |
| Drinks Hansen's Diet We first found these drinks in a health food store in Shreveport, LA.
A company called Hansen's out of Corona, CA produces them. We have now tried four flavors: Ginger Ale, Peach, Tangerine Lime and Black Cherry. They were all excellent. These products contain 0 grams of carb, 0 caffeine, and 0
sodium so they are just like drinking sweetened juice without the carbohydrate (sugar). The sweetening is provided by sucralose (Splenda) so there are no chemical additives
like aspartame or saccharin in these drinks. We haven't yet found a source for this product in Canada but check your supermarkets and health food stores and if they don't have it, ask for it. Advise the storekeepers to check it out on
their web site www.hansens.com If you find it, let us know. |
Up to Page Index |
| Ice Cream Bars Frozen The Klondike company that makes ice cream sandwiches has started to manufacture
frozen low carb ice cream bars. We have also found these products in both Safeway and Von's. We have taste tested both and they are very good. We would caution you with the same warnings as for the low carb ice cream. Go
slowly at first to make sure you don't suffer any adverse reactions either in terms of weight or regularity from the sugar alcohols. The new products are
Fudge Bars 3 grams net carb / bar six to a box
Ice Cream Bars 5 grams net
carb / bar six to a box
Look for them in your favorite store.
|
Up to Page Index |
| Ice Cream Breyers Low Carb Finally, there is a low carb ice cream that tastes great! And how wonderful to see
mainstream food manufacturers getting into the low carb field. This ice cream is made for low carb dieters, and is not simply a no sugar added variety. The difference in carbs is substantial. A ½ cup serving of the no sugar added vanilla
had about 15 grams of carb. A ½ cup serving of the new low carb vanilla ice cream has about 4 grams of net carb. Quite a difference. And the new low carb variety tastes great and is very creamy in texture.
We have two cautions
about the use of this product. First, we recommend that you use this type of product sparingly during the weight loss portion of your slow carb eating plan. We think you are better off during weight loss to stick to foods that you
prepare, and minimize the treats and any possible side effects that these treats may have.
The second caution is the possibility of side effects. These include the possibility of stimulating food cravings if you indulge in too many
sweet foods during weight loss. The other potential side effect is the laxative effect of the sugar alcohols that are used in the manufacture of most low carb products. Breyers ice cream is no exception. A small amount of this
ingredient is unlikely to have an adverse effect, but if you choose to eat more than 1/2 cup of ice cream, you may suffer some side effects that you find unpleasant.
The other good news about this product is that it is sweetened
with Splenda, the sweetener that we recommend. We are very happy to see that manufacturers are moving away from aspartame, a product to which many people react adversely.
The new ice cream comes in three flavors that we have found
in Safeway and Von's grocery stores. The carb content is listed below. We have tried both chocolate and vanilla and liked both flavors. We will try strawberry the next time. The packaging is blue in color, the same
rectangular shape as Breyer's other ice cream. The package has Carb Smart in large letters, with the text New - Use in Low Carb Diets with a button that has the net grams of carb per serving on the front. So, check out your local grocer's
freezer section. Let us know where you find it so we can post it on our website. Vanilla 4 grams net carb
Chocolate 4 grams net carb
Strawberry 3
grams net carb |
Up to Page Index |
| Magazines Low Carb We were recently surprised at a local newstand to find two new magazines dedicated to
low-carb lifestyles. We have come a long way since we began this journey. We bought both magazines, and have since ordered a subscription to the one we think has the most to offer. Here is a brief outline of each.
Low Carb
Cooking - published by Better Homes and Gardens - $7.99
This magazine is available at newsstands only. There is no indication of how many issues will be produced each year. It is a beautifully put together publication with
great food photos, some really nice recipes, and lots of advertising for low-carb products and kitchen utensils. Some of the recipes are a little complicated, and they do include ingredients such as brown sugar in some recipes, which
dramatically increases the carb content.
It is well laid-out and contains some good pointers about eating low-carb for people who are new to this approach. For someone who is new to low-carb and looking for some food ideas, this
will be a handy reference.
Low Carb Living - published 6 times annually by CAPPMEDIA Inc.- $6.99 (?)
This magazine covers a broad spectrum of topics ranging from how to get started, how to get back on track, to low-carb
for diabetics and kids. The magazine also has articles on some of the newly published scientific studies on low-carb diets. It is well laid out, attractive and has a huge amount of advertising, especially about new low-carb foods.
We really like this magazine, and have in fact subscribed to it. It is published in the U.S., so some of the products are not yet available in Canada, but it does provide some ideas for foods to request at your local grocer. |
Up to Page Index |
| Restaurants Low Carb and Smart Carb We are aware of two restaurants that identify special low carb menu
items on their menus.
One restaurant is the famous Fish House in Stanley Park in Vancouver. The executive chef, Karen Barnaby is a very well known chef who follows a low carb approach for her personal food plan. We were
delighted to have a wonderful meal at the Fish House as Karen's guests last year. Karen does a full low carb menu once a month in her restaurant. Watch you local paper or phone if you are in town to find out what is the next low carb
evening.
A restaurant just outside Seattle has put half a dozen low carb items on their regular menu. The Iris Grill located at 317 NW Gilman Blvd in Issaquah servers delicious foods at reasonable prices and have launched a
number of new items identified for their diners as low carb choices. Our friends who ate there informed us they all had low carb menu items and they tasted fantastic!
We applaud these restaurants for responding to the growing
demand for low carb items that can be ordered when eating out. We would love to hear if you know of a restaurant that serves low carb foods.
Write to us at the website if you would like to recommend new products or restaurants to
our web visitors. |
Up to Page Index |
| Software Palm Diet We were recently made aware of some new diet software available from Palm,
for those of you who have these handy little computing devices. A friend of ours lost over 90 pounds in the past year, following a low carb diet and using his palm and their diet software to calculate his daily intake. It is a very nifty
little piece of software, which we plan to order and try. Patricia has been to the palm web site www.palm.com where you can go to software, medical software, and then personal.
There are a couple of different versions available including the Diet & Exercise Assistant for $19.95 and a desk top version of this same software, and the software our friend had is called Mobile plus Food
Database & Food and Exercise Diary from calorieking.com What makes this so neat is the database where you can look up the foods you eat and automatically have your machine
calculate the grams of carb. |
Up to Page Index |
| Tortilla Chips Thanks to Tammy-Lynn McNabb, owner of the Low Carb Wellness Centre in North Vancouver, we have
had the opportunity to try some new products recently. One product that was a great hit, especially with Harv, was the Soy Tortilla Chips made by the company CarbSense
www.carbsense.com These chips have an effective carb content of only 8 grams of carb for 18 chips. So you can enjoy a few chips with salsa or any of the dips in EASY LOW CARB COOKING
with little impact on your daily allowance of carbs. |
Up to Page Index |
| |
|
