In defence of low carb subs

[Margarettt]

Excellent post @Margarettt
So glad you're starting to find your own way, and your own tastes and workarounds.
And that you posted to encourage others.
We each have to find a way of eating for life (woefl) that suits our meters and bg, our tastes and budgets, our families and our lifestyle
It's a balancing act!

@MrsA2 Thank you, just thank you. Last night I added this forum to my gratitude list.The support and encouragement I receive here makes a real difference to my journey. My mental and emotional health is honestly improved through the "pats on the head" and lets me feel I'm doing okay. I was at a lecture years ago regarding the value of praise and how children recognise false praise (One should say you tried hard rather than that's great) For the first time I have a real understanding of that. When someone says something encouraging on here my eyes fill up with tears. I wonder if people know when they respond the profound impact an encouraging post can have.

 

[shelley262]

@Margarettt well done on working out what works for you and what makes it all sustainable for you - that's the important bit as it's not a diet but a way of life. When I started out keto\low carb 7 years ago there were hardly any keto products out there at all - now there's a proliferation and think now it's more being savvy about which ones suit you best in taste and quality. Low carb ingredients are pricey so better subs are usually pricey too. I remember the first time I bought a box of 8 good quality keto cakes from a low carb bakery and couldn't believe the price and size of them when compared to supermarket cake products but then I tried one and although small it really did fill me up unlike when used to have for example a cream cake where one would lead to two..... So yes they are expensive but you really don't need as much. Plus as others say this way of eating can work out not as expensive as we feared as we may eat less overall feeling more satisfied.
When starting out I did loads of baking experiments and wasted expensive ingredients often! These days I've worked out it's cheaper for me to buy quality subs especially for bread and seeded crackers and I prefer how they taste too! I am going to experiment again with low carb baking but in a limited fun way.
Working out what works for you is the key and I for one am delighted that we now have access to subs. Only caveat I would add is buyer beware if it says healthy keto check out that ingredients list! Some people find they are more reactive or less tolerant to certain sweeteners or added fibre and others like me give them a wide berth if they have a long list of ingredients such as emulsifiers.
Agree with you too about the Forum it's been my lifeline over last seven years and I count members here as very special friends.

 

[Lakeslover]

I'm not pretending that low carb subs taste as good as the thing they are meant to replace but as someone who is only now (ashamedly) learning to make things from scratch they have been the difference between me sticking or not sticking to my low carb diet. I have a cupboard shelf full of almond flour,coconut oil and all sorts of keto friendly ingredients which I am slowly learning how to work with but in the mean time my freezer drawer full of subs allows me to eat more or less what my family is eating on a regular basis.
Last Tuesday I had pizza for the first time in months because I bought pizza bases. I regularly use wraps for tortillas. I use sub pasta at least fortnightly and heylo bread probably every other day. I keep a bag of portioned up cakes and treats so if I need something after dinner with a spot of cream or yogurt it is there. Breakfast on work days is either ketorama panda porridge or keto hana granola in yogurt. I have learned to make my own porridge with chia seeds and flaxseed but I think theirs better resembles the real deal.
Is it expensive? Yes but I truly believe I spend less money on food than I did pre-diagnosis. For example as a family Friday night was take out night I'm now much more likely to have an omelette so there is a saving. The mangoes and grapes I had for breakfast every day added up to more than the current porridge and granola.
Everything I buy either has a decent use by date or can live in the freezer so I think long term there is no increased cost.
As a newbie on the forum last year I would sometimes come across posts talking about how rubbish or expensive the subs were and wonder if I should bother. So while aknowledging that I have an ultimate goal of being able to make it all for myself, subs are okay. If skill or knowledge or time or mobility limit you or if you emotionally need a pizza or a slice of bread, its whatever works to keep these little numbers on your meter low.

I absolutely agree with this. Finding acceptable subs for different items is the key to making this eating plan sustainable for life. How would you feel about expanding this thread to asking people to list the subs they personally find taste good and are helpful? Or would it be better on a separate thread?

 

[Helen H]

I have been lurking around this forum since end of November and through it have found a couple of subs that have made a big difference for me - low carb bread (although first brand didn’t suit me but loving the one I use now and just recently have found the Carb killa protein bars which really hit the spot if I fancy something sweet. I think a thread on people’s favourite subs would be a great ide as @Lakeslover suggested. I am also trying out some keto baking recipes - chaffles are a big hit - savoury and sweet and also scones. once I get to my target weight I will try more baking recipes.

 

[Margarettt]

@Margarettt well done on working out what works for you and what makes it all sustainable for you - that's the important bit as it's not a diet but a way of life. When I started out keto\low carb 7 years ago there were hardly any keto products out there at all - now there's a proliferation and think now it's more being savvy about which ones suit you best in taste and quality. Low carb ingredients are pricey so better subs are usually pricey too. I remember the first time I bought a box of 8 good quality keto cakes from a low carb bakery and couldn't believe the price and size of them when compared to supermarket cake products but then I tried one and although small it really did fill me up unlike when used to have for example a cream cake where one would lead to two..... So yes they are expensive but you really don't need as much. Plus as others say this way of eating can work out not as expensive as we feared as we may eat less overall feeling more satisfied.
When starting out I did loads of baking experiments and wasted expensive ingredients often! These days I've worked out it's cheaper for me to buy quality subs especially for bread and seeded crackers and I prefer how they taste too! I am going to experiment again with low carb baking but in a limited fun way.
Working out what works for you is the key and I for one am delighted that we now have access to subs. Only caveat I would add is buyer beware if it says healthy keto check out that ingredients list! Some people find they are more reactive or less tolerant to certain sweeteners or added fibre and others like me give them a wide berth if they have a long list of ingredients such as emulsifiers.
Agree with you too about the Forum it's been my lifeline over last seven years and I count members here as very special friends.

Thanks @shelley262 and I agree with your entire post. I'm surprised often at how small my portion sizes are and how full I feel compared with a year ago. At this stage (5 months in) I seem to have replaced hunger with fear of hunger so I'll shop and plan as though I still ate massive amounts but I just don't

 

[Margarettt]

I absolutely agree with this. Finding acceptable subs for different items is the key to making this eating plan sustainable for life. How would you feel about expanding this thread to asking people to list the subs they personally find taste good and are helpful? Or would it be better on a separate thread?

Hi @Lakeslover I think a thread of favourites is a great idea and I would certainly contribute and make use of it. I'm sure such a thread already exists and maybe somebody smarter than me would find it but if you want to go for it with an easy search title I'm in.

 

[Margarettt]

I have been lurking around this forum since end of November and through it have found a couple of subs that have made a big difference for me - low carb bread (although first brand didn’t suit me but loving the one I use now and just recently have found the Carb killa protein bars which really hit the spot if I fancy something sweet. I think a thread on people’s favourite subs would be a great ide as @Lakeslover suggested. I am also trying out some keto baking recipes - chaffles are a big hit - savoury and sweet and also scones. once I get to my target weight I will try more baking recipes.

Chaffles are a hit here too. I make a batch in the afternoon then reheat them at dinner time and dish them up as sides for things like gammon steak or pork chops. I think my grown up boys see them as potato waffles or chips and happily chow down.

 

[Helen H]

Chaffles are a hit here too. I make a batch in the afternoon then reheat them at dinner time and dish them up as sides for things like gammon steak or pork chops. I think my grown up boys see them as potato waffles or chips and happily chow down.

That is a great idea to use them as a side, having steak on Saturday so may well try them with that - I do miss chips with my steak. I have also used them to make “garlic bread” which we really like.

 

[HSSS]

I have been lurking around this forum since end of November and through it have found a couple of subs that have made a big difference for me - low carb bread (although first brand didn’t suit me but loving the one I use now and just recently have found the Carb killa protein bars which really hit the spot if I fancy something sweet. I think a thread on people’s favourite subs would be a great ide as @Lakeslover suggested. I am also trying out some keto baking recipes - chaffles are a big hit - savoury and sweet and also scones. once I get to my target weight I will try more baking recipes.

Carb killer bars spike me - maltitol has that effect on a lot of us. (It also causes gastro upset in many). Please check with a meter before and after eating it rather than trust the packaging, in case you are like us

Yes it’s a sugar alcohol (sugar replacement) but there’s quite a lot of them in that class and they do not all act the same in a body Unfortunately it’s the most commonly used (I assume cheapest) and found in lots of highly processed, strongly marketed low sugar/ low carb/keto products.

 

[Margarettt]

maltitol has that effect on a lot of us.

Very, very interesting I've noticed a couple of times that "fitbakes" although advertised as 1 carb make me a bit higher than I would like. Not really a spike but high 6s low 7s when I've been expecting high 5. I've never really thought about it because I only have them on the tail end of a meal. I've just checked and they have maltitol. I'm going to experiment with one by itself.

 

[Helen H]

Carb killer bars spike me - maltitol has that effect on a lot of us. (It also causes gastro upset in many). Please check with a meter before and after eating it rather than trust the packaging, in case you are like us

Yes it’s a sugar alcohol (sugar replacement) but there’s quite a lot of them in that class and they do not all act the same in a body Unfortunately it’s the most commonly used (I assume cheapest) and found in lots of highly processed, strongly marketed low sugar/ low carb/keto products.

Thanks for the heads up, I was aware of this so did test myself and luckily it doesn’t seem to affect me. I do generally test whenever I eat something ”new” .