• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Eating out

  • Thread starter Thread starter WithoutSugar
  • Start Date Start Date
W

WithoutSugar

Guest
Hello!
I follow a LCHF diet and I have trouble when I have to get something to eat in a cafe, Costa Coffee, Starbucks, convenience stores.
Is there anything widely available in uk that is LCHF to get at common shops?

If not, is there anything that I can easily carry with me, that will not go bad and eat it when I am hungry? I tried with nuts, but I don't like the raw taste, if they are not covered in LC chocolate or something.

Any idea?

thanks!
 
Costa is a total bust IMHO

Personally, the only thing I have had from there in the last 2 years is their Americano with cream.
Oh, actually, I did try one of their ridiculously expensive nut flapjack bar things. Ate half, bg went up to 8mmol/l Good job I didn't eat the other half, eh?

I did spot some tiny little truffle sized tart things, but they were about 15 g carbs for what was essentially a mouthful, at about £1.50 - so I didn't bother.

If you are hungry, the cream in the Americano is surprisingly sustaining.

(And there is an online menu/nutrition list, which makes seriously depressing reading - the sugar/carb quantities are very high)
 

I have a couple of small plastic pots. I put slices of cucumber, celery sticks etc in one, and other one stores cubes of full fat cheese. I have it in a small chill bag I bought, with a tiny icepack in to keep things fresh.
 
Yeah unfortunately Costa are a sugar fest, but they are the most common shops in UK, that's why I mentioned them.

I cannot carry icepacks with me or in my car sorry, it's too much, but in my car I switch on the heater so they will melt quickly.

Any other idea? I would love to have some cheese with me, but won't it go bad by the end of the day when I may end up in a cafe and need something to have with my coffee?

I don't consider cucumber or cellery or similar at all. They are tasteless and they bare no energy or calories.
 
You could try baby bel. They are wax covered, and keep better than normal cheese, so I would feel ok about eating them if they were only out of the fridg a few hours.
 
I just have a black coffee in any of those, they
don't do suitable snacks. Seldom eat in a cafe.
 
Atkins bars.. easily portable and surprisingly filling. I have one in my bag in case I get caught in a cafe situation where everyone else is eating cake and my coffee with cream seems a bit lonely
The chocolate brownie bar is one of my favourites.
 
daisyduck said:
Atkins bars.. easily portable and surprisingly filling. I have one in my bag in case I get caught in a cafe situation where everyone else is eating cake and my coffee with cream seems a bit lonely
The chocolate brownie bar is one of my favourites.
Click to expand...

usually those bars are ridiculously expensive (especially Atkins products)
but even that, I wouldnt have problem buying them, but they are usually packed with huge amount of protein and mostly inedible (everything with too much protein I have tried is not edible, the texture is horrible, it just doesn't go down)
 
Eating at any of these places is a real no-no, as far as I am concerned. As a pre-D, I find I am always carrying snacks w/me--a slice of low carb bread w/cheese, almonds, a HB egg, a tin of sardines. That's one of the inconveniences at first when you go low carb...you can't just get a quick bite for lunch & you really need to prepare for a day traveling on a plane. it takes a bit more planning, but is worth not having to eat a high carb snack that will send your BS through the roof.
 
A small soft sided cooler bag will keep an ice pack going for the day. They are not very expensive. Cheese strings, baby bells, pepperoni, hard boiled eggs. There are lots of relatively portable things, even a container of salad will work with a cooler bag.
 
my usual quick and portable snack is a pot with olives in it,

Subway will make you a very good varied salad bowl (I like the chicken tikka ) and will add olives, pickles and extra cheese on request, the basic salad is about 9g of carb. and the nutrition information is on their website.

I also have a small cooler bag which folds flat when not in use for when I'm planning being out in an area I don't know.

In case I'm really stuck for something in transit I keep an unopened tube of primula cheese with ham (doesn't need refrigeration until it's opened - 1g carb. per 25g) in the car boot.
 
I once took a cold chicken leg wrapped in foil with me when out shopping with my sister. I carried the coffees to the table while my sister followed carrying two plates with a choc muffin on each which she then scoffed while I ate my chicken leg
 
I find my cooler bag can keep cool all day. Is it an option to store it in the boot, and get it out when you go for your drink?
 
I am forever grateful to @Brunneria for introducing me to Nine Bars. I always keep a whole pack in my bag in case of emergencies and I've eaten them in hospitals, in Court, on buses, in Costa and just about anywhere that I've needed a snack, wanted to 'fit it' or couldn't get to a proper meal and I was feeling a bit odd because my BS was dropping.
 
These guys are London centric, they are also at Folkestone Eurotunnel, I was pleasantly surprised, all their foods have nutritional info including carbs e,g. Poached egg and saucy beans 6gm of carb. Their coffee is a **** site cheaper than the 'big two'

http://leonrestaurants.co.uk/vision/nutrition/
 
Last edited:
I went to a low carb day where these folk were displaying and samples some stuff, brownies and chocolate fruit and nuts are scrummy! But expensive but worth a look
 
I always carry a bag of almonds with me for such eventualities. Having said that, last time I went into Costa I did gaze wistfully at the cakes and biscuits...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…