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Supermarkets Have No Low Carb

S

Sadie111

Member
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9
I can't understand why supermarkets have no low-carb
Everywhere is fat free, or low sugar ( full of flour) or gluten free.
All sorts of ready meals for everyone except low carb.

Surely there is a huge market out there
Type low carb into Tesco or Asda online grocery and you get:
No products found for "low carb"
 
yes of course, but no sauces, no gravies, no ready meals, no low carb breads etc nothing specifically for low carb.
Maybe a few low carbbars now but I think they are more for the gym protein people, rather than low-carbers.

Just a bit frustrating - I love cooking, but a lot of people don't and must have such a small range of foods to choose from.
 
Even before I started LCHF I rarely ate anything in a package.
My philosophy with LCHF is the fresher the better. So I have little interest in low carb bread, bars,or drinks.
I have plenty to chose from with all the. Meat, dairy, and fresh vegetables.
If I’m in a hurry I’ll buy a roasted chicken and make salad with it. Fast and yummy.
 
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They all do a variation of a 'Ready To Cook' range with different meats or fish that can be cooked in the oven fairly quickly and paired with appropriate vegetables. I've found these convenient on occasions and probably better quality than the made to a price ready meal selection.
 
The thing is, if they make all the things you list like gravies, ready meals etc these things will by their very nature be highly processed and contain all the guff that prolongs shelf life, adds colour, preserves and no doubt will still be a rip off in terms of cost.
 
Yes, I understand that, but by the same thoughts, why have a low-fat range then.
Suggest that all the low-fat customers make their stuff from scratch.

My point is that there should be a huge market out there for a wider range of low carb foods - not neccessarily highly proceesed foods, just a wider range that drop the flour in favour of nut flours or lose the refined sugar.
 
I would suggest low carb is still very niche and supermarkets are not good at changing the habitats of a lifetime...
 
Sadie111 said:
no low carb breads etc nothing specifically for low carb.
Click to expand...

There are plenty of Low Carb Breads available (if you are into that sort of thing )

The search function probably doesn't recognise the term you are using, as many of these things do not specifically say "Low carb"

I think they assume that those of us who want to eat this way are clever enough to sort it out for ourselves.
 

They make lo fat stuff on the back of lo fat guidelines and we've had those guidelines over thirty years. It's going to take time and a huge effort to ensure that people can make informed choices about what they put on the table not only in terms of processing methods but ingredients too.
And while the numbers of those diagnosed with T2 continues to rise most people are not Diabetic and the market reflects what profit can be made rather than the needs of a section of the population.
 
Low carb food are present in the aisles, but aren't marketed as that. For ready-made preparations, the fact is that sugar is a good preservative and tastes good, so it's used a lot, because is also cheap. On the other hand low fat milk is cheaper than wholemilk, so it's better to use it for ready-made foods.
 
well, most of the low fat stuff is not good for anyone, they subsitute sugar for fats, for example.

Some of us, myself included, find that sweeteners have the same effect on their blood sugar levels as sugars do, so no joy there for me.

I dont look for, or use, low carb substitutes for anything. I have re-educated my diet and taste buds. I always cooked from scratch anyway, very little in the way of packet sauces or jars. Most of the sauces are really easy to make yourself, and there are tons of low carb recipes which are tasty and easy to make.

have a look in the low carb section of this forum, and on here: https://www.dietdoctor.com/
 
I do not want you to take this the wrong way but it is almost as though you are saying that you want all the choices you've ever had before but with a convenient label of low carb. This, to me, is anathema as I deem things like convenience foods to be just as bad any other highly processed rubbish on offer. Convenience to me is not have to kill my own chicken and butcher it!
 
Sainsbury's do courgette noodles and butternut squash slices and cauli rice. Iceland do cauli and broccoli rice I think. Many have low carb salads.
 
For me though it's not just about being low carb - even if there was ready meals, convenience foods etc labelled low carb I probably wouldn't buy them because of all the other stuff that goes into them.

I did used to buy ready meals from M&S for my dad as a necessity so he could remain independent in his own home, (he's now in a nursing home) he is T2 on set dose insulin so has to have a certain amount of carbs - some of M&S meals are below 20g carbs.

The one exception I do make is the M&S curries they taste authentic enough and some are as low as 6g carb per portion- ok every now and then
 
Your point about guidelines is key. There is no guideline for carbs so no reference to call things low carb, but even if there was it would be for the general public and too high for those on low carb diets.
 
We make our own ready meals. We have a selection of plastic storage boxes and whenever we make anything suitable, we make double quantity and, hey presto, a ready meal goes into the freezer for the night when we are late/tired or just can't be a.... . Similarly sausages. We cook up eight, eat four (between two of us) and four, low-carb meal-replacement snack bars go into the fridge.
Sally
 
Sadie111 said:
My point is that there should be a huge market out there for a wider range of low carb foods
Click to expand...
The makers of low calorie foods can and do market them at the same time as low carb, so an awareness is coming. eg: https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/eat-water-slim-pasta-fettucini-60007573
http://www.hartleysfruit.co.uk/our-range/hartleys-jelly/hartleys-10-cal-jelly-pots/

I doubt if foods that are just low carb without also appealing to slimmers would attract enough buyers, despite the rise of Paleo and keto diets, and not all diabetics are into low carb. Manufacturers do have to sell their stuff!
 
Labeling foods low carb would have all the GPs in the area having apoplectic fits in the aisles and being most untidy.
Having been subjected to their rages over my need to stick to low carb foods over the decades, there is such a huge number of gainsayers that I can imagine any supermarket wishing to stock a low carb range would have an official NHS picket outside.
 
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