In June 2022, we published a FIRE Circular on Grocery Shopping with tips and guidelines on how to approach and manage your shopping behaviour. Remember what we said? Your shopping trolley is your gatekeeper. What goes into your trolley, goes into your house, and what goes into your house goes into your mouth!
Grocery shopping should be an adventure. Finding FIRE-friendly food should be fun.
Circle members regularly ask us on the WhatsApp group chat for our opinion on certain products. Is it FIRE-friendly? Standing there in the aisle, trying to read the small-printed list of ingredients and nutritional values, wondering about missing information or half-truths, can be frustrating and daunting. Also, with so many new products appearing on the shelves, how do we know if they’re good?
In this circular, we put on our consumer investigative hat and went shopping! We tested a few products and checked the facts, and today we’ll give you some feedback and advice.
We went into Dis-Chem, Woolworths, and Clicks and randomly picked products from their Banting, Carb-Friendly, and Keto product ranges to prepare in our test kitchen. Here are the results (based on personal opinion):
SHIRATAKI NOODLES
Bought at Dis-Chem.
Price: R47 for 200g or 2 servings = R23,50 per serving.
This is one of those products that some people will love and others will hate.
It is a somewhat tasteless and odourless low-carb noodle that has a pasta-like texture and a neutral taste. The advantage is that it absorbs the flavours of your favourite sauces or curry—a perfect substitute for regular pasta or rice in a variety of Western and Asian dishes.
Shirataki are translucent, gelatinous Japanese noodles that are made from the starchy tuber of the konjac plant (also known as konjac yam or elephant yam). Konjac is processed and refined into a flour called glucomannan flour. Glucomannan is a water-soluble fiber that is practically calorie-free and does not influence your blood sugar levels.
Personally, I would still prefer noodles made from vegetables such as zucchini, cauliflower, or mushrooms, just for the taste and colour, and for cost. However, these Shirataki noodles are quite enjoyable if you add the right ingredients for extra flavour and texture.
LOW-CARB BREAD
Bought at Dis-Chem
R32 for 8 slices = R4/slice
Consumer test:
Taste: Commercial keto products are commonly criticised as tasteless. Well, this product takes the prize. One person commented that the food tasted like cardboard. That’s a very apt description for this low-carb bread.
It’s a no from me—this product won’t find its way into my shopping basket again.
I would rather take the time to bake almond bread. You can bake excellent almond bread by following the recipe below.
If you have any other low-carb bread alternatives that are budget-friendly and promise to be an enjoyable tasting experience, please share them with us on the WhatsApp Circle chat.
HOME BAKED ALMOND BREAD
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Almond Flour
- 1 Cup Mixed Seeds
- 1/3 Cup Psyllium Husk
- 10 ml Baking Powder
- 5 ml Salt (if you add nuts, reduce the salt)
- Any other spices (1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon gives a wonderful taste), nuts, feta, etc.
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup plain full cream yoghurt
Method
- Mix the dry ingredients
- Mix the eggs and yoghurt together, and then add it to the dry ingredients
- Bake in a lined loaf pan for 50-55 min @ 180˚C. OR
- Bake in a muffin pan for 15-20 min. (I found that the muffins worked much easier for lunch boxes)
This bread also freezes well.
LOW-CARB PITA BREAD
Bought at Dis-Chem
R30 for 3 Pitas = R10/slice
Consumer test:
Very easy to work with. But just like the low-carb bread, it is tasteless and a bit tough. It’s not worth the money, in my opinion.
If you have any other low-carb pita alternatives that are budget-friendly and deliver an enjoyable tasting experience, please share them with us on the WhatsApp Circle chat.
LOW-CARB BROWNIE MIX
Bought at Dis-Chem
R62 for the packet. According to the instructions, it will make 6 large brownies.
I baked it in a muffin pan, and it made 12 portions.
Consumer test:
Taste and texture: Scrumptious. It tastes like the original brownie recipes.
It was also very easy to make. This is a great option for an occasional treat.
If you have any other affordable and tasty low-carb brownie alternatives, please share with us.
SNACK PACK: ALMOND, PECAN AND MACADAMIA BAR
Bought at Woolworths
R89 for a packet of 10 bars = R8,90 per bar
I was wondering if this was a good product to add to a lunchbox.
My first concern was the carbohydrate content. While it’s higher than the recommended 3g/100g glycaemic carbs, you can go up to 15g/100g in a portion if you have reversed your insulin resistance. You want the Total Carbohydrates to be LESS THAN 15% (= 15g / 100ml or g). Remember, a single teaspoon of sugar (5 g) sets your metabolism back for two days or more.
The main ingredient is Olygofructose. The moment I saw fructose, the warning bells went off. However, it seems the origin of this olygofructose is chicory root fibres, which are not digested by human enzymes, so this makes them unavailable for glucose release into the bloodstream. And this ensures that their consumption does not raise blood glucose levels. Chicory root fibres also increase the product’s dietary fibre content at the same time.
If you have a few pennies to spare, this can be a healthy occasional lunch box snack.
We only looked at a few products. If you have any other products that you would like the FIRE Circle consumer test kitchen to investigate, let me know.
Before I close the kitchen for now, I want to remind you of the GOOD SHOPPING HABITS that we promote in the FIRE LIFESTYLE:
- Shop for real food. In other words, food that went through the minimum number of hands and processes. Farm to Table is still the best. Fresh, wholesome food is what you want. Packaged foods should be limited as much as possible.
- READ the ingredient list (keep your Green & Red list on your phone and in your bag with you when you go shopping).
- Check the nutritional values: Carb content should be below 3g/100g (if you are still reversing your insulin resistance) or less than 15g/100g (if you are in the longevity phase).
- Don’t go shopping when you are tired, hangry, bored, or upset.
- Buy only what is on your shopping list, so plan your menu before you leave the house 😊
Enjoy your shopping!
