Food

We’re doing low carb and it’s pretty darn easy with these little hacks!

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Now, when I say I love carbs, I mean that I would literally marry them, raise their babies (and that’s a pretty big deal considering I am childfree by choice) and grow old with them. I happily used to eat pasta at least once a day and when I wasn’t eating pasta, I was making something delicious to have with rice. I am also from strong Irish stock, so potatoes cropped up pretty often as well. When the lockdown hit I really wanted to take this time to overhaul my diet and actually get healthier – not that carbs aren’t healthy, they,  just like everything needs to be eaten in moderation and part of a balanced diet. This is something that  I wasn’t doing when it came to crabs – so I decided to look for alternatives. Below are some of my favourite replacements which are great for anyone following a Keto diet or just looking to eat fewer carbs. 

All of these are my own recommendations and there are no affiliate links in the post. They are just bloody good products and bunnypudding tried and tested. Nice. 

Also note, when I don’t eat in carbs I eat in cheese and chocolate. I assure you, I am eating like the Queen that I am and I don’t weigh myself, ever. If I could recommend making one life change it would be to remove scales from your life. Trust Aunt Bunny, she loves you. 

Seriously Low Carb Loaf
Seriously Low Carb Loaf

Seriously Low Carb Bread 

It wasn’t until I went low carb that I realised how much bread meant to me. It’s just so damn useful. I began to fantasise about sandwiches, I am rather partial to a cheese and Branston pickle now and then…and don’t get me started on the emotions that arise when I am in close proximity to a bacon sandwich. It’s deep. I was trawling the internet for a long time trying to find a low carb substitute and nothing was hitting the mark – well, until my housemate discovered the amazing Seriously Low Carb website and found the holy grail. Not only is there a fantastic low carb loaf on offer but they also do buns and best of all, cake! 

30 Calories per slice and 0.9g of crabs (yes you read that right!) it really is the perfect solution. Texture-wise it is a teeny bit chewer than traditional bread but as someone who usually has bread on sandwiches or toasted it’s not really noticeable. 

It’s a little pricy for some especially with postage added at £3.22 per loaf but I tend to buy in bulk and freeze some for when I just urgently need toast in my life (Which is often) 

Slim Pasta, Noodles and Rice 

Slim Pasta, Noodles and Rice 

I cannot begin to tell you how delighted I was when after vigorous Googling I came across Slim pasta. Located on the Eat Water website (interesting name!) their products offer the texture and feel of eating delicious carbs but without the actual crabs or the calories for that matter. In fact, the pasta when served is 0g Carbs, 0g Fat and 18 Calories per pack – pour me an extra spoon of Sag bol please chef! The rice is fantastic as well, and I am forever grateful to have this replacement as it means that I can still enjoy all of my favourite foods without feeling like I am missing out! 

So why so low crab? Well, they make their products out of Konjac flour which is a high source of fibre and has no carbs – yasss! Konjac is prized in the East for its texture far more than its flavour – it has a very neutral, slightly salted taste. It also has a slight fishy smell which is why I recommend when you try the product that you rinse it and do not smell it. I always boil mine before I add it to anything and add bayleaf and salt to the water to add further flavour to it. If you are very particular then they also have a no-rinse and no odour option but I’m happy to do a little extra prep in order to save some pennies. And the smell goes away after rinsing. So doesn’t impact flavour at all. 

Texture-wise it is very similar to pasta and I honestly don’t spot the difference, but it does depend on how picky you are about food – I am not so picky and happy to try anything other than aubergine and celery which is disgusting and I hate them both with a passion. 

Price-wise, again not the cheapest option at £12.75 per pack of 5 but you can get a bargain at £5.74 (55% off) if you subscribe and save. You can also get taster packs with all the variants over on Amazon here. 

Spiraliser or Spiralizer
Spiraliser

Courgetti and Boodles 

Now, if you want to completely cut the starch out and go for veggie options I couldn’t recommend these more. You can get them premade in many supermarkets but you can also be a bit of a kitchen witch and make them yourself by just purchasing a Spiraliser which will allow you to make ‘noodles’ out of any vegetable – and I mean any vegetable…trust me I have tried it with everything. I brought this one from Amazon not too long ago and love it. 

Alas, I am not going to lie, I am still seeking a low carb potato replacement – but until then I am quite happy eating these fabulous hacks. So what about you – do you have any healthy hacks? If so let us know below or on our social channels as I am always looking for ways to improve my diet but still eat like the Queen that I am. 

Until next time, darlings! 

Why we need to talk about Honey, Honey!

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We all know that honey has amazing health benefits from consumption to beauty treatments. This little gift from nature can be found in all forms from lip balms to poured in your tea as a healthier alternative to sugar but what exactly is it and why is very little honey actually ‘pure honey’? Well dear reader, let me explain…

“Lemon & Honey Chicken Skewers 1of4” by Food Thinkers

What is Raw Honey? 

Put simply, Raw Honey is the product that is taken as it is directly from the beehive and bottled. The beekeeper will pour the honey through a filter, usually, a mesh cloth to filter out any impurities such as bee wax and et voila! The honey is ready to go out into the world. 

This honey is darker in composition and maintains a lot more of the natural and nutritional benefits of honey as it hasn’t gone through several filtration and pasturisation processes 

What is “Regular Honey’ 

Regular honey, which the type we are most likely to see in the shops and on hotel breakfast tables is honey that has gone through several pasterian and filtration processes. These processes can remove beneficial nutrients like pollen, enzymes and antioxidants but makes the honey clearer and to many this can be more appealing to consumers. 

How sellers profit from ‘Regular Honey’ 

Now, as mentioned ‘Raw Honey’ is bottled as it is taken from the hive but with ‘Regular Honey’ once it has gone through the various filtration stages it is often further broken down and mixed with other products to make it more profitable. In man cases bee farmers will sell their raw honey to bigger companies where this extra step is then performed. 

To meet the massive demand for honey, the companies will then mix the honey with sugar syrup and other ingredients such as artificial sweeteners to make a larger batch but to not lose the flavour – but this process further delutes the nutrition benefits one can obtain from Raw Honey such as pollen. This pollen is superpowered as it contains over 250 substances, including vitamins, amino acids, essential fatty acids, micronutrients and antioxidants. Nice. 

A study in the USA showed that up to 75% of all processed “Regular Honey” contained no pollen after it had gone through treatment, which is certainly food for thought.

Image of a Local Honey Farm – Via The Raw Honey  

Raw is the way to go, honey! 

With most of the health benefits being attributed to honey in its raw format, it is highly recommended that when you are next making a honey purchase that you check the labels of the products to check for any added ingredients and the processes that it has gone through. If you use honey for health reasons it may make sense to spend a little more to get the full benefits of all that lovely honey goodness. If you want to stay away from the supermarkets and support local businesses then why not go directly to your local honey farm and get it directly from the beekeeper themselves? Get in! 

Do you love honey? If so did you know the above or have you been getting the benefits all along? Let us know below or on our social channels as we can talk about all day. 

Until next time, darlings

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