Americans have it so much better than us in UK/Ireland

futurefitgirl88

.....I just feel like Americans have so much better food choices ...aimed at people who are on diet. Much more low-fat choices, low-cal choices, bagged portion size things, nicer snacks, non dairy ice creams, and what not!! All these crazy alternatives to stuff!!!

I don't get none of that in tesco or dunnes over here!!! Or maybe I'm just being blind?? the only "diet" item I buy is diet-freakin-coke and skimmed milk!

So any of u guys from UK/Ire find any products in Tesco/Dunnes which are worth looking at?? Which help you diet-wise? Thanks a million!

heathersmilez

All those 100 cal packs of things are not good for you, yes some MFP'ers use them out of desperation (i.e. movie night with family) but the majority of us here recognize them for what they are - marketing ploys.

Not only are they processed in general but the "diet" foods all have additional added chemicals and sugar to make things low-cal or fat free, nasty!

Those Fat-Free Pringles that came out in the USA a few years ago never made it out of the US (I'm in Canada) b/c anal leakage just isn't a cute side effect of diet products.

Check out the threads for fun and filling snacks.

slimothy89

You should be thankful, because alot of our alternatives don't actually help us! America is the fattest country! Also, natural foods are best! No added sodium, sugar, artificial ingredient and so on!

Uhm...move here if you love it! LOl. jk.

jpatrickwinstead

You do realize that 64% of the American population is overweight, right?

dayzeerock

Yes, but we also have more UNHEALTHY options than any other country out there as well....

megz4987

And yet most of our population is obese!!
haha

igora_soma

I lived in the UK for 4 years, I get what you're saying I think there are a lot of "light" alternatives, but it's always good to check the ingredients. There are some healthy things offered at Tesco and Sainsburys, but it just takes time to find them unfortunately

Good luck!

FearAnLoathing

ha all our "low fat" choices taste like warmed over dog poop

helenium

I'm a big fan of the Tesco pre-packaged vegetables (e.g. carrots, broccoli, cauliflower) which come in bags that you pierce once and then put in the microwave for 3 mins. There you go, huge serving of instant cooked vegetables for 100 cals or so. Also the pre-packaged fruit salad (or 65 calorie mango snack packs!) are great.

It's always worth going to big supermarkets rather than your local Tesco Metro, they really do stock more food.

Just remembered - cottage cheese varieties (Tesco "light choices" section) are pretty excellent. I particularly recommend the one with pineapple.

helenoftroy1

reduced fat hummous plus piri piri flavour
john west salmon or tuna lunch bites.
tesco value salad cheese - this is my saviour because I love cheese and it's really low calorie
extra light philidelphia - use this as everything, it is my staple for creamy sauces and instead of butter!
chocolate oat milk - put this on my oatibix for my morning sweet fix.

DON'T buy kelloggs, always get the Tesco own brand version, contains much less sugar and calories.
shop the perimeter, and stay away from ready meals, but I do think Tesco light choices are ok for a quick bite, but do contain salt! I always buy olives, hummous, tinned crab, salad packs, prawns (get the best offer), salad cheese, jacket potatoes and onions. Buy meat from the delicatessen, not packaged. Tesco is great for their deli counters and fish counters.
Good luck!

DawnA7230

I believe the U.S. also allows a lot more "crap" to be put in our food than Europe allows. Generally foods made to be "low fat" have chemicals added to them to make them taste good while being low fat. We also have HFCS in just about every food product made here.

Try eating whole foods made at home instead of packaged foods.

Pril2000

I try to cook from home with the freshest produce and meat I can get. It's not good for you to eat a lot of those processed single serving snack foods. Yeah, I might eat some lite kettle corn as a snack in a desperate attempt to keep myself from eating something worse, but it's still not the best thing for me. Fruit, veggies, whole wheat pastas and grains, and dairy are things that you should be able to buy anywhere. Don't get caught up in all of the marketing hype.

We, as a nation, are not really the slimmest, if you haven't noticed.

jagh09

I found this so amusing! My hubby is from Ireland and I have quite a few friends from the UK. Every person who has moved here to the USA has almost immediately put on 10 pounds. And then gained from there. Our food is jam packed with hidden sugars, fake sweeteners, additives and tricks to make you buy the "healthy" stuff, that's twice the price.

Personally, I rarely purchase those "diet friendly" items. I prefer fresh fruits, veg, and natural meats, etc. You have to live with what you have and focus on buying whole foods, wholesome and nutritious items. Tesco has a great selection of items you can purchase, and so does Asda if you're near one.

Good luck with it! Try looking at other sites and doing Google searches for items at the large stores near you. You can find a way to make this work.

theflyingartist

Buy tons of produce and get creative in the kitchen! I live in America and NEVER consume anything that's "diet" or "low-fat, low-cholesterol" whatever because it's not safe and it's not good for your body.
Look up recipes on allrecipes.com or just Google it, and try out your own thing! it's cheaper and you will FEEL better and worry less about what you're NOT eating, because you can still eat great you just have to work a little at it!

Afrikangirl

Don't believe it...it is all marketing. Adding the word diet on a package, does not actually make it good for you. The new thing now is to mark all the sugar cereals as whole grains Can you believe that?? Most of the diet stuff is crap and horrible nutrition wise. Natural food and snacks are the best way to go....whole grains, nuts, veggies, some cheeses and fruit

jagh09

Aldi has a great variety

futurefitgirl88

haha I did not mean it like that....

i do eat good most of the times. but for the times i feel like eating crap I'd have liked to have calorie controlled, portion sized junk :P if u know what I mean...

redfroggie

As an American living in the UK, I can see both sides. The diet industry is the US is a huge business. They will slap 'low' this and 'half' that on just about everything. There is a fast food drive thru on every street corner, sometimes there's 2. I think if people would think 'healthy' more than lowfat or diet then you would see a lot more options.

For example using tortillas to make wraps instead of using bread. The calorie difference is notable. Whole grain cereal, muslix etc. in place of high sugar cereals. Sorbet in place of ice cream, the list goes on and on. Tesco does now offer their line of 'lighter choice' but if you look at the preservatives and additives it's not always a healthy alternative. There are alternatives that you can find to replace some of the high fat, high sodium foods you may enjoy. You just have to put a bit of effort it, just like losing weight, it doesn't just happen you gotta work for it.

VegGrrl

EVERY grocery store (including Tesco) has healthy foods - just shop the perimeter of the store! That's where you find produce (and for those that eat it, dairy & meats). Also the bulk section in many stores - to find your whole grains and nuts/seeds. All the aisles in the middle? Nothing but processed crap.

All that "diet" food has helped make Americans fat and sick, so don't be envious!

MrsCon40

.....I just feel like Americans have so much better food choices ...aimed at people who are on diet. Much more low-fat choices, low-cal choices, bagged portion size things, nicer snacks, non dairy ice creams, and what not!! All these crazy alternatives to stuff!!!

I don't get none of that in tesco or dunnes over here!!! Or maybe I'm just being blind?? the only "diet" item I buy is diet-freakin-coke and skimmed milk!

So any of u guys from UK/Ire find any products in Tesco/Dunnes which are worth looking at?? Which help you diet-wise? Thanks a million!

Low-fat, low-cal, prebagged snacks and whatnot are NOT REAL FOOD.

- signed an American who thinks low-fat/low-cal is half of why people are fat.

futurefitgirl88

.....UK population is pretty over weight too ..and they are getting more over weight over the years...so I'm guessing they are also selling considerable amount of junk. Diet or non-diet junk :P the whole culture of eating "curry chips" and "kebabs" after night outs is making everyone fat!