Low Carb Konjac Noodles & Pasta

While browsing the aisles of Holland and Barrett recently, I came across these low carb noodles and pasta from a company called Eat Water. Made from a Japanese plant named konjac, these products are very low in carbohydrates, suitable for vegans and gluten free. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, no. They're fantastic.

These noodles and pasta don't taste of anything and nicely bulk up your meat dish. Tonight I made bolognese with penne, having the pasta made it seem like a regular meal. Moreover, it's about 5 hours since I ate and I'm still stuffed. 

Last night I used the noodles in a homemade low carb Pad Thai- recipe coming soon! One packet will easily feed two low carbers- they're quite filling and high in fibre.

There is one thing that's worth pointing out, when you initially open the packet the product smells slightly off. This is due to the brine it's packaged in. It's easily taken care of though- just pour out the water contained in the packet and rinse the noodles or pasta under cold water for a few minutes.

You can find out more on the Eat Water website, which also has a handy store locator.

Low Carb, Low Sugar Chocolate From Freeist

Got a sweet tooth? When you're trying to cut back on your sugar intake it can be hard to find a sweet treat that won't destroy your good work. And face it, dark chocolate is lovely, but sometimes you just need a little more.... more.

Image: Free'ist Foods

I came across these tasty chocolate bars from Free'ist in Tesco recently and I'm converted! Their whole range (chocolate, biscuits, jams and wafers) is free from added sugar, so is suitable for diabetics.

Their chocolate is sweetened with the polyalcohol malitol which -compared to table sugar- is half as caloric, does not promote tooth decay and has a lesser effect on blood glucose. However, eating too much of it can have a laxative effect- you have been warned!

There's a lovely white chocolate with strawberry pieces (pictured above), a tasty milk chocolate with hazelnut, a plain milk chocolate (which is pretty darn close to the real thing!), and a slightly sweet dark chocolate.

You can find the nutritional info and stockist listings on their site and follow them on facebook or twitter.