Diets and Calories

Weight Watchers Breakfast Biscuits Review

2013-05-23T12:27:00.001+01:00

These days it seems every big name cereal or biscuit maker has to have a presence in the Breakfast biscuit market. We've got Kellogg's, Weetabix, McVities, the supermarket own brands and of course, the original Belvita Breakfast biscuit which seemed to start the trend.

And here's the latest to make its entry – Weight Watchers Breakfast Biscuits Milk & Honey.

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Marks & Spencer Fat Free Fruity Dressings – Review

2013-05-21T14:18:00.002+01:00

Marks & Spencer have brought out two new fat free salad dressings which are sold in miniature sized 100ml bottles.

Currently the two varieties are Fat Free & Fruity Pomegranate & Apple Dressing and Fat Free & Fruity White Balsamic & Grape dressing. The bottles have a spray pump top and each spray has only 1 calorie.

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Popping Candy Lollies – NEW Sainsbury’s

2013-05-19T16:29:00.005+01:00

Every Spring, supermarkets start filling the freezer cabinets with their new selections of ice creams and lollies. As always, I keep an eye out for those which are around the 100 calorie mark or less.

And here's one from Sainsbury's called 'Popping Candy Lollies' which just scrape in under my limit with 98 calories each.

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M&S Count on US Cooking Sauces Review

2013-05-17T09:52:00.001+01:00

Marks and Spencer have brought out a new range of low fat Count on Us… cooking sauces. There are three varieties at the time of writing which are: Green Thai Curry Sauce (270 calories), Sweet & Sour Sauce (300 calories), and Jalfrezi (200 calories) - calories are per jar.

Knowing Marks & Spencer produce some of the finest tasting ready meals, I was interested to see whether their cooking sauce could produce similar results.
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12 Instant Hot Chocolate Drinks Under 100 Calories

2013-05-14T15:50:00.003+01:00

One of life's simple luxuries has to be a mug of rich and creamy hot chocolate. But, when made with milk, it can be frighteningly high in calories. If you can't resist the offerings in some of the popular coffee shop chains such as Costa or Starbucks for example, you could be consuming 700 calories or more!

If you're watching your weight, there are several low calorie hot chocolate drinks you can enjoy without worrying about the calories. Of course, they're not comparable with the decadent beverages you can buy from a restaurant, but they're a lot cheaper to buy, and some are exceptionally tasty.

To help you see what's available in the low calorie range, here's a list of 12 of the lowest calorie hot chocolate drinks sold in UK supermarkets and grocery outlets.

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Sainsbury's – Healthy Eating Labels Guide

2013-05-12T10:17:00.005+01:00

According to retail analysts, Mintel, some 63 percent of women have been on on a weight loss diet over the past year. However, rather than purchasing specific diet foods, many are searching for a healthier way of eating instead of simply counting calories.

While cooking food from fresh and natural ingredients is the healthiest way to go, many lack the time to do this on a regular basis, so often resort to buying ready meals.

To help people make healthier choices, supermarkets like Sainsbury's have developed food ranges which meet specific health criteria, making it easy for consumers to spot them on a crowded shelf.

The following own brand labels from Sainsbury's are widely available in most Sainsbury's stores.

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Cornetto Mix Mini Ice Creams - NEW

2013-05-10T09:30:00.002+01:00

Just one Cornetto may be one too many if you're watching your weight! With an average of 230 calories each, they're probably best not included on a weight loss plan.

But new in the stores this year comes the introduction of Cornetto Mix Minis. Yes, these new mini Cornetto ice creams may be child sized, but this means they can easily be included as part of a slimming plan.

Ranging from 100 to 120 calories each, there are six super delicious flavours to pick from.

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Special K Cereal NEW 3 Grain Recipe - Review

2013-05-07T17:20:00.001+01:00

This week with my online grocery shop, I ordered a large box of Special K, mainly because it was on special offer. I'd order it every week as my kids love it, but it’s just so expensive these days (as are most branded cereals, sigh).

What I didn't realise was that Special K has had a makeover, or as Kellogg's say - it’s been improved. Now, instead of having rice and wheat as the main ingredients, Special K is made with three grains: Rice, Wholewheat and Barley.

As a Special K fan myself, I was worried as to how this would affect the taste. It's already got a unique flavour that none of the copycats can recreate. I've tried buying cheaper own brand creations, but they don't compare well. So what has this new improved makeover done to the taste?

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Alpro Soya Milk Light - Improved Recipe

2013-05-05T13:21:00.000+01:00

Having tried and tested many brands of Soya milk and other dairy alternatives over the years, the brand that’s always in my fridge is Alpro Soya Light (the ambient one).

Alpro Soya Light (long life) isn't the same as the Alpro Soya Light you find in the chiller cabinets. The long life ambient version is actually sweetened whereas the fresh version isn't. They're both low in calories with Alpro Soya Light fresh having 22 calories per 100ml and the long life one having 31 calories.

However, a few weeks ago as I was pouring out some Alpro Soya for my coffee, I glanced at the nutrition label and noticed something had changed. The calories per 100ml was now showing only 26 calories. So what's changed?

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Pret’s Summer Salads – To Dress or Not to Dress?

2013-05-02T11:11:00.001+01:00

Pret a Manger have introduced a new and exciting range of delicious looking salads, just in time for summer. As always, Pret's salads are prepared every day from fresh, nutritious ingredients, free from additives and preservatives.

If you're on a diet or watching your waistline, choosing a salad for lunch might seem an obvious choice. And indeed, many salads are low in calories, that is, until they're coated in dressing. In fact, some salad dressings can more than double the total calorie content of a once healthy salad.

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The Co-operative Food - Healthy Eating Labels Guide

2013-04-30T11:58:00.000+01:00

In 2010, the Co-Operative supermarket re branded their 'Healthy Living' range with the 'Healthier Choice' label. However, come Spring 2013, The Co-op are once again in the process of a label changeover. The new healthy label to look out for is called ‘good life…’.
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Mars Mini Ice Cream Bars - Review

2013-04-28T11:41:00.004+01:00

Here's another mini ice cream bar which I couldn't resist buying. Mars Mini Ice Cream Bars are miniature ice cream versions of the Mars Bar.

You can already buy Mars Ice Cream Bars in a larger size (51ml), but these new Mini Mars are only half the size with, of course, fewer calories.

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M&S Count on Us Prawns & Crunchy Citrus Salad

2013-04-26T12:00:00.002+01:00

If you’re looking for a satisfying lunch that's not loaded down with carbs, you could try one of the fantastic range of fresh salads from Marks & Spencer's Count on Us… range.

If you ever thought salads were boring, you may change your mind when you see the imaginative selection of ready to eat salad bowls in M&S.

This bowl, called ‘King Prawns & Crunchy Citrus salad’ is low in fat and has only 135 calories per pack.

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Marks & Spencer - Healthy Eating Labels Guide

2013-04-24T11:52:00.002+01:00

Latest research suggests consumers are becoming disillusioned with so called ‘diet’ and 'low calorie' foods. However, this doesn’t mean they’re any less interested in losing weight or becoming more healthy.

With many of us relying on supermarkets for quick fix meals, it can be a challenge finding the healthiest options. Fortunately, many of the larger food stores have their own brand healthy labels to make choosing a healthy meal that much easier.

Marks & Spencer, well known for their Count on us… label, have created ranges of food and drink under different labels which can help you make healthier choices. These include Fuller Longer, Eat Well, Guilt Free Snacking and the latest addition Delicious & Nutritious.

But what do they all mean? The following outline should help you out.

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Cadbury Crispello Minis – 55 calories each

2013-04-22T11:04:00.003+01:00

Cadbury’s Crispello bar was launched last year, mainly aimed at weight conscious women who might be looking for a lighter, lower calorie chocolate bar.

The Crispello is described as: Thin crispy shells with a creamy chocolate filling, covered in Cadbury milk chocolate. The chocolate bar has three individual milk chocolate pieces which you can break off to eat separately. The whole bar has 165 calories.

But if 165 calories is too many to fit into your snack allowance, Cadbury have just the solution. Crispello Individually wrapped mini bars – just 55 calories each.

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Guide to Supermarket Own Brand Healthy Labels

2013-04-20T11:55:00.000+01:00

There seems to be no letting up in the obesity epidemic which is so prevalent in the Western world. But that’s not to say that many of us aren’t at least trying to do something about our expanding waistlines.

According to research by market analysts, Mintel, 63 percent of women have tried to lose weight during the past year. However, rather than heading for specialist diet products, many people are instead opting for a more natural and healthy way to lose weight.

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Alpen Light Cereal Bars - Lemon Drizzle Review

2013-04-18T10:57:00.001+01:00

Alpen have been making tasty cereal bars for many years now and part of their range includes the 'Light' selection. The ‘Light’ range have around half the calories and fat of their regular bars so are ideal for slimmers.

Varieties which have been available for some time include Alpen Light Double Chocolate, Sultana & Apple, Summer Fruits and Chocolate & Fudge bars.

Now there are two new two new additions: Cherry Bakewell and Lemon Drizzle with Yogurt. Like the others, they all have 70 calories or less.

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How Many Calories in Weetabix?

2013-04-16T11:16:00.000+01:00

Weetabix have long been seen as a healthy breakfast cereal to start the day. Made from whole grains, they're high in fibre with low sugar, fat and salt levels.

But over the past few years, the Weetabix family has been growing. The Original Weetabix were joined by an Organic version with similar nutrition.

Then along came the juniors in the form of Crispy Minis. These have added ingredients such as fruit and nuts. They're much sweeter which means they have more calories than the original version. But next, horror of horrors, Weetabix started putting chocolate in its ingredients.

So what’s happened to the health value of your Weetabix. Are they all as healthy as each other? What about that chocolate? Has Weetabix now become a unhealthy, high calorie breakfast cereal? You may be surprised at the results!

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Nestle Fab Minis - 50 calories NEW

2013-04-14T12:43:00.003+01:00

It’s great that so many food products are now downsizing rather than supersizing. Whether this is in response to the obesity epidemic or not I really don’t know.

One area that’s seen many food items mini-sizing themselves recently are ice creams and lollies. Fab ice lollies by Nestle are already reasonably low in calories, with the Strawberry flavour having 90 calories and the Apple & Blackcurrant flavour with 82 calories. But now you can treat yourself to an even lower calorie Fab with new Fab Minis.
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M&S Apple Clusters Guilt Free Snacking - NEW

2013-04-12T12:41:00.000+01:00

Here’s another exciting snack from the Marks & Spencer's 'Guilt Free Snacking' range. M&S Apple Clusters are deliciously crispy little clusters of dried apple. They’re sold in multipacks containing 5 individual bags each worth 80 calories.

Inside each bag you’ll find 15 (sometimes 16 if you’re lucky) little apple clusters which have just 5 calories each. These Apple Clusters are a bit different. Not only do they look unique, they’re healthy too.

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Nobbly Bobbly Minis Review – NEW

2013-04-10T10:20:00.000+01:00

With summer 2013 looming on the horizon … somewhere, we hope, stores are starting to bring out their new collections of ice creams and ice lollies. Something I’m very glad to see is the wider introduction of mini versions of popular ice lollies, which means fewer calories.

This week I purchased a box of Mini Nobbly Bobbly Ice Lollies. While the regular sized Nobbly Bobbly Ice Lollies are available in Strawberry & Chocolate flavour with 219 calories each, boxes of mini Nobbly Bobbly’s contain 5 Strawberry & Chocolate with 123 calories and a new flavour - Vanilla & Chocolate which has 121 calories.

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Maltesers Teasers Chocolate Bar Review - NEW

2013-04-09T11:00:00.002+01:00

There can't be many who aren't familiar with Maltesers (the chocolates). These unique spherical chocolate balls filled with a malty honeycomb centre are a staple on chocolate counters everywhere.

They're always easy to spot with their distinctive red and white wrappers too. But recently Maltesers have been appearing in new and different formats. Last year there was the arrival of the MaltEaster Chocolate Bunny and the MaltEaster Mini Bunny. Now there’s a new addition to the range – Malteser Teasers.

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21 Instant Slimming Tricks - No Diets Necessary

2013-04-07T12:38:00.000+01:00

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Plus size online clothing retailer, Marisota, recently announced their findings from a study into the tricks that women use to disguise their weight.

The survey of 2,000 women found that two thirds felt they needed to lose weight, but either lacked the time or the inclination to getting around to dieting.

Instead, nearly 90 percent of the women questioned admitted to using various methods of disguise to give the illusion of a slimmer body.

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Tesco Free From Coconut Milk Review

2013-04-05T13:01:00.002+01:00

Tesco have introduced a lovely new, dairy free milk to their range of ‘Free From’ foods. This one’s called Free From Coconut Milk and it's made from pressed coconut with added calcium.

This is an alternative to dairy milk as a drink, rather than a replacement for the kind of coconut milk you use for cooking. If, like me, you love coconut milk but are scared off by the calories, Tesco’s Coconut Milk has only 25 calories per 100ml.

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Truvia and Hermesetas Sweetener Tablets - NEW

2013-04-03T13:39:00.003+01:00

Two new sweetener tablets have arrived on the supermarket shelves recently. There's one from Hermesetas called ‘Stevia Blend’ and another from Truvia which is a welcome addition to their range of natural calorie free sweeteners.

Both sweeteners are completely free from calories and can help with weight loss as part of a calorie controlled diet.

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