Kay

Thanks for the info on Mastercook. I'll check out their website and look into it locally as well. I was hoping somebody would recommend something. I certainly didn't want to get a program and find out it was a dud!

Kay, Nicola & Kelsie,

Now to everyone, I have a confession to make. After finally finding the Soy Protein Isolate, I decided to have a go with some low carb garlic and herb biscuits today . I made up a faux Atkins bake mix which I had found a recipe for and then followed the recipe for the biscuits.... they came out looking beautifully. But I have to say it, they tasted disgusting. So my mother in-laws dog is in for a protein treat. (That's if he'll eat them). I am actually quite a good cook and this is my second big flop... I am wondering if it is just because I am not used to cooking with Soy flour and protein... they seemed very dry and I can't say I have liked the taste of anything I have made with it. Is it just me? Or is it a taste that you have to get used to? My previous flop was a flourless fudgy chocolate cake. I am putting that one down to the fact that we haven't yet found unsweetened bakers chocolate here and a cocoa and oil substitute I found on www.switcheroo.com is not suitable for recipes that call for a substantial quantity,

Joanne

Hi Jo

They do say that soy protein has a disgusting flavour, Doreen even bakes/toasts? hers first to get rid of the flavour. Thats why whey protein is the one we need to find as it is fairly acceptable in taste being derived from dairy. It's true that the texture of these false breads and cakes does take some getting used to but i was reasonably happy with the muffins and unless you dislike banana, the sour cream banana bread is absolutely fine. Cheesecake and desserts are usually ok too. I think if you only have soy protein, you have to stick to recipes that only use a small amount or substitute ground almonds or hazelnuts if you can live with everything being slightly nutty tasting.

Obviously have to accept the inevitable - that they're never going to taste like the 'real' thing but I think it is just trial and error slowly weeding the edible from the inedible.

I have also been drinking farmland lemonade but the safeway's own brand tastes drier and I looked up the numbers and it is made from splenda and one other sweetener (cant remember the one but I checked it out and it was one of the less suspect ones). Certainly not our favourite neurotoxin, Aspartame.

I'll try a few more recipes this week and see if I can find anything edible. I've been putting more and more into 'mains' as these can be really delicious but you do need the odd snacky thing to keep you going.

Nicola

howdy folks,

Just wanted to mention that soy protein powder, or isolate, is NOT the same thing as soy FLOUR, and will give totally different results in baking...

Soy FLOUR is basically ground up soybeans, that have been partially cooked (to inactivate the phytate enzymes, which make the beans extremely difficult to digest otherwise). It may or may not be defatted. Full fat soy flour is yellowish in colour, and VERY strong beany tasting. And it goes rancid quickly. YUCK! Lowfat soy flour is paler, like unbleached all-purpose flour, and less-strong tasting. Its flavour can be improved by toasting briefly in a dry skillet (keep stirring, or it will burn) The lowfat flour is slightly higher in carbs than the full fat, 33.4 carbs/9 fiber vs. 29.2 carbs/8 fiber for 1 cup (85 gm). (still less than wheat flour, which is 95 carbs per cup!)

Soy protein isolate is a highly refined product, which has all or most of the starch and carbohydrate removed. It's 90% or higher protein. Some brands are zero carbs, some have a trace, usually less than 2%. A few brands have added lecithin, and they may be flavoured as well, vanilla or chocolate. There are a number of soy shake powders on the market, promoting the isoflavones and benefits for menopause symptoms, often containing other herbs, cranberry extract, ginseng and who knows what all. They are way HIGH in carbs, 8 to 14 or even 20 gm per serving, because they are typically sweetened with fructose (sugar).

Breads, biscuits, damper, scones and the like require the starch in soy FLOUR to give the texture and structure we expect. Even so, because soy flour has less starch than wheat flour, the results will certainly be different from what we're used to from our HIGH carb baking days! .. ... The protein isolate mostly is added to bump up the protein content in a recipe, and it does provide a bit of texture, especially when used with eggs. But, substituting the protein powder for soy FLOUR (in hopes of creating a very lowcarb bread or whatever) will yield very disappointing results.

Oh, one more thing .... soy FLOUR, because of the starch and oil content must be stored in the fridge to keep it from going rancid once the package is opened.

Hope this has been helpful ..

Doreen

Hi Jo. Kelsie and all

Not usually about at this hour, put poor little baby is so tired from keeping me up all evening that I will sneak in a bit of e-mailing etc.

It occurred to me that the sour cream bread recipe works so well because it doesnt have any soy protein isolate in it and that once we track down some sugarfree chocolate. It would probably make quite a nice moist chocolate cake using melted chocolate and cocoa???

Also I'm back on the straight and narrow today as I have been carbing at about 60gms/day and with no action on the scales for 3 weeks and no further inch loss for a week. I'm getting decidedly paranoid so I'm going to try to get down to 30gms and see what happens.

Hark, is that a rattle I hear??? The day begins .... For that matter, the week begins....

Good luck to you all this week! Dont forget those photos we're working on!

Nicola

Nicola,

I saw you have made the Banana Sour Cream Bread in one of your previous posts. I was wondering if you just used Splend and omitted the Brown Sugar Twin since we can't get that here, I also saw that you used a real banana. Did you adapt anything else to get the recipe to work?

I also wanted to let you know that I tried out the Almond cookies. I was a little short on the Almond meal, so I made it up with 1/2 cup of oat flour on Kay's suggestion. I'm not fond of a strong almond taste so instead of Almond essence I used orange brandy essence. Came out pretty good. In fact they reminded me a bit of a melting moment (well a crumbly one, because of all the butter.)

I can also recommend the New Cheesy Danish on the low carb luxury site. I made this today and it came out tasting quite good. I let my husband try it and he reckons it tasted a bit like a chees omlette, but it is the closest thing I have had to a bread in texture for a while.

Joanne

Hi Jo

How's it going?? How was your mother's day??? Mine was a disaster - on a trip to the shopping centre (to get the groceries and a mother's day present), I got more of a present than I bargained on.

Got as far as the supermarket and was standing in the queue at the checkout with all these people behind me when Baby, who I was giving a cuddle, threw up all over me. Total vomit easily half a pint, I was covered, he was covered, the pushchair was covered and the shop was covered!!! I've never seen the queue empty so quickly .....

So embarrassing as it was at least 250mls of prunes and a jar of orange veges. Worse still, it's a long walk so I usually take a taxi back and after that nobody was going to let us in a taxi. Spouse got to take the taxi home with the groceries and baby and I got to wander all the way home looking like somebody had tipped a skip of pig slops over us.....

To add insult to injury, as my scales are just so useless - I decided to use the one in the shopping centre and to my horror, it said I'm half a stone heavier than I thought. Talk about stink. We got home and baby and I went to bed ....

As for the banana cake, I used a large not too ripe banana(less carbs) and only the splenda otherwise its too sweet and there's not much alternative otherwise. Also, err on the side of more dairy as that keeps it moist. I'm going to make another one tonight and will try hazelnut flour instead to see if its anymore interesting.

Spouse is into making meringues (you have never seen a better pavlova) so I'm going to see if I can coerce him into making a lime meringue pie this evening(on the site) as a mother's day present! I still havent got around to any bread but will try the almond biscuits. How is the weight loss going?

Nicola

Hi Nicola,

Gee you must think I have been slack in responding to your last post. Have been checking the site, but somehow managed to miss it. Anyway, mother's day was fine. Nothing fantastic to report... I can't even remember if I got a gift which probably means no????

I have found some Whey Protein Concentrate in the form of Life Body Shaping Food..it's one of the muscle mix formula drinks you find in the health food stores. It's made by Aussie Bodies and is quite expensive at about the $24? mark. I made a LC pie crust using it (I have to find which recipe it was now- as it asked for the vanilla shake flavour.) It was actually very nice.

I have also been reading a book by Donna Aston who is an Australian female body builder. The book is called Body Business, and it is quite a good read. She also advocates a lower carb style of eating , although is perhaps not as extreme as say an Atkins diet. She also advocates low fat where possible as well. Anyway, it is a good read, even just for the run down she gives on various vitamins and minerals. It is also written from an Aussie perspective, so when she goes into eating out, she gives a run down of what is available in Australia. She ignores weight however and says that it is body fat that is what is important, and works her menu as a serving size based on body fat range. The recipes are good, but it is a bit harder to work out how many carbs you are eating as it is not based that way.

I was in a McDonalds the other day with the kids and noticed this old fellow eating off a hotcakes plate at lunchtime (after the breakfast menu had finished). I told him I noticed that he was eating off a plate and I was interested because I couldn't eat bread. He responded by telling me he was on a low carb diet and that he had lost over 4 stone! He then went on to tell me he was 82 years old. ( I would have guessed early 70's). So anyway, he told me he just asks for a Big Mac with no bun, if you get stuck and they will serve it for you. I actually think he got more that way anyway.

Better run now, it is getting late.

Joanne

Hi Joanne

Good to hear from you. I have also been slack about everything since starting back at work about three weeks ago. I've even been off the diet for about 2 weeks but have resolved to go back on it this week as a couple of pounds have crept on and I feel so tired all the time. Carbs are also insidious, once you have a few the next thing you know they're back in your diet full on.

Anyway I'm getting my self organised over the next two days and back into it. I will look out for the Donna Aston book as I heard about her on a current affair a month or two back and couldnt remember what her name was.

Also I 've been reading this book on Glycaemic Indexes and diet by a Sydney research doctor (Dr Jennie Brand Miller) who is probably leading the world in research in the area and it's official, all carbs are not equal in terms of their impact on blood sugar. Some of the Burgen breads, particularly Soy Lin have a very low GI so what it means is that it would probably be ok for some low carbers to eat some food items prohibited on their carb value alone. Presumably as the active phase of low carb weight loss is so low for most of us, it might be counterproductive to play around with it but I think it spells good news for maintenance of weight loss. When I get around to it, I'll scan in the GI tables as they are all based on Aussie foods and they are the most comprehensive currently available worldwide. They make interesting reading if nothing else. I'll figure out some way of attaching them to the site.

Anyway, work tomorrow so I'd better go. Husband worked for OneTel so is now full time baby minder heh, heh. You wont believe how much easier it is going to work - and that's with only one kid!! But its really interesting though, he totally ignores me most of the week when I'm home and only gets affectionate and responsive late Saturday on. A bit distressing but definitely food for thought when you think about making a choice about going back to work early (for those women who have a choice). Anyway Dad is itching to get back to work but I'm really hoping he'll stay at home for another six months at least as my darling baby is only 1 (last week) and still needing plenty of interaction and affection.

Nicola

Hi there again Nicola,

I know what you mean about getting slack on the carb count. I have been having porridge for breakfast lately, but that has been my ownly evil and my keto sticks are still trace so hey, what the hell! Am happy to report I only have 2 kg's to go to get down to my goal weight. Mind you I am really pleased with myself so far at the moment as I am back into all my pre-baby clothes now. Mind you the body just aint ever going to be the same! I think I have the stomach of a 60 year old, my stretch marks are so bad! I put on over 25kgs with my first baby, didn't lose the last 5 kg's and then put on about 25kg's again with the 2nd baby. If I pick them both up (one in each arm) the are bout the equivalent of what had been carrying during pregnancy. Makes me wonder how I lugged myself around.

Have been paying regular visits to my Darrell Lea shop for my chocolate fix. The sugar free choc coated almonds are in now, and they are supposed to be getting the lollies soon. Mind you my craving for chocolate is slowly diminishing with time. Lately I have been fancing more hot tea with milk & sugar, so I have been sneaking the milk in with a splenda tablet.

Bad news about One tel. At least your husband will get a chance to experience what you have been up to for a while. My husband is fortunate enough to have a rostered day off every fortnight and that is his day of babysitting the kids. Mind you since I work 5 days each week I get very jealous of his day off!

I have also bought Mastercook and am slowly putting some recipes of mine in, to work out the carb contents. I have determined that Mum's home recipe for plum pudding has about 45 grams of carbs in it. Which although high isn't as bad as I was expecting. I am going to play around with some recipes now and substitute local ingredients and see what the effect it. I am hoping that it might let me broaden my menu some more. I was impressed in that it actually lets you add ingredients, so for instance you list the ingredient, the serving size, and what ever nutritional information is on the label and then when you use it in a recipe it calculates it all out. The problem now is more finding the time to do it all.

Anyway, better run.

Joanne

Yippee!!

Cant wait to get through induction again (It is the pits) but I'm going to zap round to DL tomorrow (just round the corner from work) in my lunch hour so I can celebrate in style on the weekend. Where did you find master cook?? It sounds good and I'd be really interested in plum pudding if you can come up with an alternative. I love it !!

Only 2kgs to go - you are so lucky and well done!! I'll get on with this GI list and while you're on maintenance, you can play around with this and see if it affects your weight. It is not a lot different to low carb but there are just a few more choices which makes it all more liveable.

I probably put on about 25kgs too but they're almost all still there. I wonder how I do lug myself around!!

I get an RDO too but only once a month. What a cool system and they've just introduced this flexibility system where you can get a compacted working week (work 37 hours in 4 days) or opt for 4 weeks unpaid a year on top of your annual leave. Majorly cool.

Nicola

Hi there Nicola,

Did you manage to get the Chocolate Almonds? I pigged out on a pack the other day. Only thing is you do need to heed their warning that excess consumption has a laxative effect! I thought that eating a whole pack would be okay- since it is only 85 grams and mostly nut. Anyway, take note of the warning... I will say no more.

I bought Mastercook from the Harvey Norman Computer Superstore up here. I am not sure if you have them in VIC, but any large computer software retailer should have it. My neighbour lent me her copy of the Carbo Addicts Cookbook, which I find a little hard to work out for Atkins since it doesn't give carb contents, anyway I have plugged a few of the recipes that interested me into Mastercook just to see what the carb contents were like. I am intending to have a play with Mum's pudding recipe when I can. Thing is most of the carbs I think are in the fruit, as her recipe only has about 3 tablespoons of flour in it. My neighbour also imported Dr Atkins Cookbook whic I had a look through, but unfortunately again most of the ingredients cannot be bought here.

Have you tried the Almond cookie recipe yet? I have been a little naught and have been making them ( I use Orange Brandy essence in place of the almond essence which I don't like much) and have been spreading very thinly onto it some Sugar free fruit spread ( I bought the one with the lowest carb content I could find) and then putting a dollop of cream on top!

I have also found the chocolate mouse recipe to be pretty good. Although I find I have to refrigerate it over night before I eat it, because for some reason it seems too rich if I eat it straight after I whip the cream.

I also bought the other Donna Aston book.. Fats or Fiction yesterday (the first book). Will let you know what it is like when I get around to reading it.

I have to confess to being naughty this last week though. I was on a conference on Saturday, and the only available food was sandwiches and muffins. The sandwiches were not of the variety where one could pick the fillings out in a socially acceptable manner, so... Then since I had already blown it, I figured I might as well enjoy a muffin also. The following day was my husbands birthday and his mother makes THE BEST lemon meringue pie I have ever had any way and so..... you get the drift. Anyway, I was back to my good behaviour again on Monday. I haven't done the hard line back to induction, but have cut down back to the on-going weight loss kinds of levels again.

It is my birthday today and my husband is taking me out for dinner... he isn't saying where so I hope it is somewhere that I can be good (like not a pizza place).

I sit on the board of our work credit union and our meetings usually run through dinner. We no longer have catering provided and the manager has been getting pizza lately, along with a heap of junk from Woolies. The board has gotten more used to me eating the toppings and discarding the base. I may even be starting to convince some of them to give the low carb way a go.

Anyway, better run.

Joanne

hi fellow ausmates is there anyone doing the CAD/CALP

I found Stevia in a Go-Vita health food shop. 100 tablets was just under $15.00. I find them very sweet so only use half of one to replace my one teaspoon of sugar that I used to have. apparently it is available in powder form too. Barb

I did send Nicola a private message but there seem to be a few queries. I got whey protein concentrate at my Go-Vita health food store at the weekdn, bulk price was $22.35 p/kg. Theay also had soy protein and whey protein isolate, and LSA mix, and ground psyllium husks, all in bulk. They have bulk herbs and ground chillis and peppers and and amazing variety of nuts, and the prices are quite good.
If you join and get a crd you get discounts, and they have a super Tuesday thing when some items are very cheap. I suggest anyone with queries lookup their nearest one and see what they have. If there's not a Go-Vita, ring your local health food store and you might find they have all the stuff in bulk.
For price comparison, the cheapest pre-packaged whey protein concentrate I could find was $18.50 for 250g, which would be $74 p/kg!

I think you'll find that the original participants in this 5 year old thread are no longer current members.

Roz