Why I don't show calorie count

At the recent Yorkshire Regional Meet, I was asked why I don't show the calorie value for each of the recipes.  I was also asked if the recipes are suitable for celiacs and if the local Slimming World counsellor had approved them.  So, here is the long answer for everyone.

Calories
The big problem with calculating the calorie value for any meal is that it relies on very accurate weighing of each ingredient, then serving the correct weight.  Think about serving a meal from a slow cooker.  Does everyone get the same weight of meat?  How about the proportions of different vegetables - are they identical?  Of course not!  If you have no control over proportions of ingredients or portion size, which is the real killer for calorie counters, you cannot begin to even estimate the calorie value of the meal.  Just remember that the real high calorie culprits are fats and carbohydrates - cut those down (not out completely) and you will dramatically reduce the calorie value of your meals.

Celiacs
Your problem is to avoid gluten, found most prolifically in products containing wheat.  So, if the recipe does not contain flour, bread, pasta or breakfast cereals you should find the recipe is more than suitable. Check out the sauces and casseroles on the website, as they are all thickened with cornflour which does not contain gluten - so even these are within your regime.  Something close to 70% of the recipes will fit your needs.

Low Fat
Again, all ingredients are listed so it should not be difficult to see whether or not a recipe has a lot of butter, margarine or lard.  On the whole olive oil, sunflower oil and rapeseed oil are accepted as being very good substitutes for cooking, and stir-frying is one of the best ways of eating healthy low-fat meals.  If you think about it, because you are avoiding fat, eg butter, you will naturally also cut down on carbohydrates because bread without butter is hard to digest, and therefore reduce your calorie count.

Low Carbohydrate
Most of the recipes in the meat, fish and vegetable sections are low carbohydrate - provided that you do not then serve that meal with a pile of potatoes, pasta or rice.  By avoiding bread, pastry, cakes, pies, pasta and rice or at least keeping your helping down you automatically reduce the carbohydrates.  Remember that sugar is also a carbohydrate and generally speaking the one that causes most people to pile on the pounds. You will probably find that your diet naturally reduces in fats as you are not eating the bread and potatoes that would normally be served with butter or deep fried as chips.


The Simple Conclusion
Read the ingredients, and choose those recipes which match your particular eating plan.  The low fat and low carbohydrate options are not mutually exclusive and in fact tend to incorporate much the same meals, particularly those based on fish, chicken and fresh vegetables.


Any meal prepared using fresh produce at home or on holiday will be much healthier and will not contain the added chemicals associated with mass produced 'convenience' foods.  Just read the labels and find out how much sugar is hidden in the "healthy" ranges of pre-packed meals.  It might be hidden as carbohydrate, but just one pack contains more sugar than you would have in a week of eating fresh fish, meat and vegetables.


Remember the old addage "a little of what you fancy does you good." Have a look at your portion size, as that may be the clue to reducing weight.  Try using a smaller plate, it will look full and fool your tum.

I would be interested to hear from the slimming experts, especially with comments on specific recipes which are particularly helpful for different eating plans.