Food Detective Blog

Look what our Supermarket Detective found lurking on the shelves this week ...

Even a trained nutritionist can be fooled by clever marketing. In this new food blog we promise to bring you a mix of good and bad. Let's take a look at the products we love and the products we don't understand. Our aim is to keep you more informed so you can make better food purchases for yourself and your family.

Watties Meal Sensations 9/10
I tried one of those Watties Meal Sensations for lunch today (Thai Beef Curry)- what a great idea and delicious too. Calories were a bit low so I added a can of salmon to boost my protein, you could always have a Fresh n Fruity Lite yoghurt with it to round it off, if you are a female. Guys you might need to eat two, add a couple of slices of grainy bread or have a protein shake with it, depending on your goals. Available in your freezer section at your supermarket. Keep these in the freezer at work.









Naked Locals Organic soups 6/10
Each soup lives up to Naked Organics mission of ‘Cuisine without Compromise’ to ensure that you can enjoy fresh, home-grown produce that is not only good for you, but good for the local business too. Each soup carries the Naked Organics commitment to the ‘Seeds of Change’ program, which, with the help of Oxfam, contributes towards supporting organic farming in developing countries. Find them at all good supermarkets. RRP $5.99. But watch out for the cream! The label says the bag is one serve, I disagree. Use half a bag or even a third and throw in some diced meat for some protein.


DeliMenu Malaysian Laksa and Chicken 9/10

Stuck for lunch or a quick satisfying snack? I've just tried the new Chicken Laksa - its delicious and only 210 calories per serve. Perfect for lunch - add an apple to finish off the meal and boost the fibre.

Try the other flavours too... Chicken, Tuna..........









Sweet Nothings Ice Cream

Has anybody tried the 'Sweet Nothings' ice-cream - I'm impressed - 1/4 of a tub delivers 201 calories and 17grams of protein ( sounds like a protein bar ). This may be the perfect post-workout meal...



The Vootman Omega 3 Cookies

Well, they taste great, nice big cookies brimming with chocolate. At 90 calories per serve they are a nice snack if you can stick to one. There's 18 in a pack so keep them in an air-tight container. Don't get caught up on the Omega 3 claim - yes, they contain flax-seeds, which are healthy, but, the Omega 3 is ALA and the ALA is out-weighed by the addition of palm, soy bean and canola oil. ALA doesn't convert to EPA and DHA very easily. You'd have to eat a truckload of biscuits to get that, which would defeat the purpose. OK, better than a TIM TAM, but they are still a biscuit (an occasional food).

Ryvita's

We love the new Ryvita range. The team at Ryvita has combined healthy seeds with oats and rye to give us two new tasty additions to the Ryvita range. These crackers get the nutritional thumbs up from us. Made from 100% wholegrain Rye these crackers make the perfect base for a healthy snack at any time of the day.





Jarrah - The Indulgent Hot Beverage Brand 4/5
Instead of a Café hot chocolate, try a Jarrah low fat chocolate drink. Some hot chocolate drinks contain more than 300 calories but the Jarrah drink, at less than 60 calories, is just as tasty and won’t go straight to your hips.









Natural Nut Xtreme Bars - rating 4/5

Who said you couldn't eat chocolate and still lose weight? The new Nice and Natural Bars are delicious. At less than 150 calories these bars make a tasty afternoon treat.  Three flavours - Peanut, Apricot and Almond. No artificial colours either. Swap a muffin for one of these bars and you could save up to 450 calories at one meal!



Food Inc
If daily headlines about food poisoning, pollution, labor abuse, and rampant hunger have left you worried or confused about the foods you eat, Food, Inc. provides the facts behind the problems—and shows what you can do to make a difference. Look out for the movie - it's coming soon.


Smart Cookies - rating 1/5
We are confused as to why this cookie has won a nutritional award. Perhaps the word 'smart' refers to the marketing and brand positioning. After all, we are always looking for healthy snacks for our kids. Why don't we like these cookies? if you read the entire label you're still eating up to 155 calories per cookie. They advertise Omega 3 but this is misleading, the source is ALA from vegetable oil, not the healthy marine EPA and DHA which is beneficial for health. Our advice - you'll be a smart cookie not to buy these. Do some healthy home baking instead.



Sugar in a Bottle -rating 0/5
The Coca-Cola Company is being sued for making "deceptive and unsubstantiated claims" about its VitaminWater line of beverages. With 33 grams of sugar in each bottle of VitaminWater we rate this product as one of the worst. Underneath the guise of a health claim this is still sugar water with very low amounts of vitamins.



Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedges-rating 4/5
There's eight wedges per box and they're only 30 calories per wedge! So try two wedges plus 6 rice crackers as a morning tea snack, yummy.