MrsBabyCakes
Naughty Fridge Picker
Setting the cat amongst the pigeons this is the reply I got today!!
This is in reply to the email I sent them:
Dear N****
Thank you for your email, I hope the following helps clear the position for you. If you use cous cous to make a cake it would have a syn value.
Make sure our members know, if you follow the plan (any Food Optimising plan) 100% you will lose weight!
What if members are changing the plan?
Our members can be quite creative when it comes to finding “healthier” substitutes for their favouurite meals and snacks, yet this can spell disaster for their weight loss!
Tweaking the plan changes the spirit of Food Optimising and could result in members adding lots more Syns to their day without even realising! This is how members could be changing the plan and getting it wrong…
Making snacks like “Slimming World doritos” from lasagne sheets, quiche using pasta in sauce, and cake from couscous or chickpeas: Although the main ingredients for these recipes are a Free Food they have to be counted as Syns because they’re easy to overeat without realising. When these foods are used in their intended form they’re bulky and usually the main ingredient of a meal along with other satisfying Free or Superfree Foods. This is when you would gain the greatest satiety from these foods. In essence eating them in this ‘snack’ form encourages members to eat more calories without the satisfaction of a filling, healthy meal and this could be jeopardising their weight losses. It’s an effective way of adding a lot of extra calories in a non-bulky, non-satisfying way. To protect members’ weight loss we would always recommend when using these products in this way to count them as Syns.
Kind regards
Beverly
Support Services
This is in reply to the email I sent them:
Dear Sir/Madam
There seems to be a great deal of confusion amongst not only your consultants, but also your syns helpline, each giving conflicting advice.
There are many delicious recipes online that include the use of cous Cous. To clarify, the cous cous is used in its normal manner, its not ground down. It is made with water as it normally would be, and then used in a cake recipe.
The books say it should be syned if used as a flour alternative, however this definition seems to have caused a great deal of confusion. Some consultants are taking this to literally mean, that cous cous cannot be used, in anyway shape or form, without it being syned. Some consultants however, are saying that if its not ground down, like a flour, then it is syn free to use it in a cake, as long as it is made in the usual way. Also your syn helpline has caused much the same confusion over this.
I would appreciate some clarification on this matter.
If I make up the cous cous in the normal way with water, and then use it to make cake, do I syn it? Or is the use of it in this manner Syn free?
I post on a weight loss forum, where this is causing some confusion, and it would help all the members knowing a definitive answer.
Thanks for your help and clarification in this matter.