Product review: Slendier Ready To Eat Meals

Slendier is a brand of low carb “noodles” made of konjac, an Asian plant that has been used forever in Japanese cuisine. Slendier Ready To Eat Meals is a range that includes “pasta” and sauce in one package.

The meals

The meals currently in this range include a bag of “fettuccine” and a pouch of sauce. The sauce options (all tomato-based) are: organic Italian capers and olives, organic Italian basil and arrabbiata.

All Slendier Ready To Eat Meals are low in carbohydrate, energy, fat and sugar, high in fibre, vegan and free from artificial colours and flavours.

Ingredients

• Vegetable Fettuccine with Organic Italian Capers and Olives Sauce: konjac fettuccini (63%) (purified water, konjac flour, citric acid), organic italian capers and olives sauces (37%) (chopped tomatoes (86.2%), olives (6%), extra virgin olive oil, capers (3%), sea salt, onion, parsley, garlic, chili pepper)
• Vegetable Fettuccine with Organic Italian Basil Sauce: konjac fettuccine (63%) (purified water, konjac flour, citric acid), organic basil sauce (37%) (chopped tomatoes (93.4%), extra virgin olive oil, basil (2%), salt, garlic)
• Vegetable Fettuccine with Arrabbiata Sauce: konjac fettuccine (63%) (purified water, konjac flour, citric acid), organic arrabbiata sauce (37%) (chopped tomatoes (95%), extra virgin olive oil, salt, garlic 0.1%, chilli peppers 0.1%)

Nutrition information

The 3 flavours are reasonably high in protein and low in fat. The flavoured varieties has 10g of sugar each (equivalent to 2.5 teaspoons). Being a dairy product, it also contains calcium (25-28% of the recommended daily intake).

Nutrient per serve (240g)	Vegetable Fettuccine with Organic Italian Capers and Olives Sauce	Vegetable Fettuccine with Organic Italian Basil Sauce	Vegetable Fettuccine with Arrabbiata Sauce
Energy	235 KJ (58 Kcal)	175KJ (42 Kcal)	242 KJ (58 Kcal)
Protein	1.4 g	1.2 g	1.7 g
Fat	2.9 g	1.7 g	2.6 g
– saturated	Less than 1 g	Less than 1 g	Less than 1 g
Carbohydrate	2.9 g	2.4 g	4.3 g
– sugars	2.9 g	1.6 g	3.8 g
Fibre	7.9 g	7.2 g	7.7 g
Sodium	305 mg	319 mg	161 mg

Taste taste

I tried the arrabbiata and basil Slendier Ready To Eat Meals. I have eaten konjac “noodles” before so these meals were no surprise to me. If you have never eaten something like this before, do not expect the taste or texture of normal pasta. It is more similar to the texture of the rice noodles used in Vietnamese salads. Flavour-wise, I found the sauces pretty mild. I would recommend adding some umami, in the form of anchovies and/or grated Parmesan or Pecorino.

Pros

• Convenient and easy to carry around
• Shelf-stable
• Easy to prepare (microwave for 1-2 minutes)
• Good for people watching their energy/carb/fat/sugar intake

Cons

• These meals are not very filling. Consider adding a source of protein such as canned fish, eggs or beans.
• Because they are not starchy, konjac “noodles” do not absorb liquid
• Some people find konjac “noodles” taste “fishy” and/or off-putting
• Not widely available (I bought them online)

More info

Slendier website

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