Since hitting my thirties, I’ve found that I’m suddenly adverse to a number of foods. Things like bread and pasta, and anything more acidic like onions and tomatoes started to irritate me or leave me feeling bloated.
Despite making a visit to my GP, there wasn’t really much they could do apart from advise that I cut out the things that irritated me and follow a FODMAP regime. So, with this, I started to reduce the amount of gluten I had in my diet, as well as the amount of meat. This is because I found that not only did meat also cause me to bloat, but I often found myself to be quite anxious when preparing and cooking it.
Over the past few years, being a veggie and eating mainly gluten free has really helped me and I now feel less anxious when eating. That being said, it’s not always that easy (or tasty!) to eat gluten free, therefore I’m always trying to find alternatives.
Lo-Dough
Lo-Dough is made entirely from protein and fibre. It can be eaten uncooked, heated, or baked as a soft and versatile alternative to bread and pastry. Perfect for pizzas, burritos, wraps, quiche, and pasties. If you’re following calorie controlled diet, it’s also low-calorie and low carb!
It contains no artificial flavourings, preservatives or colours and is suitable for vegetarians, as well as gluten, dairy, nut and soy-free diets. It’s also Weight Watchers and Slimming World friendly (check out their FAQs for more info).
This month, Lo-Dough sent us a box of goodies from their range to try out.
What came in the box?
- Dough Bases
- Brownie Mix
- Southern-style Coating
- Cookbook 1 & Cookbook 2
Making pizza with Lo-Dough
Out of the box, I was most keen to find out how the dough bases worked, as I liked how versatile they sounded. The thought of being able to make a wrap or pizza for lunch, and then a quiche for tea, was interesting.
Within their cookbook, there’s lots of inspiration for different flavours and toppings. I’m already planning a pizza night with T one evening this half term. On this occasion, I made a cheese and sun-dried tomato pizza on a chilli pesto base to take to work with me for lunch.
The base is just like any other base – maybe a bit thinner and closer to a tortilla. It comes with a sheet that separates it from the other sheets of dough. This means the packaging can be wrapped in a sealed container and saved for another meal (within 24 hours).
Lo-Dough can be frozen, however, according to their FAQ section, most people find that this is not necessary since it comes in pouches of two pieces that have a six month shelf life.
Tip: Because the dough is a little thinner than other bases, I would definitely recommend making sure any pizza base or spread goes right to the edges. The edges can be prone to crisping in the oven or drying out – although it’s not a major issue!
The pizza only took a few minutes to cook in the oven and upon consumption I found the dough to be light, but strong enough to hold my topping. I left the rest to go cold for lunch and it was perfect with a salad. Other ideas for the bases include quiches and tarts, or wraps and quesadillas.
Lo-Dough brownies!
When it comes to sweet treats, they don’t often sit in the category of low-carb or low-calorie. From my experience of eating gluten free goodies, they don’t often compare to regular brownies, but Lo-Dough have taken on the challenge.
On this occasion, I decided to spend an afternoon cooking up some brownies with T (seeing as they were super easy to make!). Simply add the packet mix to the bowl, add some water, and then bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Looking at the recipe book, you can also add other things to the mix such as cherries or turn them onto a layer cake.
Just like the rest of their products, the brownie mix is gluten free and high protein. Each piece contains over 7 grams of gut friendly fibre. Each tray bake can make approximately nine brownies and are also low fat and low sugar (although there are a few cheeky milk chocolate chunks included!).
In comparison to other packet baking products, these brownies didn’t rise as much. In fact, they came out a little dry – so probably not to my taste preference. That being said, if you’re only looking for that sweet kick then this will probably be all that you need. You really don’t need to eat many before you’re satisfied as they’re quite rich.
Within our goodie box was also a box of the Lo-Dough’s ‘miracle’ cake bars. These are surprisingly beastly and not at all like their brownie. They’re equally as low in sugar and high in fibre.
This is a more generously-sized offering, although I had to take my time eating them. Similar to the brownies, I found them a little dry (and they weren’t gluten free!). It did mean, however, that it lasted an afternoon as opposed to a few seconds!
What do I think?
For me, being able to enjoy a few more treats without being bloated or irritated was a bonus. I’m certainly interested in investing in some of the dough bases as I’m keen to make other recipes. We haven’t yet tried the southern-style mix, but once we do we’ll update this review.
I’m probably not a massive fan of the brownies or the cake bars – in comparison to the dough bases. I’m quite particular when it comes to my treats, but if you’re just looking for a sweet fix then these will work.
Each item can be purchased via their website, and orders over £30 get FREE delivery. There’s also the option to set up a no-obligation subscription to Lo-Dough.
Where can I buy Lo-Dough?
You can buy Lo-Dough direct from their website, as well as via a selection of independent farm shops, butchers, health shops and eateries around the UK and Ireland.
Their cookbooks give you lots of meal and snack inspiration too. Check out the Lo-Dough website for more details.
Disclosure: We were sent a box of Lo-Dough goodies in exchange for an honest review, however all thoughts, opinions, and imagery are our own.
