This week’s Dragons Den (BBC TV, UK) saw an ex-fitness instructor present his new health food idea to the Dragons. The food is low sugar, gluten free noodles and pasta, and the company is called Bare Naked Foods. The company slogan is “food stripped barenaked of the bad bits“.
Bare Naked Foods noodles
The main product at the moment are Bare Naked Noodles. These are designed to replace normal noodles and therefore reduce sugar / carbohydrate content of a meal. They are made from ingredients which are high in protein and low in fat and also low GI carbohydrate. This helps you to keep total calories down to aid weight loss and the extra protein aids muscle gain.
What is it made from?
The noodles are made from various ingredients including rice flour and Asian-grown Konjac plant (Bare Naked Noodles product #013137 sold in Holland and Barrett).
These ingredients mean that they are gluten free and low in sugar. The Barenaked Protein Noodles are still being developed but it is hoped they will be on the market soon. These will be the first high protein meal which can replace a traditional starch heavy staple.
Food for bodybuilders
One of Bare Naked Food’s fans is Ollie ‘Ojay’ Matthews, a bodybuilder and personal trainer who is always striving to optimise his nutrition. He says “when I am in need of extra protein I can utilise more products then knowing the quality is unrivalled and I am not sacrificing any taste“.
Although it is easy to advise people to consume only low GI fruits and vegetables, some staples such as noodles, pasta and rice are so well entrenched in family tradition that it is hard to avoid them. These noodles may well provide overweight families with a way to change their nutritional habits without having to make radical changes to their traditional family meals.
Reviews of Bare Naked Foods
There are some glowing testimonials on the Bare Naked Foods website, including one reader (Nigel from Manchester) who said that the noodles helped him to lose 4 pounds in 3 weeks. Also British lightweight boxer Phil Gill has shared his recipes on Youtube (video below). They are a great replacement for spaghetti and go well with a Bolognese sauce. They are also praised for being so easy to cook and very versatile.
Protein Noodles from Barenaked foods by Philip Gill
Bare Naked Foods was founded by Ross Mendham and since he appeared on Dragon’s Den and won the backing of Peter Jones, who also invested in Kirsty’s Freedom (previously called Worthensaws) the product has rapidly grown in popularity. You can learn more about the product on their website www.barenakedfoods.co.uk.