Carbquik Versus Bob's Red Mill: Which Low Carb Bake Mix is Right for You?

I've been low carbing for almost a year now, doing the Atkins diet specifically. Despite the negative press, it's been wonderful for me. I have more energy than ever, and the weight is slowly but steadily dropping off. The symptoms of Syndrome X (pre-diabetes) have disappeared, so I have a lot to be thankful for. I even eat lots of fresh vegetables now, which I never did before, apart from the occasional small salad or the limp, translucent lettuce that comes on a fast food burger.

Most of the time, the low carb lifestyle is pretty easy to stick to, but every so often (usually when I'm tired, or stressed) I get carbohydrate cravings that can only be satisfied by a chewy, gooey, chocolatety brownie, fresh from the oven. What to do? At first, I tried some of those pre-made low carb energy bars from the supermarket. They were completely unsatisfying, a pale imitation of the real thing. One brand even had a fish-like aftertaste!

I'm not much of a cook, so baking from scratch was a little daunting. That left baking mixes. Luckily, the low carb diet craze was in full swing, leaving me plenty of choices. I've tried nearly all of them, including the abysmally bad Atkins Nutritionals Bake Mix. I won't beat around the bush, it was awful. With a strong soy flavor and course grind it was hard to pretend that you were eating something made from real flour. It had a bitter aftertaste and a gritty, sandy mouthfeel. Even my normally ravenous golden retriever wouldn't finish the "pancakes" I made.

My experiences weren't unusual. After talking to many other dieters I realized that most prepackaged diet foods just aren't very good. So, hopefully, my experience with low carb baking mixes will save you time and money. Since we've briefly discussed the bad, let me tell you about a couple low carb baking mixes that are truly delicious, and the best situations to use them both.

I'll be comparing my two favorite mixes, Bob's Red Mill Low Carb Bake Mix, and Tova Industries Carbquik Bake Mix. I buy them both at my local supermarket, but I've also seen them at health food stores and on the internet at the link provided below.