Going to England, what should I eat?

well, I'm studying abroad in England and I leave in 2 days.  I can't wait to get to Bath but I'll admit that I'm a little nervous; I definitely don't want to gain any weight since I only have so many clothes that I can take with me and I'm pretty happy with my weight now.  I really don't know anything about the nutritional information regarding calories and whatnot on British packaging. And I was wondering what brands are good for dieting/ maintaining a healthy weight.  Also, what are good prices for those brands?  I'm a student, so any healthy alternatives to pub grub would be fantastic.   Any help would be really appreciated!

First off, all our stuff has the same nutritional info yours does, ie calories, fat, carbs, sodium, etc, so you won't be stranded.

I don't know Bath so can't point you towards any specific good places, but our supermarkets all sell calorie counted snack foods like wraps and sandwiches that make great healthy lunches if you're out, and the big (and CHEAP!) national pub chain Wetherspoons has calorie info on all their meals as a printable pdf here so you could print that and have it in your purse, maybe, and never fear a pub meal again!

I'm not sure about brands, i tend to just buy veg, meat etc, again most supermarkets do calorie counted ready meals if you want to buy that kind of thing to save time. if you have a specific question about a specific kind of food, I'll help if I can.

Oh and as a general rule, cornershops here can be pricey because they're one guy paying all the overheads, Tesco are about the cheapest supermarket, Sainsbury is also reasonable, Waitrose is good for premium foods - all three do good organic ranges and again, all have any packaged stuff (ie anything except fresh fruit and veg) labelled for calories and fat, etc etc.

England really isn't a whole new world in terms of food. Just eat what you would at home.

I'd echo the above advice.  UK packaging rules are very comprehensive in terms of nutrition.  We have nutrition panels on the back of packaging and quick-check 'traffic light' systems on the front quite often.  You won't find universal HFCS in foods as you might at home and, in restaurants, our portion-sizes are much smaller than the ones in the US and 'the doggy bag' is an alien concept!  You don't need 'brands' especially to control your weight.  Supermarkets and other stores stock a massive range of unbranded fresh produce, fresh meat/fish and other wholefoods so you can live pretty cheaply if you go with seasonal or local products and do a little cooking.  In packaged grocery, supermarket own-label foods tend to be just as good as the leading brands and for much less cost.  And Bath is in the middle of many rural communities and has a nice farmers' market which could be worth checking out.... although prices for delicacies can be higher 

The surrounding British countryside of the Cotswolds, Somerset & Avon has lots of lovely places, villages, rivers, footpaths, bridleways etc. so if you invested in some walking boots or a bicycle you could take it all in and keep fit at the same time.  Good luck

hey, aww you'll love england and us brits. My advice would be to go to shop in a well known place like tescos or sainsburys. Most packaging and tins do have all nutritional content on them. Like a tin of heinz low fat mac and cheese is 340 kcals, food here is pretty much the same in America but you dont find typically american things like kashi bars or fibre one bars, but you do have your special K etc. Hope this helps, keep us updated on your move

I would advise you to find your local fruit and veg market - there's usually a few in every town.  There you will be able to buy better quality fruit and vegetables at a fraction of supermarket prices. The quality is usually great, buy little and often there, as they tend to sell nice ripe seasonal produce.

As everybody has said above, you will find all you need in Tesco, Sainsbury's or ASDA (which is owed by walmart).  I think that in the UK there isn't the same emphasis on brands as the US, and the supermarket generic labels are mostly as good if not better than the branded alternative, and better value.  I shop mostly in Sainsbury's and they have a 'basics' range which is fantastic value for money at the moment.

It's always worth searching in your local health food store for specialist items.

By law, all foods list nutritional information per 100g, and often per serving also, so nutritional information won't be a problem

You will find that the same foods are good for weight loss here as in the US!

One word of warning is that restaurants are not obliged to give nutritional information and it is hard to find - Weatherspoons are an exception rather than the rule.

Have fun  - Bath and the surrounding countryside is beautiful, and don't hesitate to ask us for help if you need it!

Thank you guys so much! I had a feeling the calorie information would be the same but I wanted to double check.  Thanks again!