What Are Speed Foods? - Fatgirlskinny.net | Slimming Recipes, Healthy Eating & Weight Loss (2024)

You have joined Slimming World and all you have heard so far is, speed speed speed…. Don’t worry I completely understand! It can be really hard to get your head around everything at first.

Speed foods do not mean you have to eat them really quickly! Let me try to explain without confusing you even further….

Speed foods are not only classed as a free food, but almost all fruits and vegetables will be Super Free Foods “Speed”too. These will help to boost your weight loss and keep you feeling full for longer.

Slimming World state that at least a third of your plate should be full of speed foods first. Also if you feel the urge to snack, try and reach for speed foods first.

How can I add more speed foods to my diet?

Add some berries to your jelly/yogurt
Top your breakfast cereal with some fruit
Swap half of your pasta/rice for some vegetables
Fill a third of your dinner plate with vegetables or salad first, then add the rest of your meal.
Slice carrot sticks and place them in the fridge to snack on.
Bulk out a bolognese or curry with extra vegetable such as grated carrot and reduce the meat.
Make a soup using speedy vegetables.
Make yourself some corguette spaghetti

The following foods are examples of “speed foods” on the Slimming World plan. They can be eaten without weighing or measuring.

To ensureyou have the correct information please join www.slimmingworld.co.uk

Fruit

Fresh and frozen fruit are both classed as Speed Foods. (Tinned are not)

Please remember if you are mashing, pureeing or cooking fruit they must be Synned.

Apples
Apricots
Blackberries
Blackcurrants
Blueberries
Clementines
Cranberries
Damsons
Gooseberries
Grapefruit
Guava
Lemons (juice/zest)
Limes (juice/zest)
Loganberries
Mandarins
Melon (All types)
Nectarines
Oranges
Papaya
Passion fruit
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Pomelo
Raspberries
Redcurrants
Rhubarb
Satsumas
Star fruit
Strawberries
Tangerines
Ugli fruit

Vegetables

All vegetables below whether they are fresh, frozen and canned are classed as Speed foods. They can be roasted, pureed, boiled or raw.

Alfalfa sprouts
Amaranth leaves
Artichokes
Asparagus
Aubergine
Baby sweetcorn
Bamboo shoots
Bean sprouts
Beetroot
Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Cabbage
Capers
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celeriac
Celery
Chard
Chicory
Chillies
Chinese leaf
Courgettes
Cucumber
Endive
Fennel
Green beans
Garlic
Gherkins
Herbs
Kale
Leeks
Lettuce
Mangetout
Marrow
Mushrooms
Mustard & Cress
Okra
Onions
Pak choi
Peppers
Pumpkin
Purple sprouting broccoli
Radicchio
Radishes
Rocket
Runner beans
Sauerkraut
Samphire
Shallots
Spinach
Spring greens
Spring onions
Sugar snap peas
Swede
Tomatoes, Fresh, Tinned or Passata
Turnip
Vine leaves
Watercress
Water chestnuts

Related Article: Recipes made using speed foods

81 Responses

Comments81
Pingbacks0

Lorraine says:
July 8, 2017 at 10:13 am
Cant See Cherries on this list
Reply
- Kirsty says:
  July 8, 2017 at 10:52 am
  Hi Lorraine 🙂 that is because they aren’t a speed food. Thanks x
  Reply
Angela Jones says:
July 22, 2017 at 7:51 pm
I’m very grateful for this list – I’m surprised that so many foods are speed and not just free – really going to include them as much as possible this time – Thank you xx
Reply
Denise greenfield says:
January 13, 2018 at 8:43 pm
Do you know why pineapples were dropped?
Reply
- Kirsty says:
  January 13, 2018 at 9:13 pm
  Hiya.. for as long as I have known about speed foods I never knew pineapple ever was? Maybe you could ask your consultant? x
  Reply
Imi says:
February 27, 2018 at 8:33 pm
Hi where do sweet potatoes go?
Reply
- Kirsty says:
  February 28, 2018 at 2:39 pm
  Sweet potatoes are syn free but they are not a speed food
  Reply
Kate says:
April 29, 2018 at 1:23 pm
Hi, is this list just for fresh fruit and veg or are frozen ok as well?
Reply
- Kirsty says:
  April 29, 2018 at 1:25 pm
  frozen and tinned veg is included…
  frozen fruit included (not tinned)
  Reply
Michelle says:
October 25, 2018 at 11:34 am
Grapes aren’t on the list, does that mean that they are syns?
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  October 26, 2018 at 10:01 pm
  They are syn free but they are just not a Speed food 🙂
  Reply
Jo Melia says:
January 10, 2019 at 8:59 pm
Hi, thank you for your list it’s really helpful for an old school slimming world like me! Could I just ask you if I’m doing green plan are baked beans a speed food? Thanks again for your info ☺ so helpful!
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  January 10, 2019 at 9:26 pm
  Hi there I am glad you are enjoying the site. All of the speed foods are listed here.. if it isn’t here it isn’t a speed food 🙂 Thanks x
  Reply
Claire Anderson says:
January 19, 2019 at 8:07 am
Thank you….my downfall is hidden syns….sauces…flour spices etc…unless it has a high fat content im unsure…example would be maggi cook in bag…thanks in advance…x
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  January 19, 2019 at 11:20 am
  Hi there
  Unless its pasta, rice, fruit, vegetables or lean meat it generally has a Syn value. Maggi cook in bags are high in Syns so I would avoid them. They aren’t needed.. there are so many amazing recipes out there full of flavour and Syn free. Flour is around about 4 syns per 25g. Most herbs and spices are Syn free.
  Reply
Patricia Fuller says:
February 14, 2019 at 12:16 pm
Bananas please? Thankyou.
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  February 14, 2019 at 2:29 pm
  Hi there
  Bananas are not a speed food. They are Classed as free but not speed.
  Reply
Jane says:
February 16, 2019 at 2:35 pm
Hi there I have just stumbled across your blog. I have been on SW for two weeks on line, so all quite new to me. This is just fabulous, thank you so much for all your hard work in explaining syns etc. I have started following your blog . Thank you again xx
Reply
margi kelly says:
March 3, 2019 at 11:08 am
Hi ive just joined yourself and SW thank you for all the help your giving us i will be on here often thanks xx
Reply
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Top 25 Gluten Free Recipes Oktoberfest Food - Traditional German Food Recipes | Craft Beering The Best Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe - Much easier than you think!
Sarah Henderson says:
March 13, 2019 at 1:06 pm
Hi there can you tell me if Dates are Syn Free please. Thank you ?
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  March 13, 2019 at 8:33 pm
  Hi there
  no I am afraid they are not syn free
  Reply
Dawn says:
April 13, 2019 at 7:14 am
May I ask about parnips? I tend to make homemade soup, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and parsnips ??
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  April 14, 2019 at 12:25 pm
  Parsnips are a free food but they are not on the Speed list 🙂
  Reply
Yasmin Dasoo says:
May 2, 2019 at 2:06 pm
Hi there I’m from Canada and new to slimming world need help in shopping for low syn foods and snacks
Reply
Jackie R says:
June 14, 2019 at 10:11 am
Can see there are Clementines and Tangerines on your list. I know you have said if it is not on there then it is not a speed food but my group leader says Satsumas are speed food. Can you clarify – Satsumas have a slightly lower sugar content than tangerines. Cheers
Reply
Jackie R says:
June 14, 2019 at 10:13 am
Sorry – Satsumas are on the list. My bad! Sorry again xxx
Reply
A says:
July 24, 2019 at 4:49 pm
Hi on my app it says most frozen veg is ‘free’ not speed when the fresh alternative is speed. Does frozen veg not count as speed?
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  July 29, 2019 at 5:42 pm
  Hi Abi
  If a fruit or a vegetable is a speed food it doesn’t matter if it is fresh, frozen or tinned 🙂
  I hope that helps
  Reply
Jan says:
October 20, 2019 at 6:21 am
What is the difference between speed and free foods?
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  October 20, 2019 at 8:25 am
  Speed foods are fruit and vegetables that are super low in calories but will keep you full. Try to fill half of your plate with them first before adding free or syn food.
  Reply
Jan says:
October 22, 2019 at 4:48 am
Thanks for that. So I could have a steak (free) with lots of veg & salad (speed food). I guess salad and veg are also considered free.
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  October 23, 2019 at 6:02 pm
  You can have steak with all visible fat removed cooked in frylight (free)
  Served with Syn free slimming world chips and lots of vegetables and salad 🙂
  Reply
Jan says:
October 23, 2019 at 10:15 pm
Thanks so much for your reply. It’s making sense now. I’ll keep going with the diet xo
Reply
eimeareveard says:
November 2, 2019 at 9:18 pm
hi are avocados free?
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  November 4, 2019 at 6:34 pm
  Sadly not, they are very high in syns.
  Reply
Helen Megahy says:
January 15, 2020 at 4:41 pm
This is very good information. I stopped going to the club and put my weight on and more. But this is my 2nd week.
Thank you for the information.
Reply
Lisa says:
January 19, 2020 at 10:02 pm
Hi,
Are speed foods still free food and syn free?
Thank you.
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  January 19, 2020 at 10:12 pm
  yes indeed 🙂
  Reply
Emily says:
January 24, 2020 at 2:43 pm
is dried fruit syned? i’ve just bought some thinking they’d be okay but not i’m not sure.
thanks in advance xx
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  January 27, 2020 at 10:36 am
  Yes dried fruit hold a lot of Syns sadly 🙁 You would need to check the app
  Reply
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Tumpshy says:
February 2, 2020 at 9:13 pm
Hi what about pomegranates?
Thank you
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  February 3, 2020 at 1:29 pm
  Sorry no this is not a speed food. Only the fruits/veg listed are speed. Pomegranate is free but not speed.
  Reply
Jody Deacon says:
February 5, 2020 at 12:08 pm
Hello, sorry to ask, I can’t quite see the difference betwenb veg and fruits clearly . Going through the list in alphabetical order I can’t see melon? I thought this was a speed food?
Jody.
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  February 7, 2020 at 12:07 pm
  Hi Jody
  Melon is listed in the fruit section 🙂
  thanks
  Reply
Angela Pye says:
February 9, 2020 at 10:26 pm
Should you reduce the portion size of free protein and carbs you would normally have with speed foods or can you just add the speed to your usual portion size?
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  February 10, 2020 at 9:58 am
  A third of your plate should be speed foods…
  But yes when i make a chilli now i use half the mince i used i used to and have replaced with more speed foods like pepper, onion, mushroom 🙂
  Reply
ilona says:
February 12, 2020 at 8:09 am
Hi thank you for your help in the speed foods I’m not sure on fruit
Please could you tell me if fruit in tins in there own juices are speed or free many thanks
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  February 13, 2020 at 10:17 am
  Hi there
  No they are not speed from tins x
  Reply
ilona says:
February 13, 2020 at 4:38 pm
Thank you so much for your reply
Reply
Brenda says:
February 18, 2020 at 5:17 pm
I love your blog, I’m thinking about trying SW and will probably just do the on-line. You have helped me decide what I want to try, so … thank you very much for having a desire to help the rest of us!
Reply
Karina says:
February 24, 2020 at 9:09 pm
Oh I’m confused now have baked beans been removed from speed foods, just to clarify
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  February 25, 2020 at 7:13 pm
  Baked beans are free but they are definitely not a speed food 🙂
  Reply
Karinac says:
February 25, 2020 at 7:17 pm
Thanks for getting back to me, I must have read it wrong before, thanku ill be more careful with them xx
Reply
Rachel says:
February 28, 2020 at 5:56 am
Hi. Are they free? I’ve been putting them in my yogurt the past few weeks thinking they’re speed?. Strangely I’ve gained a couple of pounds since Christmas
Reply
Fatgirlskinny says:
February 29, 2020 at 4:38 pm
Sorry im not sure what you are referring to?
Reply
Gina Cooper says:
March 4, 2020 at 11:39 am
When I was in slimming world few years ago beans were speed. What has changed that there not speed now
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  March 4, 2020 at 6:53 pm
  Baked beans are high in sugar content, they were removed as a speed food (superfree) a long time ago.
  Reply
Brenda says:
March 5, 2020 at 4:09 pm
You’re AWESOME … thank you so muich!
Reply
T says:
May 21, 2020 at 4:19 pm
Hello ,
Please are you able to to tell me if all fresh speed fruits and veg are also counted as speed if they are frozen?
Or does it all have to be fresh to count as speed ?
Thank you
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  May 22, 2020 at 7:37 am
  Frozen is fine too 🙂
  Reply
Ray Howard says:
June 22, 2020 at 2:10 pm
Hi do I have to syn speed foods if I blend them for juice
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  June 23, 2020 at 7:58 pm
  Fruit yes
  Vegetables no 🙂
  Reply
obert Murphy says:
June 30, 2020 at 10:32 am
Hi, is Watermelon excluded from the plan?
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  June 30, 2020 at 6:09 pm
  No watermelon is a speed food 🙂 we have it listed Melon (all types)
  thanks
  Reply
Robert Murphy says:
July 5, 2020 at 10:45 pm
Thanks for the reply. I am thinking of joining ( Again!) lol
Reply
Gemma B says:
July 11, 2020 at 6:12 pm
Love this website! Thank you!
Reply
Allison Clements says:
January 8, 2021 at 10:03 am
Hi, where does sauerkraut come in ? Tia
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  January 8, 2021 at 12:54 pm
  Hiya Alison
  It’s listed under vegetables x
  Reply
Allison says:
January 8, 2021 at 2:12 pm
Thank you x
Reply
Anna says:
January 11, 2021 at 9:08 pm
Thank you so much for your wonderful posts and sw lists ??
Reply
anne shelley says:
February 12, 2021 at 5:33 pm
hi just new to slimming world , what is the difference basically between speed foods and free foods , many thanks
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  February 12, 2021 at 7:00 pm
  Speed foods are not only classed as a free food, but almost all fruits and vegetables will be Super Free Foods too. These will help to boost your weight loss and keep you feeling fill for longer.
  Reply
Trecle says:
February 21, 2021 at 10:36 am
Your knowledge has helped me so much, I would like to say thank you, I’ve just started doing this on my own and you have really helped me prepare for it
Reply
Julie Brunskill says:
April 12, 2021 at 1:52 pm
Your blog is helping me so much. Thank you.
Reply
Fiona O’ Leary says:
January 12, 2022 at 10:09 pm
Hi is any corn at all a speed food? Thank you
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  January 12, 2022 at 10:21 pm
  Sweetcorn is a free food but is not classed as a speed food
  Reply
Fiona says:
January 12, 2022 at 10:25 pm
Thank you
Reply
Joanna says:
July 30, 2022 at 2:22 pm
Is Sauerkraut speed food
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  August 1, 2022 at 12:37 pm
  Yes it is 🙂
  Reply
Louise says:
September 22, 2022 at 7:56 am
Are sprouts a speed food? Thanks
Reply
- Fatgirlskinny says:
  October 23, 2022 at 7:21 pm
  Yep they can be found on the list 🙂
  Reply