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 ensure you 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
Cant See Cherries on this list
Hi Lorraine 🙂 that is because they aren’t a speed food. Thanks x
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
Do you know why pineapples were dropped?
Hiya.. for as long as I have known about speed foods I never knew pineapple ever was? Maybe you could ask your consultant? x
Hi denise.
I believe its because it has a higher carbohydrate and sugar content. I eat a lot of it, I have a massive bowl of fresh in the morning and still lose weight.
Hope this has helped.
Hi where do sweet potatoes go?
Sweet potatoes are syn free but they are not a speed food
Hi, is this list just for fresh fruit and veg or are frozen ok as well?
frozen and tinned veg is included…
frozen fruit included (not tinned)
Grapes aren’t on the list, does that mean that they are syns?
They are syn free but they are just not a Speed food 🙂
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!
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
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
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.
Bananas please? Thankyou.
Hi there
Bananas are not a speed food. They are Classed as free but not speed.
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
Hi ive just joined yourself and SW thank you for all the help your giving us i will be on here often thanks xx
Hi there can you tell me if Dates are Syn Free please. Thank you ?
Hi there
no I am afraid they are not syn free
May I ask about parnips? I tend to make homemade soup, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and parsnips ??
Parsnips are a free food but they are not on the Speed list 🙂
Hi there I’m from Canada and new to slimming world need help in shopping for low syn foods and snacks
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
Sorry – Satsumas are on the list. My bad! Sorry again xxx
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?
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
What is the difference between speed and free foods?
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.
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.
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 🙂
Thanks so much for your reply. It’s making sense now. I’ll keep going with the diet xo
hi are avocados free?
Sadly not, they are very high in syns.
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.
Hi,
Are speed foods still free food and syn free?
Thank you.
yes indeed 🙂
is dried fruit syned? i’ve just bought some thinking they’d be okay but not i’m not sure.
thanks in advance xx
Yes dried fruit hold a lot of Syns sadly 🙁 You would need to check the app
Hi what about pomegranates?
Thank you
Sorry no this is not a speed food. Only the fruits/veg listed are speed. Pomegranate is free but not speed.
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.
Hi Jody
Melon is listed in the fruit section 🙂
thanks
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?
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 🙂
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
Hi there
No they are not speed from tins x
Thank you so much for your reply
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!
Oh I’m confused now have baked beans been removed from speed foods, just to clarify
Baked beans are free but they are definitely not a speed food 🙂
Thanks for getting back to me, I must have read it wrong before, thanku ill be more careful with them xx
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
Sorry im not sure what you are referring to?
When I was in slimming world few years ago beans were speed. What has changed that there not speed now
Baked beans are high in sugar content, they were removed as a speed food (superfree) a long time ago.
You’re AWESOME … thank you so muich!
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
Frozen is fine too 🙂
Hi do I have to syn speed foods if I blend them for juice
Fruit yes
Vegetables no 🙂
Hi, is Watermelon excluded from the plan?
No watermelon is a speed food 🙂 we have it listed Melon (all types)
thanks
Thanks for the reply. I am thinking of joining ( Again!) lol
Love this website! Thank you!
Hi, where does sauerkraut come in ? Tia
Hiya Alison
It’s listed under vegetables x
Thank you x
Thank you so much for your wonderful posts and sw lists ??
hi just new to slimming world , what is the difference basically between speed foods and free foods , many thanks
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.
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
Your blog is helping me so much. Thank you.
Hi is any corn at all a speed food? Thank you
Sweetcorn is a free food but is not classed as a speed food
Thank you
Is Sauerkraut speed food
Yes it is 🙂
Are sprouts a speed food? Thanks
Yep they can be found on the list 🙂