Hello all, newbie here.
Having realised I'm getting soft around the edges I've made some drastic changes in my diet and started doing some real, actual exercise. I've got some questions about food, though. The forums here have been really helpful in laying down exactly what foods are good and what foods aren't and I'm okay for main meals, eating lots of salad, chicken, fish etc. But I'm a bit stuck when it comes to snacks. A lot of the advice given here is US-centric and I'm a bit lost as to what I should be looking for when I go shopping.
Could someone in the UK advise me on what brands and type of snack foods to look out? Are snack-a-jacks healthy? What about something for a mid-morning snack? Where can I buy protein shakes and what brand? Which cereals are good? What's the best brand of peanut butter?

Thanks!

Are snack-a-jacks healthy?

First of all welcome.

Second, anything with the hyphenated word 'snack' in it is not healthy. Especially if it also includes the words "Sour Cream,"Jumbo Apple Danish," "Caramel," "Smoke Bacon and Cheese," or "Passionately Pizza."

Have a a piece of fruit.

Agreeing with the last poster.

You should be snacking on fruits and veggies.

I "snack" on fruit, nuts and raisins, Just go to your supermarket, they WILL have some.

Nuts - Almonds
Fruit - Apples etc

Find something like that, that you like.

Ok, that's pretty much what I thought, I've always eaten plenty of fruit anyway. Is dried fruit any good?

Check the packet for nutrional information, but it should be fine!

Welcome to the forums!

Ok, that's pretty much what I thought, I've always eaten plenty of fruit anyway. Is dried fruit any good?

its good for being able to store fruits longer than fresh ones.
More calorie dense than normal fruits per gram as the water is reduced so watch out not to eat too much.
The ones i have found that are dried fruit tend to be glazed with sugar and other pointless stuff like oil. So if you go for dried fruit make sure its just the fruit.

I shop at Tesco and there are lots of things you can get:
Low fat cheese (36g protein,3g fat per 100g)
Tesco Wholenut Peanut butter
Low fat brie
Low fat cheese spread (sorry I sound a bit like a cheese nutter but I'm not honest!)
Alpen Light bars (not high on the protein but good snack)
Ryvita wholewheat or multigrain

The absolute best place to buy protein and other supplements in the UK is www.myprotein.co.uk

The absolute best meal replacement bars you can get are....the make your own kind! Seriously, get some protein, some oats. some low carb syrup (like Joseph's from www.lowcarbmegastore.co.uk ) and some Splenda. Add some Olive oil spread or Peanut butter for fats and presto! You can also add some of your own fruit!