Why our products are refined suagr-free

You may have noticed that all of our granola and baked goods are refined sugar-free and we are pretty passionate about creating food that is both nutritious and delicious! So why is it important that our food is refined sugar-free? 

Refined sugar is sugar that is processed from sugar cane or sugar beets and is usually found as sucrose. This sugar is heavily processed and manufactured and can often be found in cakes, cookies, bread, pasta, soda, peanut butter, pasta sauces, fruit juices etc. Why is this bad for you? Refined sugar has little nutritional value and is able to be digested very quickly, leaving you not feeling full and blood sugar levels/insulin levels will rapidly increase. Natural sugars take longer to digest and leave you feeling full, as the gut expands. (Cancer Center)

According to the CDC, eating too much refined sugar can cause weigh gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Refined sugar is in too many things in the "standard American" diet. It can be OK to have a treat sometimes, but we should try to be aware of all the other ways it's sneaking into our bodies: cereal, processed meats like hot dogs, breads, condiments, granola bars, yogurt, plant based milks, etc. 

To combat the effects of refined sugar, we strive to provide more nutritious baked good and granola options that still taste delicious! We use honey, date syrup, maple syrup, and/or coconut sugar in our baked goods and granola. All of which are lower on the glycemic index, meaning they don't increase blood sugar as much as refined sugar does.

I think Mark Hyman, MD perfectly explains why we focus on creating refined sugar-free and gluten-free food in his book, Food: What the heck should I cook?: "The way we choose to eat not only reflects the level of care we have for our health, it reflects the level of care. we have for other humans, animals and the environment."