Watch Out for Added Sugars, And a Recipe for No-Sugar Added Granola Bars

A recent study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that eating too much added sugar does not only increase our waist size—it also increases our risk for heart disease.  And most American adults—71.4 percent—eat more added sugar than recommended by health experts.  Other recent studies have found eating too much added sugar directly increases the risk for developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, liver cirrhosis and dementia.

This does not mean sugar is inherently bad, or that you can’t ever eat sugar again.  It’s just important to be aware of the amount of added sugar you’re eating.  And, you may not even realize it!

Sugars in your diet can be naturally occurring or added. 

·       Naturally occurring sugars are found in foods such as fruit and fruit juice (fructose) and milk products (lactose).  Vegetables also have some naturally occurring sugars.  Naturally occurring sugars are good sources of carbohydrate, for energy.  Also, when you eat naturally occurring sugars from whole foods, you’re also consuming the inherently good properties from those foods, such as fiber and antioxidants from fruits or protein from dairy products.  

·       Added sugars are sugars and syrups put in foods during preparation or processing, or added at the table (like when you add sugar to your cereal or oatmeal).  The major sources of added sugars are regular soft drinks, sugars (including brown sugar, honey, molasses, maple syrup), candy, cakes, cookies, pies and fruit drinks (like fruit punch), dairy desserts and milk products (ice cream, sweetened yogurt and sweetened milk), and other sugar-sweetened grains (cinnamon toast and waffles).  Added sugars have no nutritional value, other than a source of energy. 

For example, just one 12-ounce can of regular soda contains eight teaspoons of sugar, or 130 calories and zero nutrition.

Most people consume more sugar than they realize.  To figure out if a food contains added sugars (and how much it contains, you have to look at the nutrition label and the ingredient list.  After you’ve determined whether the food has added or naturally occurring sugars, then you can make an informed decision about whether it’s a good choice. 

1.     Look at the nutrition label

Under the total carbohydrates, you’ll find a line for sugars, and the number of grams of sugar per serving in this item.  This number is the total number of sugars in this food—both naturally occurring sugars AND added sugars.

 

2.      Look at the ingredient list

To determine whether the food has naturally occurring sugars, added sugars, or both, read the ingredient list.  Sugar has many other names. Besides those ending in “ose,” such as maltose or sucrose or fructose, other names for sugar include high fructose corn syrup, molasses, cane sugar, corn sweetener, raw sugar, syrup, honey, maple syrup or fruit juice concentrates.  If the sugar ingredient is in the first three or four ingredients on the label, it means it’s a big proportion of that product.

 

How Much Added Sugar is Too Much?

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends the following amounts as the maximum amount of added sugars to eat in a day.  This does not count fruit, dried fruit, fruit juice or dairy products, all of which have naturally occurring sugars (but check those labels for added sugars!).

·       Women:  6 teaspoons (24 grams) daily (100 calories)

·       Men:  9 teaspoons (36 grams) daily (150 calories)

·       Children:  3 teaspoons (12 grams) daily (48 calories)

Tips for Reducing Added Sugar

·       Read labels!  Choose products with the least amount of added sugars.

·       Cut back on the amount of sugar added to things you eat or drink regularly like cereal, pancakes, coffee or tea.  Try cutting the usual amount of sugar you add by half.

·       Buy fresh fruits or fruits canned in water or natural juice. Avoid fruit canned in syrup, especially heavy syrup.

·       Instead of adding sugar to cereal or oatmeal, add fresh fruit or dried fruit.

·       When baking cookies, brownies or cakes, cut the sugar called for in your recipe by one-third to one-half. Often, you won’t notice the difference. 

Here’s a recipe for no sugar added granola bars.  They get their sweetness from dates, a natural source of sugar.

No-Sugar Added Granola Bars

¾ cup water

¾ cup dates

½ cup almond butter

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups sliced almonds

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1 cup dried apricots, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 12 x 9 pan in the long direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposite sides.  Lightly grease the parchment paper with coconut oil (or butter)

Add the water and dates to a blender and process until very smooth.  Pour the date paste into a bowl, and then add the almond butter and coconut oil.  Stir to combine.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the oats, salt, almonds, coconut flakes and apricots.  Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients until the mixture is evenly combined.  Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan.

Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges and on the top.  Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. Once they have cooled, move the pan to the fridge to further set them.  Once they are completely chilled, remove the bars from the pan using the parchment paper, and cut them inot squares. 

To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic and store them in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.  If they crumble (which they might!) just use them like you would granola.  They are still delicious.

Keeping it Simple (and a recipe for Hemp & Cranberry Power Bars)

Food, like fashion has its fads. Whether it’s acai berries, kombucha, flax seeds , kale, or coconut oil – there always seems to be a new trendy food. Yet, just as all the fashion “dos & don’ts” can be overwhelming, so can food fads...

Is caffeine good for us? What’s the deal with wheat? Do we need to double up on protein? Do beets have too much sugar? Is it better to have salmon than supplements?

Nutrition is undeniably a hot topic–but it’s for a very good reason: it’s important! With that being said, conflicting information and all the differing nutrition philosophies can often leave people confused.

That’s why we feel so good about recommending real foods to our clients, readers, and loved ones. Rather than stressing about every number on nutrition labels or allowing yourself to get overwhelmed by the latest trends, we recommend you focus your efforts and energy on:

1.      eating whole, unprocessed foods – those you can imagine growing – the majority of the time.

2.      practicing moderation. Fill  half your plate with fruits and vegetables and enjoy a good quality protein and starch at each meal.

3.      nourishing your body regularly – every 3 to 4 hours.

4.      balancing nutrition with pleasure. Food is meant to be enjoyed, not cause guilt. If you’re craving something sweet, allow yourself a single serving of something you really love.

5.      sharing meals with those you love.

And now, for a recipe.

 

This is healthy bar recipe below does not make just any bar...one serving comes packed with a protein, fiber, and antioxidants! It features hemp seeds and flax meal, which like chia seeds, both provide a wonderful vegetarian source of omega-3 fatty acids. This recipe also highlights cranberries – a food considered to be a cancer prevention powerhouse. The American Institute for Cancer Research has recently added cranberries to their list of foods that fight cancer.

 

Hemp & Cranberry Power Bars

These bars are perfect for a quick and easy breakfast or for an on-the-go snack. Serve over a scoop of yogurt or ice cream for a sweet dessert.

 

Ingredients:

¾ cup rolled oats

1 cup almond meal
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup dried plums
¼ cup hemp seed
¼ cup flax meal + ½ cup water
½ cup unsweetened apple sauce

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the flax meal and water until they become gelatinous.

3. Combine the dry ingredients: almond meal, oats, and hemp seed with the flax meal mixture.

4. Mix in the apple sauce and dried fruit.

5. Grease a 7x9 baking pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. Spoon the mixture into the baking pan.

6. Place in the oven for approximately 25-30 minutes.

7. Allow bars to completely cool before serving.

 

Enjoy, preferably with those you love.

The Best Granola Bars (the hunt is over).

I can’t help but feel personally responsible for bad weather when out-of-towners come to visit Southern California. Lisa flew to LA this past weekend; and on Saturday, the weather was not cooperating. She was greeted in LA with grey skies and a sudden downpour. Not quite the idea she had in mind when trying to escape the rainfall in Bellingham for a few days.

But, to make the best of a situation, we did something to brighten our spirits despite the gloomy sky: we turned up the music, each poured a glass of red wine, and joined forces in the kitchen.

We’ve been on the hunt for the perfect granola bar recipe for quite a while. Each time one of us tries a new granola bar recipe, it usually ends with a phone call to the other announcing, “I made the worst granola bars ever…again.”

Saturday night was an exception. We tried a recipe given to us by Bastyr University student, Steven Jamieson and they did not disappoint. They turned out good. Really good. In fact, I’ve already given some away to friends and I’m suddenly a little more popular.

A wonderful thing about this recipe in particular is that it's extremely versatile. Try mixing it up by using your favorite dried fruit or nut butter for your own unique version! While Steven’s bars are titled “Cranberry and Pumpkin Energy Bars,” we substituted the dried cranberries for dried tart cherries, our personal favorite addition to homemade sweets & other treats.

These "energy bars" are a perfect snack to take on a hike, in the car with you for the long road trip, or to have as a little pick-me-up when you’re energy hits rock bottom mid-afternoon. They’ll be sure to keep you satisfied and running full steam ahead all day long.

Cranberry and Pumpkin Energy Bars

1 ½ cups gluten-free oats
½ cup puffed millet
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup flaked coconut
½ cup dried cranberries (***we used dried cherries)
¼ cup flax seeds
¼ cup hemp seeds
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup brown rice syrup (***we used maple syrup)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup peanut butter or other nut butter

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Spread the oats out on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes, shaking the tray every few minutes to make sure they toast evenly. Remove the oats from the tray when they are fragrant and beginning to brown, set aside in a bowl.

While the oven is still on, place the pumpkin seeds and dried coconut on the baking sheet and toast them for 2-3 minutes, making sure that they do not burn. Add these to the bowl with the oats. To the bowl add the puffed millet, dried cranberries (or cherries), flax seeds, hemp seeds and salt. Set aside.
Over medium heat, place brown rice syrup (or maple syrup), honey and molasses in a saucepan and bring to a low boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Add in oil and peanut butter until it is thoroughly mixed and is an even consistency.

Stir wet mixture into dry ingredients and combine until evenly mixed. Press into an oiled 7 1/2- x 11 1/2-inch baking dish. Let cool, then flip out onto a cutting board and cut into 18 bars.

Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap to keep the bars from drying out.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 18 bars

Copyright 2012, S. Jamieson, Original Recipe

Enjoy making or eating, preferably in the company of someone you love.