Benefits of Organic Sweeteners
Sugars and sweeteners go by many different names. While the intake of all sugars should be limited in your diet, you can still make informed decisions on the type of sugars you eat; natural, organic sweeteners still contain all of their unaffected nutrients--whereas processed, refined sugars have their benefits stripped away until all you’re left with is empty calories.
Types of Sugars
There are two main types of sugars in the foods we eat: natural and refined. Sugars can be found naturally in food and used as additives or preservatives for processed foods. In general, the more a sugar is processed, the less nutrients it contains.
Natural Sugars
Natural sugars, like the name suggests, occur naturally in foods. These sugars go by the names glucose, fructose, and lactose--and are found in foods like fruits, milk, and honey. While all sugars, even organic sweeteners, should be used in moderation-- these natural sugars still contain their original nutrients, including antioxidants and vitamins.
Refined Sugars
Refined sugars are used as additives to foods to preserve shelf life and add flavor. The most well-known refined sugars are sucrose (table sugar) and high-fructose corn syrup, commonly found in sodas and fruit-flavored drinks. All kinds of added sugar can contribute to excess calories linked to health problems like diabetes.
Our Natural Sweeteners
At Kate’s Real Food, we pride ourselves on making great tasting products from real food and whole ingredients. Kate’s Real Food partner--and professional in the health field--Molly Breslin explains her perspective on keeping sweet foods healthy:
As a health care professional and certified nutrition consultant, I care not only about what foods I put in my body but what their impact on the environment is as a whole. My career as an endurance athlete has given me the opportunity to consume almost every energy bar that has been brought to market. Kate's Real Food Bars not only taste great and give me the sustained energy that I need, they also use natural sugars in the form of fruits and honey. Not only am I supplying my body with vital macro and micronutrients, I am supporting the environment by choosing organic ingredients that come from trees, plants, flowers and honeybees and not industrial sugar refineries.
Every recipe is carefully crafted with organic ingredients to provide sustainable, long-lasting energy with a great taste. To sweeten our products, we turn to organic honey and organic fruits.
Organic Honey
Organic honey is naturally sweet, so a little goes a long way. Without overloading the sugar content of our products, honey binds together our bars and bites while adding a naturally great taste. The organic honey we use still contains all of its nature-made benefits--from its antioxidants, probiotics, vitamins, and enzymes for easy digestion.
Organic Fruits
Dried fruit is one of our go-to’s for sweet, nutritional flavors. Organic fruits like apricots, raisins, and cherries pack our products with vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. Furthermore, the fiber in fruit aids digestion, fills you up, and leaves your taste buds satisfied.
Our Labels
To meet FDA regulations, our labels will reflect a percentage of Added Sugars from our use of organic honey. However, it's important to note that the total sugar count reflects the sugars from organic fruit and organic honey. We choose to use sugars from all organic sources to keep our products natural and nutritional.
If you are looking for healthy, organic energy bars and snacks give Kate’s Real Food a try! Our real ingredients and natural sweeteners set us apart from your average energy bar. Shop our products today and let us fuel your next adventure.