All about Stevia
By · CommentsWe are receiving a lot of customer questions on Stevia.
We have recently had many inquires about the use of Stevia in Dale’s Raw Protein Bars. Stevia is a great natural sweetener however, due to the high amount of concerns about it, we have decided to remove Stevia from our protein bars effective May 2, 2012.
The facts about Stevia
Stevia is organically a beautiful whole leaf plant, which when milled turns into a powder substance. Do not let this be mistaken for an extract, an isolated chemical, or a sugar alcohol. Stevia’s sweetness comes from naturally derived substances in the Stevia plant called glycosides and steviosides, elements that play numerous important roles in living organisms. These natural occurring substances taste sweet to the tongue, but contain no sugars, no calories, and no carbohydrates, which can aid in weight-loss/weight management, lower blood pressure, and balance blood sugar levels.>
The misconception of Stevia is often pulled from outdated publications, consequently recycling inaccurate information leaving us confused and unsure, “what is the right sweetener for us to ingest?”.
To make it clear, most of the off-putting press on Stevia started with correspondents from the late 1960’s to 1980’s, which conducted their testing on animals.
Recent studies (tested on humans) has shown Stevia to taste 300 times sweeter than sugar leaving no effect on insulin levels, while aiding the pancreas and supporting digestion. Other studies concluded that steviosides and glycosides are NOT toxic and show NO evidence of carcinogenic activity.
In fact, this evaluation suggested possible health benefits with hypertension and type-2 diabetes. Continuing relevant studies ascertain that Stevia has no negative effects on fertility, sexual performance, pregnancy, or growth and stability of fertility and also can inhibit growth and reproductions of some bacteria and other infectious organisms, including bacteria that can cause tooth decay and gum disease.
Other benefits from using Stevia include:
- Improved digestion
- Improved gastrointestinal function
- Soothes upset stomach
- Quicker recovery from a cold or flu
In some countries, Stevia is used as medicinal support to people with diabetes and hypoglycemia.
Which of our products use Stevia?
- Dale’s Raw Protein Powder – Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry Banana
- Dale’s Raw Greens & Maca
- Dale’s Raw Greens & Acai Berry – Coming May 15
- Dale’s Raw Energy – All flavors – Coming May 15
How Much Stevia Do We Use?
The amount of stevia that’s in our powders will vary but it is roughly 0.01 – 0.5 grams per 30g serving. That’s not even a measurable amount on a food scale of the “natural sweetener”. It’s a small fraction of the flavoring we use.
The Stevia we use at Dale’s Raw Foods is green and comes from the whole leaf. Once the leaves are collected they are low-temperature dried and milled, all UNDER 100 degrees. This green stevia is 100% vegan, raw, gluten-free, wheat-free, soy-free, non-GMO, and non-toxic.
There is absolutely no reason to be alarmed by the use of Stevia in our products.
If you are still concerned…
If we have still not convinced you that stevia is safe, here is a list of our products which do not contain stevia:
- Dale’s Raw Protein – Unflavored
- Dale’s Raw Protein Bars – All 8 flavors
- Dale’s Raw Greens – Coming May 15
References:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/120734-medicinal-herb-uses-stevia/
By: Bonnie Vanaman
http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongnutrition/a/stevia-extract.htm
By: Mark Stibich, Ph.D.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stevia/AN01733
By: Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
http://www.naturalnews.com/031011_stevia_health.html
By: DaNae Johnson, M.H.
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/27/are-sugar-substitutes-worse-than-the-real-thing/?iref=allsearch
By: Danielle Dellorto & Dr. Jampolis
http://health.msn.com/healthy-living/the-4-best-and-3-worst-sweeteners-to-have-in-your-kitchen?imageindex=5
By: Leah Zerbe
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This post was written by Chelsea Silverman. Chelsea is the Office and Wholesale Manager at Dale’s Raw Foods. Chelsea has several fitness and nutrition certifications and a Bachelors Degree in Business Communication and Sociology from Florida Atlantic University. She has taught raw vegan “cooking” classes at a variety of venues, including Whole Foods and has taught nutrition seminars to young children, teenagers, and parents. Her passion is working at Dale’s Raw Foods and she is also possessed with feeding her organs, cells, blood, skin, and whole body with raw and wholesome goodness.
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The 5 Worst Protein Bar Ingredients
By · CommentsMy friend Nick Nilsson posted a version of this a few weeks ago and I wanted to share it with my audience. He explains things that I thought most people already knew but I found out that most people don’t know these facts. I have edited this a little from his original version. Be sure to check out Nicks site http://www.fitstep.com/
Have you ever taken a few minutes to look at most protein bars?
I think you’re going to be in for a shock when you read the TRUTH about the ingredients in some of the most popular protein bars on the market right now.
Here are the facts:…
#1 – Soy Protein Isolate (SPI)
This is, unfortunately, one of the most prevalent protein sources you’ll find in protein bars, especially those marketed to women. This marketing would have you believe that soy is an excellent protein source for women because of the isoflavones found in it. In reality, studies have indicated that these soy isoflavones can actually be TOXIC because of how the soy is processed (fermented soy products such as tofu are fine, just fyi).
In addition, SPI was actually considered a WASTE product in soy processing until recently, when it was discovered that money could be made by passing it off as a protein source. It’s cheap and definitely NOT a high-quality protein. It should be avoided.
#2 – High Fructose Corn Syrup
This is an easy one to figure out…the adverse health effects of it are well documented (contrary to what the commercials from the Corn Growers Association claim)It’s one of the WORST things you can eat and yet there are still bars that use it as a primary ingredient.
#3 – Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil
Palm kernel oil is a cheap, unhealthy fat. Unlike plain palm oil, palm kernel oil can’t be obtained organically. Instead, the oil must be extracted from the pit with a gasoline-like hydrocarbon solvent. The fractioned form is the most processed…if you see that in the ingredients, you should definitely avoid it.
#4 – Sugar Alcohols
This includes ingredients like Maltitol Syrup, Xylitol, Sorbitol, Lactitol, Mannitol, and Erythritol. Sugar alcohols are included in bars for sweetness…especially in bars that are “carb controlled”. Sugar alcohols don’t impact blood sugar as much as regular sugar because they’re not well absorbed in the digestive tract…and when things aren’t well absorbed in the digestive tract you get gas, abdominal cramping, and bloating.
In small amounts, sugar alcohols aren’t a big problem, but if you start getting into the double digits of grams of sugar alcohol (and many low-carb bars are in the 20 gram range), THEN you can start to see unpleasant digestive issues.
#5 – Artificial Sweeteners
These include saccharin, sucralose, and aspertame. I won’t get into the whole debate about whether artificial sweeteners are bad for you or not and what they turn into in your body, etc. You can do your research and decide for yourself the risks of ingesting artificial sweeteners. Personally, I try and stay away from artificial sweeteners as much as I possibly can.
In Summary…
Those are my top 5 worst protein bar ingredients…and you will actually find bars that contain ALL of these ingredients in them.
The main problem I have with the vast majority of protein bars today is that at their most base level, they’re deceptive. The bars are put forward as convenient, healthy alternatives to food for “on the go” people. Yet when you take a close look at the ingredients, they’re actually WORSE for you than most candy bars.
Quality is #1 with Dale’s Raw Protein Bar ingredients. Dale’s Raw Protein Bars use none of the 5 things listed above!
For example, here’s what you’ll find in the Raspberry Hazelnut bars:
Organic dates, pea protein, hemp protein, rice protein, almond butter,
hazelnuts, coconut nectar, dried raspberries, raw cacao, coconut oil, stevia,
water.
Obviously money is the biggest factor…companies like Dale’s Raw Foods that use high-quality ingredients in their bars have to charge more for them in order to stay in business.
Also you wont find our products in stores, you must order them online.
Check out Dale’s Raw Protein Bars now to place your order.
http://dalesrawfoods.com
TweetRecent Product Changes
By · CommentsI have gotten a few people ask why I stopped selling superfoods and other items. I will keep this post short and get right into the content. Below is a list of recent changes to the products offered at Dale’s Raw Foods.
First of all, we decided to focus our time and energy on our main products because they have been selling so well and we need to make sure we get these products made quickly and orders fulfilled in a reasonable amount of time. Our top 3 products are Dale’s Raw Protein Bars, Dale’s Raw Protein, and Dale Raw Greens. Since these account for 90% of our sales, it only makes sense from a business stand point, to keep them and let the others go.
Superfoods
We stopped carrying superfoods of goji berries, chia seeds, cacao powder, cacao nibs, and maca. The reason is because it actually cost us more money with the special packaging and labor to re-package these foods then it was worth the trouble. We also has issues keeping these foods fresh because we did not sell that many, compared to our other products.
Raw Trail Mix
Our trail mix was good, and popular with some people but was not a huge profit for us. We decided to focus our time and energy of making the bars instead of the trail mix. Once we ran out of the packaging an means to make large quantities, we knew it was time to let it go and work on making more flavors of our bars.
Sample Packs
We have always had issues fulfilling orders of sample packs in a reasonable amount of time. Then we had serious packaging and supply issues and we really had no choice but to delete them from our products line
Auto Ship Program
This did not work well for us. After a few month of launching, 80% of the people who signed up for it canceled after the first month. It is actually an administrative nightmare and we decided to delete this and and focus our time and energy on making great food products instead of in the office.
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