You May Have Your Cake and Eat It Too: Tasty and Smart Nutritional Choices

Staying healthy is complex and balancing nutrition with taste and food intolerances is not always easy. One of the additional challenges is the added sugar in many prepared foods and desserts.

• Why is it important to minimize our daily intake of sugar?
• Can baked goods that are better for our health (reduced sugar, low sodium and nutritious whole grains) also taste great?
• Why should we consider healthier alternatives even when it comes to delicious desserts?

To start thinking about these questions, and to contribute to an ongoing dialogue, we’re launching a series of blog posts. Look for future blog posts on reduced sugar benefits for people with diabetes, the health benefits of whole grains, and reducing daily salt intake.

Sugar Research and Resources:

• Level of sugar considered acceptable by major health organizations: The American Heart Association recommends no more than 100 calories (25 grams) per day of sugar for women and no more than 150 calories (37.5 grams) for men. For more information, visit the American Heart Association. The Cleveland Clinic recommends no more than 8% of calories consumed per day. This equates to no more than 24 grams per day if following a 1600 calorie diet.  The Cleveland Clinic link is to the general population. If you have celiac disease, make sure to disregard the recommendations for gluten containing foods.  
• Health Risks for exceeding such levels. Major organizations warn of problems such as obesity, which is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer and heart disease.  

• Why does every gram of sugar matter even if it comes to dessert? As an example, let’s take a look at what some people enjoy for breakfast: a delicious blueberry muffin. How much of our daily recommended allowance of sugar do we consume in one blueberry muffin? One muffin from a prepared blueberry muffin mix typically contains 13-14 grams of sugar, nearly half of your daily allowance if you’re a woman. A blueberry muffin bought at popular coffee shops and fast-food restaurants may contain as many as 28-38 grams of sugar, which exceeds the recommended daily allowance for women. When following the basic recipe for our blueberry muffins made with Marion’s Cookie and Muffin Baking Mix, one large muffin contains only 7 grams of sugar! This means that you can enjoy your blueberry delight and have peace of mind as you go about your day. 
• Can a reduced sugar option taste delicious? Yes, it can! There are plenty of delicious gluten-free baking mixes in the market. However, many of those include large amounts of sugar that you can’t “take out” or reduce. Others include no sugar at all or alternative non-nutritive sweeteners with a potential negative taste and unhealthy side effects. We offer one of the few reduced sugar and salt options on the market. We include just enough sugar (and minuscule amounts of natural sweeteners) to provide your baked goods with a wonderful light taste and texture. We offer you nutritional information and diabetes exchanges. And we then leave you in charge of deciding the best choices for your family’s needs.

Many of our customers point out that they appreciate the wonderful tartness combined with the subtle sweetness of our Lemon Bar Mix. Others note that Marion’s Reduced-Sugar Cookie and Muffin Mix allows them to enjoy the wonderful fresh flavor of blueberries with their blueberry muffin. Whether you decide to add blueberries, chocolate chips, a banana, walnuts, carrots, etc. with your baked treat, you’ll enjoy a delicious natural taste without being overpowered with too much sweetness!

We also understand that some of our customers have a bit of a sweet tooth, and that there are those who would like to gradually adopt a reduced-sugar option. Remember, we do include you! Our mixes and the recipes on our website provide you with suggestions and options to slightly sweeten your treats. Our latest addition is our expanded lemon bar recipe with a few additional baking tips to prepare this delight slightly sweeter.

And for those interested in gradually shifting to a reduced-sugar diet, our mixes allow you the option to sweeten them slightly while gradually shifting to a healthier alternative.

For more information on what shapes your pallet, implications and pathways to a healthier alternative, see Too Sweet for Our Own Good Health: Considerations of Sugar and its Substitutes, written by Steffany Moonaz, PhD, a noted Health Behaviorist.