Wat betekent ‘suiker’ nu écht? 🤔

Bye bye sugar rush. Hello power break!

KarmaKarma challenges the food industry with Better Breakfast & Breaks products. We want to make truly healthier products that are honest and tasty at the same time. As KarmaKeepers know, the Nutri-score logo is our compass in this endeavor.

That's quite a challenge. It's not easy for consumers to find a healthy quick bite either: you see claims like “healthy,” “0% sugar,” “sugar-free,” or “no added sugar,” but do you know what all this means? You KarmaKeepers are motivated to do better, so we're happy to unravel the “sugar claims” for you.

Refined sugar =  peaks + troughs

Refined sugar is sugar from sugar cane or sugar beets that has been processed and purified. During this process, all natural substances such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber are removed, leaving only pure sugar. This gives it its familiar white color and sweet taste. Examples of refined sugars include granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and corn syrup, which is used in soft drinks and candy.

Refined sugar causes rapid energy spikes, but also an energy dip afterwards. This is due to its high glycemic index (GI): your blood sugar rises quickly, your body produces a lot of insulin, and shortly afterwards you experience a dip. Not ideal if you want to power through the day.

You guessed it: at KarmaKarma, we are not fans of refined sugars. But how do we make our breakfasts and cookies tasty?

Natural sweetness = a better balance

We choose natural sugars. These are sugars that occur naturally in foods, fruits, vegetables, and plants. They are unprocessed and unrefined and contain other healthy nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

KarmaKarma oat mixes, for example, taste delicious thanks to the addition of fruit pieces. They give you energy, but these fruit sugars are absorbed more slowly because they are bound in fiber and other nutrients. KarmaKarma granola and The Better Cookie use maple and agave syrups. Maple syrup comes from the maple tree and agave from the agave plant. These syrups are processed but still contain more flavor and minerals than white sugar.

Sugarfree… but with artificial sweetners

KarmaKarma products are not sugar-free. In ‘sugar-free’ products, you will usually find artificial sweeteners in the list of ingredients. Artificial sweeteners provide a sweet taste with very few calories. They are often used in zero-calorie or light products such as sugar-free chewing gum, soft drinks, diet foods, and some medicines. Examples include aspartame and saccharin. These two sweeteners have a strange aftertaste, and aspartame is now known to cause cancer in large quantities. In any case, sweeteners are not suitable for children.

-30% sugar: good or bad?

Some brands claim: “-30% sugar!” That's good in itself, but ‘less sugar’ compared to what reference? Less sugar compared to a cookie category that uses up to 40% sugar! Are you still following? The Better Cookie contains 50% less sugar than other ‘healthy’ cookies on the market and contains 12% sugar. So we compare ourselves with the conscious, healthier cookie players on the market, and do even better.

Natural & Better!

KarmaKarma Breakfast & Breaks are lightly and naturally sweetened, helping you consume less sugar while still enjoying delicious, real food. Our recipes are lovingly developed with natural and organic ingredients that really contribute to your health, from oatmeal to seeds, from nuts to dried fruit...

So you don't have to worry about the ingredients. Just enjoy a tasty Break!

Want to know more about our vision on healthy food? Read our blog about Organic, Nutri-score or read more on our BETTER page.

👉 Let's make BETTER the new normal.

Sources:
Diabetes Fonds 
Integraal Medisch Centrum
Biogezond.be
Waymadi.nl
Frecious

 

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