One of the most fulfilling parts of my career is having the opportunity to share my knowledge of health and nutrition with others. Virginia This Morning, a central Virginia talk show, has afforded me this opportunity several times, and it is one of my favorite sets to visit! I recently took to the air to discuss tips for healthier cooking, and I wanted to pass along this information to you, given my nutritional philosophy is the foundation for Gratisfied’s mission and message!
1. Pick Plants over Processed! When cooking with healthy swaps, I always think about how I can incorporate more plants in their natural form, and reduce the processed foods. For example with the Shrimp Pad Thai as showcased in the segment, I switch out rice noodles/pasta for spiralized veggie noodles. Another great example is cauliflower rice, which upgrades a grain-based starch to a cruciferous vegetable. Cauliflower contains more nutrition, and blood sugar balancing and gut healthy compounds.
2. I always work to reduce the sugar content, swapping any sweeteners for low glycemic sweeteners such as coconut nectar and monk fruit (which are both found in our bars!)
3. I upgrade inflammatory ingredients found in traditional recipes and processed food to make the result as low inflammatory as possible (and free of gluten, grains, dairy, soy, and corn). Think cooking with coconut oil or avocado oil, using a nut based cheese instead of its milk-based counterpart, using mustard, coconut aminos, or nut butters as condiments instead of those filled with sugar, soy and preservatives.
This mindset used in cooking at home has been mirrored in the Gratisfied kitchen. I created both of our bars with health and wellness in mind, and will continue to do so in all of our products going forward! Who knows, maybe one of those new products will be announced in the near future. 😉
XO, Sara
