Ingredient Glossary
Walnuts
Products that contain this ingredient: Anytime Sprinkles, Apple Cinnamon Bars, Blueberry & Cinnamon Oatmeal, Dark Chocolate Crunch Bars, Dark Chocolate Walnut Bars, Lemon Almond Bars, Peanut Butter Bars, Cherry Pecan Bars, Strawberry and Banana Smoothie Mix and Whole Oats Pancake Mix.
Rich source of ALA's (plant source of omega 3 fatty acids) and antioxidants both of which help with inflammation ( CRP is inflammation marker and walnut consumption helps to lower CRP levels). The beneficial fat composition of walnuts has been shown to help lower total cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) when eaten every day. Walnuts are also an excellent source of several vitamins and minerals. These include copper, folic acid, phosphorus, vitamin B6, manganese, and vitamin E.
Almonds
Products that contain this ingredient: Anytime Sprinkles, Apple Cinnamon Bars, Blueberry & Cinnamon Oatmeal, Cherry Pecan Bars, Dark Chocolate Crunch Bars, Lemon Almond Bars, Peanut Butter Bars, Strawberry and Banana Smoothie Mix and Whole Oats Pancake Mix.
Contain healthy fats (mono and polyunsaturated), fiber, antioxidants and plant sterols ie. all 4 building blocks for heart health. Note that it’s the brown skin which contains the antioxidants which is why we use whole raw almonds exclusively. Almonds are nutrient dense (high amounts of Vitamin E, Manganese and Magnesium). See general notes on nuts as a category below. Our almonds come from California.
Pecans
Products that contain this ingredient: Cherry Pecan Bars.
Pecans are rich in monounsaturated fats, which can help lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. By helping to reduce LDL cholesterol, pecans can contribute to a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. Pecans also contain antioxidants, including vitamin E, which help combat oxidative stress and inflammation in the body, further supporting heart health. Additionally, pecans provide essential minerals such as magnesium and potassium, which play roles in maintaining healthy blood pressure levels.
Peanuts
Products that contain this ingredient: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars.
Scientists have demonstrated that regularly eating peanuts is associated with about a 20% lower death rate from heart disease over a 5 year period. In fact, the Harvard Health Blog reports that eating peanuts appears to be just as potent for preventing heart disease as eating other nuts.
Flax Seeds
Products that contain this ingredient: Anytime Sprinkles, Apple Cinnamon Bars, Blueberry & Cinnamon Oatmeal, Dark Chocolate Crunch Bars, Dark Chocolate Walnut Bars, Lemon Almond Bars, Peanut Butter Bars, Cherry Pecan Bars, Strawberry and Banana Smoothie Mix and Whole Oats Pancake Mix.
High in omega 3 fatty acids and fiber; improve blood vessel function and have been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure. Daily consumption of flaxseed has also shown to reduce blood glucose levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Like chia seeds, flaxseeds are rich in alpha linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid that can also act as an antioxidant and reduce lipid oxidation (lipid oxidation is important in atherosclerosis which is the build up of plaque in an artery).
White Chia Seeds
Products that contain this ingredient: Anytime Sprinkles, Blueberry & Cinnamon Oatmeal, Dark Chocolate Crunch Bars, Dark Chocolate Walnut Bars, Lemon Almond Bars, Cherry Pecan Bars, Peanut Butter Bars, Strawberry and Banana Smoothie Mix and Whole Oats Pancake Mix.
High in omega 3 fatty acids, protein and soluble fiber; chia seeds have been shown to help lower blood pressure, improve blood sugar levels, and help lower cholesterol (including lowering LDL, “bad cholesterol”) when consumed daily. Daily consumption of chia seeds has also been found to reduce the rate of heart attack and strokes by inhibiting platelet aggregation. Because they avidly absorb and expand with water, chia can help keep you fuller longer.
Oat Bran
Products that contain this ingredient: Anytime Sprinkles, Apple Cinnamon Bars, Dark Chocolate Crunch Bars, Dark Chocolate Walnut Bars, Lemon Almond Bars, Peanut Butter Bars, Cherry Pecan Bars, Strawberry and Banana Smoothie Mix and Whole Oats Pancake Mix.
Oat bran is the outer layer of the kernel. This contains more soluble fiber than whole oats. Soluble fiber reduces the absorption of cholesterol into the blood stream and therefore reduces cholesterol levels. Also contains more protein and B vitamins than whole oats (note – our oatmeal has high levels of whole oats so there’s also oat bran as part of that – basically equivalent in amount of oat bran found in the other products we make.
Whole Oats
Products that contain this ingredient: Apple Cinnamon Bars, Blueberry & Cinnamon Oatmeal, and Whole Oats Pancake Mix.
Contain antioxidants and soluble fiber. Soluble fiber reduces the absorption of cholesterol into blood stream helping reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels.
Saskatoon Berries
Products that contain this ingredient: All.
You can think of these as super blueberries. High in antioxidants and fiber; High in nutrients like manganese, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, copper and carotene and Vitamin C. Antioxidants are important for cholesterol management as LDL has to be oxidized to be incorporated into artery walls. Antioxidants reduce the proportion of LDL which becomes oxidized. The Saskatoon berries in our products are manufactured to our specifications in Manitoba, Canada.
Dried Cranberries*
*with apple juice concentrate and sunflower oil.
Products that contain this ingredient: Anytime Sprinkles, Apple Cinnamon Bars, Blueberry & Cinnamon Oatmeal, Dark Chocolate Crunch Bars, Dark Chocolate Walnut Bars, Peanut Butter Bars, Apple Spice Oatmeal, Strawberry and Banana Smoothie Mix and Whole Oats Pancake Mix.
High antioxidant content and anti-inflammatory properties; Antioxidants are important for cholesterol management as LDL has to be oxidized to be incorporated into artery walls. Antioxidants reduce the proportion of LDL which becomes oxidized. Sunflower oil is used to coat fruit so it doesn't stick together, a very minimal amount is used. Apple juice concentrate used primarily as a moisture retainer since dried cranberries would otherwise be little hard rocks that would be difficult to chew. Adding apple juice also helps sweeten the otherwise very tart fruits.
Raisins
Products that contain this ingredient: Anytime Sprinkles, Apple Cinnamon Bars, Blueberry & Cinnamon Oatmeal, Dark Chocolate Crunch Bars, Strawberry and Banana Smoothie Mix and Whole Oats Pancake Mix.
Contain fiber and potassium and antioxidants; can help with lowering blood pressure, improving blood sugar levels, and improving heart health.
Dates
Products that contain this ingredient: Apple Cinnamon Bars, Dark Chocolate Walnut Bars, Cherry Pecan Bars, Lemon Almond Bars, and Peanut Butter Bars.
Despite being high in sugar dates don't significantly impact blood sugar levels. They contain high amounts of fiber and potassium and can help with inflammation.
Blueberries*
*with apple juice concentrate and sunflower oil.
Products that contain this ingredient: Blueberry & Cinnamon Oatmeal.
Increases insulin sensitivity in people who are obese. This is important because as weight goes up, tissue sensitivity to insulin goes down leading to higher and higher blood sugar readings eventually culminating in the development of diabetes.
Sunflower oil is used to coat fruit so it doesn't stick together, minimal amount
Apple juice concentrate used primarily as a moisture retainer since dried blueberries would otherwise be little hard rocks that would be difficult to chew.
Apples
Products that contain this ingredient: Apple Cinnamon Bars.
Filled with whole food fiber, vitamins and antioxidants.
Strawberries
Products that contain this ingredient: Strawberry & Banana Smoothie Mix.
Full of antioxidants, strawberries also have anti-inflammatory properties. Other beneficial characteristics include low glycemic index and good source of fiber. High in vitamin C.
Bananas
Products that contain this ingredient: Strawberry and Banana Smoothie Mix and Whole Oats Pancake Mix.
Filled with potassium which is important for heart health and blood pressure control; also contain a lot of fiber and can help improve digestion. Pectins and resistant starches found in bananas can help improve blood sugar control after a meal.
Carrot Powder
Products that contain this ingredient: Whole Oats Pancake Mix.
Made from dehydrated carrots; excellent source of Vitamin A, contributes to fiber content.
Bittersweet Chocolate*
*Unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin (emulsifier) and vanilla
Products that contain this ingredient: Dark Chocolate Crunch, Dark Chocolate Walnut and Peanut Butter Bars
Rich in flavanols, which are antioxidants. Flavanols are responsible for the bitter taste – so the more bitter a chocolate, the better it is for you. Flavanols come from cacao. Over 70% cacao content is ideal in order to reap the health benefits associated with chocolate consumption. Our chocolate is contains 72%. Flavanols in chocolate have been shown to help reduce blood pressure. Soy lecithin is extracted from soy beans but has no estrogenic properties. Lecithins are used in chocolate production to help bind the cocoa solids, sugar and other solid ingredients to the cocoa butter. This allows chocolate to flow when it melts and solidify smoothly when it cools.
Whole Pinto Bean Flour
Products that contain this ingredient: Dark Chocolate Crunch, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Walnut Bars.
High in fiber and antioxidants and can help lower LDL; low glycemic index so they can also help with blood sugar regulation.
Pea Fiber
Products that contain this ingredient: Whole Oats Pancake Mix.
Helps improve texture and retain moisture in baked goods. Contains fiber, numerous B vitamins, potassium, magnesium and iron. May have benefits for reducing insulin resistance and improving gut microbiome health.
Vanilla Bean
Products that contain this ingredient: Whole Oats Pancake Mix.
Sourced from Madagascar. Real vanilla beans can help lower cholesterol and are rich in antioxidants.
Cinnamon
Products that contain this ingredient: Blueberry & Cinnamon Oatmeal, Apple Cinnamon Bars and Whole Oats Pancake Mix.
Cinnamon contains high levels of antioxidants and has been proven to help with LDL cholesterol and blood pressure control. Also shown to help improve blood sugar levels.
Plant Sterols
Products that contain this ingredient: All.
Natural plant components that block dietary and bile cholesterol absorption from the intestinal tract. In patients with high cholesterol, adding plant sterols to the diet can reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol by up to 14% without any adverse effects.
Dried Egg Whites
Products that contain this ingredient: Whole Oats Pancake Mix.
Necessary for pancake texture; high in protein. Read Dr. Klodas' thoughts on eggs. Note that the major concern regarding eggs is saturated fat and cholesterol content. Saturated fat and cholesterol are only found in egg yolks, so these are not an issue when using egg whites.
Arrowroot Flour
Products that contain this ingredient: Whole Oats Pancake Mix.
Used to hold together a gluten free pancake. Contains potassium, iron and B vitamins.
Aluminum-Free Baking Powder
Products that contain this ingredient: Whole Oats Pancake Mix.
Necessary for creating a rise in the dough for pancakes. This does contain sodium but is the only source of sodium in this product.
Lemon Juice and Lemon Oil
Products that contain this ingredient: Lemon Almond Bars.
Lemons are high in vitamin C, fiber, and various beneficial plant compounds.These nutrients are responsible for several health benefits. Lemons may support heart health, weight control, and digestive health. Lemon oil also has antioxidant properties.
Montmercy Cherries
Products that contain this ingredient: Cherry Pecan Bars.
Dried tart cherries are particularly high in anthocyanins, the antioxidant which gives tart cherries their distinctive red color and may be the key to their potential health benefits (antinflammatory effects which could help muscle/joint pain as well as support heart health). Some have even labelled cherries as nature’s ibuprofen.
General notes on nuts
Nuts are good sources of several micronutrients, as well as healthy fats (mono and poly-unsaturated fatty acids), protein, fiber, and various phytochemicals.
There is strong evidence that nut consumption lowers blood cholesterol and is associated with a lower risk of heart disease.
There is some evidence suggesting that nut consumption can improve blood sugar control in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Data indicates that higher nut consumption does not result in greater weight gain; rather, incorporating nuts into the diet may benefit weight control. Therefore substituting nuts for unhealthy snacks is a good strategy to avoid weight gain and improve the nutritional quality of one’s diet.
Discover the four building blocks of heart health.
Fiber
Found in foods like oat bran, flaxseed and dried fruit, fiber binds to cholesterol particles in the intestine and moves them out of the body.
Plant Sterols
Plant sterols - a group of substances made in plants such as nuts and seeds - block cholesterol absorption in the digestive tract.
Antioxidants
Found in foods like dark chocolate, berries and pecans, antioxidants help prevent the build-up of plaque in the blood vessels.
Omega-3
Omega-3s - essential fatty acids present in foods such as chia seeds, walnuts and flaxseed - reduce inflammation and help lower triglycerides while raising HDL (good) cholesterol.
