Ingredients in order of highest
percentage to lowest:
#1 Rolled Oats
We use Parve rolled oats perfectly so
as to provide a strong base without taking over or
tasting “too healthy”. Our biggest compliments come
from people who never liked “healthy stuff”. Our
products provide a slow burn that digests easily as our
number one ingredient is a whole grain, not white sugar
or flour.
#2 Raisins, Chocolate
Chips or Bananas
We know that people come in three
varieties: those who HAVE to have chocolate, the fruit
lovers and a few who like them equally and choose
depending on their moods. We chose to put our raisins
and chocolate chips as our second ingredient so that you
will never have a disappointing mouthful. Our raisins
and bananas provide a natural, fruit sweetness, and
being unrefined, also help with long-lasting energy.
Our rich, gooey chips are made without dairy or white
sugar. Our products are cholesterol free and the
chocolate chips have only real chocolate and no
artificial anything.
#3 Dates
Dates? That’s right. All-natural
dates. Did you know that dates are considered a fresh
fruit rather than a dried fruit because they ripen on
the branch? The number one sweetener in our products is
date paste as it provides a natural sweetness and along
with naturally occurring vitamins and nutrients. It
adds a sweet gooey taste that no white sugar can compete
with. And, dates are fat free! Dates are also 9-10
times as expensive as traditional white sugar. Even
folks who dislike dates love our cookies!
#4 Expeller Pressed
Canola Oil
We had a difficult choice to make
early on. We wanted a product with a 6-month shelf life
but didn’t want to add preservatives. But, for this
type of product to taste great and stay moist, it was
either add granulated sugar or a chemical, or give up
the idea of low fat. We decided that a naturally
occurring oil, such as Expeller Pressed Canola oil,
would be my first choice.
There has been a lot of negative
press about fat. However, having a medical background I
know that animals and humans need fat to live. From my
own experience, I have found that expeller pressed
Canola oil is digestion friendly, is not hydrogenated,
and is currently the best choice for us. Our product is
not fat free but, if you look at low fat or non-fat
products, the fat is mostly replaced with a refined
sugar and bucketfuls of chemicals. We are into making
real food for real people.
Other Ingredients (in no specific order):
Soy Products
We have two different sources of soy
in our Bite-lettesTM: soy protein isolate
and a soy powder. They are non-GM (not genetically
modified). We use soy protein isolate and a soy
powder. Soy is one area where many products have been
genetically modified. But we are paying extra on our
end to get soy products that have NOT been genetically
modified.
Other
Sweeteners
We use a rice syrup and grape juice
concentrate to provide trace vitamins, minerals and a
more lasting energy from a natural, more expensive
sweetener versus a quick and cheap blast of white sugar.
Our original goodies contained no granulated sweetener
but we had some requests to make it a tad sweeter. So,
we added a small amount of evaporated cane juice, which
is sugar cane pressed and then left to crystallize with
many of the nutritional benefits of molasses intact.
This provides some calcium, potassium, trace iron and
protein. Evaporated cane juice costs more but it
follows our all-natural theme.
Coconut
One of my favorite reactions is when
people are ready and excited to try our product and I
mention it has coconut. They might say, “Isn’t coconut
bad for you” or “I don’t like coconut.” After tasting
it, they always end up wanting more, much to my
delight!
Natural unsweetened shredded coconut
is very different than partially hydrogenated tropical
oils. Much like an avocado, the coconut contains some
fat and, naturally so, since it is actually nothing more
than a very BIG seed. The fiber and flavor that coconut
adds to our product is worth the naturally occurring fat
it has in it. It also provides some of that slow burn
resulting in energy for a longer period of time. We
searched far and wide to find coconut without the
additive/preservative bisulfite and finally found just
plain coconut.
Flour
Aside from our Gluten-Free flavors,
we use small amounts of unbleached, enriched flour. We
tried making our regular flavors without using any white
flour–or using rice, barley, or soy flour and the
texture was simply the best with a small amount of
regular flour.
When we recently developed our new
Gluten-Free versions, obviously, we couldn’t use oats,
white, wheat or barley flour. So, I selected a
combination of brown rice flour with a small amount of
tapioca starch. I could have added potato and corn
flour – but I know about the goodness of brown rice and
wanted to keep the fiber content up while maintaining
great flavor.
Sea Salt and
Baking Powder
Regular salt versus sea salt… Sea
salt just felt more natural and the majority of the
baking powders are made with aluminum. However, we
found a brand that uses calcium instead of aluminum.
Because of the studies that linked aluminum levels to
Alzheimer’s, we didn’t want to take any chances.
Natural
Flavorings
“Natural flavorings” is a way to keep
certain ingredients hidden as our trade secrets. It
also allows us to shorten the length of our labels list
by a few words. We have some special ALL- NATURAL
gourmet flavors in all of our products that those with
trained tongues will be able to name. J Plus, anyone
who calls or emails us will find out the secrets (for
example, one is cinnamon)
How we help you to make money with our
stuff:
Truthful
Labeling
We want our customers to trust us and
your customers to trust you and that includes not
tricking them on the label. How many times have you
wolfed down a cookie with only “30 grams of carbs” to
then realize that the cookie was supposedly 2 servings?
I have NEVER eaten a packaged cookie in two sittings.
Have you?
Most people tell us they eat two
Bite-lettesTM because that fits well in their
hands when they are on the go. So, our nutritionals are
calculated for two Bite-lettesTM. .
We
understand that some people may not understand the
difference between “refined” and “unrefined”
carbohydrates and may be unsure of the fat content. To
show support for the health component of this tasty
treat, we have written “Created by a Medical Doctor with
your health in mind” in white on the front of the
label. We hope this will allay many concerns people
have about the benefits of a product. Our label also
contains our e-mail address. We have an excellent
reputation for responding promptly to all questions and
comments.
You feel good because you are making
a healthy profit on a high quality, great tasting
product. Your customer feels good because they feel
gastronomically satisfied and do not feel cheated on the
size, nutritionals, flavor or number of
raisins/chocolate chips. Their stomachs are full, their
mouths are happy and they will be back for more!
Samples
Getting your sales going and your
snack profits climbing are our goals. Most customers
like to taste a new product before purchasing it. I
know I do. Since our product is so delicious but not
fancy-looking, we are certain that a tasty sample will
result in a sale. To support your sales, we provide our
clients with sample product for passive and/or active
demos AT NO CHARGE.
Marketing and
Publicity
We enjoy promoting our product and
any store that carries it. We also really love
supporting communities. In 2001, our bars were the
dessert for the VIP tent of the LA Beach Ride. Over
15,000 Harley owners raised more than $210,000 for the
Exceptional Children’s Foundation. This event has had
names such as Jay Leno and Larry Hagman behind this
event. In the VIP tent, people kept asking us, “Where
can we buy these? I love them!” We have sponsored a
women’s volleyball team and provide samples for numerous
charity events and races throughout the country in an
ongoing basis. We have participated in over 200
charitable and fun events from the Detroit Marathon to
Child safety awareness to in-school nutrition programs.
Teaching
We are available to come and speak
about our products to your employees so that they can
understand the value of a cookie that can serve so many
customer needs from a light meal, to a school snack, or
a pre-workout energy boost.
Nutritionals
Fat Carbohydrates Protein
Getting fat from
artificially hydrogenated oils or partially hydrogenated
oils (trans-like margarines) has a much different effect
on the body than, say, a tablespoon of olive oil. Human
beings actually need fat yet the over consumption
of laboratory altered fats have led to many health
problems. This led the food industry to do whatever it
took (including adding many chemicals and types of
refined sugar) to make a favorable low fat nutritional
label. What has been shown again and again is that
people do not regularly buy most low-fat or non-fat
products because they lack the taste and satisfaction
they seek.
Carbohydrates are the
same. White flour and white sugar are cheap and not
particularly good for you. Getting carbs from an apple
versus a sugar cube is a night and day difference to
your body. You can find a sweet bar that has almost no
fat and practically no carbs, but what are those 15+
ingredients and can you even pronounce them? More
importantly, are you okay with your family eating them?
We are not competing
for the lowest fat content, but we think we win first
prize for our ingredient lists!
What else does Laura’s Wholesome Junk
Food have in store for the future?
Much like Willy Wonka,
Ben & Jerry’s, Mrs. Fields and Newman’s Own, we always
have new treats lined up to be released for the
consumer’s enjoyment. We love food and must create!
Our fourth flavor of Bite-lette™, X-treme Chocolate Fudge was released in February of 2004, Lemon Vanilla in April, 2005 and Grandma's Gingerbread was introduced Fall 2005. We introduced our first Gluten-Free versions of Chocolate Chip, Raisin, and Fudge in 2005 and our newest addition to this line, Cashew Chocolate Chip, was just manufactured for the first time July 2007.
As you know, even
schools and hospitals alike are changing their dietary
goals. In addition to retail tubs with 16 cookies, we
can now provide individually wrapped portions of 3 Bite-lettesTM
for trays or vending machines and food service frozen
boxes of cookies for your facilities to bake
themselves. The frozen division provides 20-pound boxes
with 250-300 (depending on size of cookie) preformed
individually separated for baking at your institution.
You’d be serving healthy cookies fresh from the oven.
