I have been selling sweet things to area business for several months now and do quite well. I'm afraid my sales may go down in January due to everyone being on diets. Any ideas or recipes for items. What I normally sell is banana nut bread, pecan pie, oatmeal pies, coconut pies, very rich brownies, cheesecake brownies, pralines. I'm looking for one really good item that I can say is "healthy". Maybe a muffin or bar type dessert.

By Catergreat (Catergreat) on Saturday, December 28, 2002 - 09:35 am: Edit

go for sugar free or low carb. even the AMA has recognized that fat is no longer the enemy, but rather empty carbs like sugar, flour and processed grains......

i always said the low fat industry was a big joke... usually the first ingredient in a no fat product is SUGAR...

the low fat craze was funded by who? the SUGAR industry.....

blessings

By Smic (Smic) on Saturday, December 28, 2002 - 03:38 pm: Edit

I really don't want to get into sugar free using Splenda because the cost will go up. I sell my small pies for $1.50, bars for$2.50 and I don't think people will pay more than that. I'm wondering if I can find a healthy recipe or two to throw in with my mix of other things OR if I should just go on and make the same recipes but just expect to sell alot less in January and February with dieters not buying OR I can add a few business to my route to make up the difference. I'm really thinking of maybe doing some biscotti because I think that would be lower in sugar and fat. Any ideas for recipes??

By Catergreat (Catergreat) on Saturday, December 28, 2002 - 05:18 pm: Edit

they will pay more for sugar free, because they expect to.

but the word healthy and sugar don't need to be used together.....

I think the world is tired of bran muffins... look into sugar free confections as well... this is the direction dieters are moving and they are willing to pay for it...

my thoughts

By Thebaker (Thebaker) on Sunday, December 29, 2002 - 04:48 pm: Edit

I bake healthy but sugar free is not allways healthy

with the just a few exceptions most sugar subsitutes are made from chemicals.

I like to bake what i call Hybrid baking,
and I have gotten many converts who are tired of the taste of sugar free baked goods,( most sugar subsitutes have an after taste) and some have a laxative effect.

with the exception of diabetics most healthy people dont need to avoid sugar,just cut down on the amount they use.

I bake with more healthier sugars useing products that are less refined and using less of them.

In this country we over use sugar and salt because we settle for poorly grown produce and poorly raised feed animals etc.

I make an apple pie with no sugar at all, just a mix of different apples to create the flavors i want.

I know that this may not be "cost effective" but its just my 2 cents.

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Sunday, December 29, 2002 - 07:17 pm: Edit

Don't use a chemical sugar sub, puree pears or other bland fruit to sweeten the product; it works great.
Calrl is right!...they wil pay more for low fat, sugar free and it sucks!!!!!!
The fat free and sugar free products are dead in the food industry due to the bad rep as tasteless!!!!
Just call them organic ore healthy, not low fat or sugar free!!! That's the kiss of death!

By Kinglear (Kinglear) on Monday, December 30, 2002 - 11:20 am: Edit

Be careful about calling any item organic unless you are using all certified organic ingredients. The FDA has some new guidelines about organic labeling. Although not as stringent as most advocates of organic and sustainable food production would like them to be, the FDA organic labeling guidelines are pretty specific.

By Kinglear (Kinglear) on Monday, December 30, 2002 - 11:28 am: Edit

As a side thought, sweetening with pureed and concentrated fruit such as apple butter, dried plum concentrate and the like, although considered healthier, effect the body nutritionally in the same ways that refined sugar does. They are very high in simple carbs with high glycemic index, thus causing the quick influx of energy, yet rapid crash.
If producing energy bars for weight trainers and wrestlers, the use of sweetening agents like aspartame and Splenda are suggested, but be careful to use other carbs with low glycemic indeces like whole wheat, oats, barley, brown rice etc for the slow energy burn.

By Ladycake (Ladycake) on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 10:52 am: Edit

The last I heard aspartame was still the boogy man. I use a lot of apple sauce to replace some oiland add sweetness, I also use the fruit purees. I bake for some diabetics and the all fruit type products are good substitutes are useful in moderation (though expensive to use.)