Healthy Products for Healthier Kitchen
In addition to nutritional supplements, AllStarHealth also offers a wide range of products that let you cook healthier meals for your family. Many of these products can't be found at mainstream supermarkets and might be unfamiliar to some customers. Use this guide to help select the products most useful and beneficial to you, and start cooking healthier today.
Almond flour - Almond flour is a gluten-free, high-protein alternative to wheat flours. Non-defatted almond flour retains the nutritious essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins found in whole almonds.
Organic Coconut oil - The perfect alternative to butter, shortening or other cooking oils. Won't raise cholesterol and is much more easily burned for energy than other fats, 100% natural product with nothing added. Naturally stable, needs no preservatives or refrigeration.
Dextrose - Dextrose is a neutral-tasting carbohydrate source used to add carb calories to protein shakes or recovery and endurance drinks.
Erythritol - Erythritol is a natural sugar alcohol similar to xylitol. Like xylitol it has a taste, appearance and texture similar to sugar but a very low caloric value and a negligible impact on blood sugar levels. A great substitute for granulated sugar in any kind of recipe.
Fructose - Sometimes called "fruit sugar" because it occurs naturally in fruits, fructose looks like sugar but is sweeter by about 1/3 so you typically use less than regular sugar. It has a much lower impact on blood sugar levels than table sugar.
Lecithin - Lecithin is a mixture of healthy fats that occurs naturally in egg yolks and soy. Lecithin is full of brain-boosting lipids like phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl serine, and may also improve cholesterol levels. In the kitchen, lecithin is a great emulsifier; it helps fats and oils disperse throughout a food mixture like cake or baking mixes, giving them a smooth, uniform texture. Lecithin is tasteless and so won't alter the flavor of foods. Lecithin granules are the most cost-effective form. They dissolve easily in the presence of other fats/oils.
Pancake Mix - High protein pancakes are a smart way to start a long day since protein is needed to support vital brain and muscle function. An alternative to a ready-to-mix product would be adding an unflavored whey protein to regular pancake mix.
Stevia - Stevia is a plant whose leaves have the unique property of tasting sweet, but don't provide any carbohydrate calories. Stevia may not be approved as a sweetener yet, but most people use it that way. Stevia has a slight taste in addition to its sweetness, so it tends to work better in some applications (herb teas, iced tea) than others (coffee, baking, protein shakes)
Whey Protein (see Whey Protein section) - Unflavored or flavored whey protein is a terrific way to add high-quality, immune-boosting whey protein to baking recipes, pudding, desserts or any other food.
Xylitol - Xylitol is another sugar alcohol like Erythriol. It has a similar taste and appearance to sugar, but far fewer calories and a much smaller impact on blood sugar. In fact, it has been shown to inhibit tooth decay and is used in many candies and chewing gums, especially is Asia.