When creating a snack for your business to sell to consumers, it is essential to think about the health benefits. With more people being health-conscious, there are steps your business can take to implement a healthy snack product to your consumers.
Don’t Add Preservatives
Most companies think they need to add preservatives to the snacks that produce.While preservatives are meant to help prevent bacteria growth, food separation, and spoilage, they can have negative effects on your body. Foods with preservatives have been linked to weight gain, high blood pressure, and even cancer.
Preservatives to avoid using in the snacks you produce include sodium nitrites, which is linked to an increased risk of colon and pancreatic cancer. Sulfites can trigger asthma attacks. And BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), which is commonly found in chips, cereal, and cookies may be a carcinogen. It is best to leave added preservatives out of the snacks you make.
Choose Natural Ingredients and Food Coloring
While there are options for food colouringfor commercial use, you will want to make sure you steer clear of using artificial food coloring in your snacks. Food coloring like Red No. 40 can be found in ice cream and dairy products, Blue No. 1 is found in sodas, icings, and candy, or Yellow No. 6 which is found in cereals, drinks, and snack foods have been known to cause health problems.
Artificial food coloring is petroleum-based and have been linked to an increased risk of cancer, problems with kidneys and adrenal glands as well as behavioral issues. However, there are natural food coloring for commercial usethat are safe for consumption.
Instead of using artificial food colouring in the snacks you produce, you can achieve colourfulsnacks using safe ingredients like fruits, spices, and vegetables, which gives you added nutrients and other health benefits.
- Try adding carrot juice or pulp for a vibrant yellow or orange hue to your desserts. The sweet flavour of the carrots is ideal for baked goods and also provides you with Vitamin C, beta-carotene, and other nutrients. Or for a rich red colour, use beets.
- Beets can help lower your blood pressure, improve digestion, and is also a great source of potassium and magnesium. For a pink or red hue in your snack, try using raspberries or pomegranate juice.
- Another option to add color to the snacks you make include spinach powder, matcha powder, or kale to achieve a green colour. Using these greens to add a hue to your baked goods comes with added health benefits like fiber, iron, and calcium.
- For a vibrant yellow shade in a snack, try using a spice like Turmeric in powder or room form. The spice not only adds colour to your snack, but it will also help your body fight inflammation and lower your bad cholesterol levels.
Avoid Using Added Sugar
When looking at ingredients to sweeten the snack you are making, you will want to stay away from using sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, malt syrup, or dextrose. Most pre-packaged snacks are full of unnecessary sugar that has no health benefits. Sugar does not contain protein, essential vitamins, or minerals. Sugar also interferes with your hormones and your body’s ability to regulate hunger and being full, which can lead to extra calorie intake and weight gain.
Some healthy alternatives to sugar you can add to the snack you are producing include:
- Dates are easy to digest and will help you metabolizeproteins, fasts, and carbohydrates. They are full of potassium, iron, magnesium, and vitamin B6 and have been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol in your blood. Dates are the perfect substitute for sugar. You can make a paste by soaking them till they’re soft and use them in any snack you produce.
- Coconut sugar is extracted from the sap of the coconut palm and contains such nutrients as iron, zinc, calcium, and potassium. Coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index than sugar. Still high in calories, so use it sparingly to sweeten snacks.
- Maple syrup is made by cooking down the sap of maple trees. This thick and sugary alternative to sugar contains minerals like calcium, iron, zinc, and manganese. Since it has a lower glycemic index than regular sugar, it will not raise blood sugar levels quickly.
- Stevia is a natural sweetener that is extracted from the leaves of the South American shrub known scientifically as Stevia rebaudiana. Stevia has zero calories, has been shown to lower blood sugar and insulin levels and will add sweetness to any snack.
Final Note
When deciding what snack to produce for your business, make sure you are creating healthy snack choices.