Have you had a wise bite today?

Why, asked Cathline James, when we know how important it is to reduce sugar consumption, do we continue to hand out candy at Halloween, and celebrate birthdays with so much sugar?

I’ve asked myself the same question many times.

Cathline, however, took action in 2012 and launched BC-based Wise Bites: healthier cookies, muffins and bars made from gluten free quinoa flour, and sweetened mostly with organic date paste that is better for your blood sugar.

She’s one of many who has courageously used adversity to motivate change within our food systems. I hope her story inspires more of us to “stop and think about what we are eating and then to eat wisely,” she says.

Cathline’s Story

Cathline’s passion for healthy food started at 15 years old when her mother passed away of cancer.

She was convinced at the time that her mother’s rich diet, heavy in meat, potatoes, gravy and highly processed sweets stayed in her system for too long and caused poison in her body.

She started to eliminate certain foods, including meat from her diet and raised her children on healthy meals – which meant no occasional visits to McDonalds!

In 2010/11, Cathline became increasingly concerned about the lack of healthy food available in grocery stores, particularly the excess of sugar and chemicals which are contributing to chronic health issues and food sensitivities.

So she spent 18 months exploring how to reduce the sugar in her very best chocolate chip cookie by as much as 60%, and came up with the more natural Wise Bites quinoa based, date sweetened version.

Wise Bites has no chemicals or toxic extras and is free of the top 11 allergens (including peanuts, gluten, soy, eggs and dairy).

Why Quinoa?

Wise Bites confirms that quinoa is not a grain. It is a seed, making it more closely related to spinach and beets than true cereal grains.

That means its essential amino acid profile is far more ideal for human consumption than regular grains. It is high in protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals, and it’s easy on the tummy.

I don’t have quinoa often, but I love it as a subsitute for rice or just to have as a side with vegetables. Check out Gwyneth Paltrow’s perfect method of making cooked quinoa, and you’ll see some other great quinoa-based recipes on her site as well.

Excerpts taken from: Three things you need to know about quinoa

Image credits: Wise Bites