Hello to the new healthy you!
Mary Robertson of StarBar Organics makes vegan snacks worth craving
By Amy Strauss
Published: May 5th, 2008 | 11:25am
Mary Robertson swears by spelt. Packing a healthier punch than the normal all-purpose flour, Robertson's vegan baked good company, StarBar Organics, heaps mounds of her beloved flour with other natural sweeteners to organically energize even the groggiest of city dwellers. Known in many Philadelphia cafes as the number one provider of pick-me-up breakfast bars, the nondairy baker's citywide success is understood by her gift to transform the inedible health-food store snack into an extremely tasty and addictive treat.
"Having a healthy mind and body depends on what you eat, but you don't have to deprive yourself of sweets," says Robertson. As her StarBars offer health nuts a body-friendly bite that's loaded with complex sugars, high fiber, and whole grains, she believes her products allow everyone to healthily have their cake and eat it, too.
While her StarBars (available in Chocolate Cherry, Carrot Papaya, Peanut Butter Banana, and more) are all baked, packaged and disturbed with little help from any other, Robertson busy lifestyle also includes tearing up the bass guitar, sculpting various art pieces, and most importantly, being a strong advocate for good health and vegan living.
With a website revamp approaching, she'll soon unveil her online veggie haven and retail shop, Headveg.com. Robertson agreed to lend health-conscious tips that'll have you energetically saying 'hello' to the new healthy you!
Dieting is a disastrous decision
While any lady would love a trimmer waistline, Robertson reveals that healthy eating should be understood as a lifestyle choice, not a diet. "Eating to be healthy is a much easier state of mind than eating to be thin or lose weight," she says. A way that she advises to begin: Cut back on meats and dairy products. "They are very difficult for your body to digest and even harder to burn off."
Working out is what it's about
Don't think you have to become a sweaty gym rat. Consider slipping a few workout slots in your already jammed-packed schedule. "Since I run my own business, I struggle with finding time to hit the gym," she says. "So, I make the most of even just a half-an-hour by doing cardio, like the elliptical trainer or the treadmill." She also suggests multitasking by working multiple muscles in one move — consider a squat or lunge with a bicep curl. Or, if you are looking for more flexibility and a focused mentality, try yoga and mediation.
No need to swear off sweets
Depriving yourself of sweets, whether it is the red velvet cupcake doused with cream cheese icing or the Snickers bar at the back of your desk, just results in binge eating and guilty feelings. Instead, Robertson suggests eating good-for-you sweets that will quench your cravings and give you energy because your body burns these calories slower. Since her baked goods are organic and vegan, and made with fruits, nuts, grain-based sweeteners, and whole grains, they provide the right combo of protein, sugar and fiber that allows sweet fiends to remain satisfied until their next meals. "I have a blueberry scone (see recipe below) in the morning with a piece of fruit and that keeps me satisfied until lunch and gives me enough energy and brain power to attend to all my business matters," she says.
Consider a cabinet swap
As a fan of garbanzo and spelt flour, the brave baked good maker is able to produce products that are organic, low in sugar, and simply healthy. "There are tons of vegan products out there that are loaded with white and brown sugars, white flour, and preservatives," says Robertson. "Just because it's vegan doesn't mean it's healthy, or low in sugar or fat." While she eliminates the bad-for-you ingredients in her recipes, she adds the then missing punch by adding sunflower, safflower, and coconut oils, as well as brown rice syrup and agave nectar. By swapping for such sweeteners, which have a low glycemic index, nibblers are less likely to experience the sugar high and crash that occurs when eating anything with white sugars.
As if, for her, a midday slump has gone out of style like a fattening jelly doughnut, Robertson continues to research even better ingredients and their proportions to best fit an active lifestyle like hers. But, with spelt and rice syrup her best bet yet, she reveals her scrumptious scone recipe that combats against even the dearest of breakfast bites.
Organic Fruit Scones (makes 6)
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups flour (Robertson combines 2 kinds of flour, like spelt and garbanzo bean)
2 tsp. baking powder (preferably aluminum free)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/4 cup soymilk
1/8 cup to 1/4 cup filtered water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup of fruit (fresh or frozen; blueberries, raspberries, and/or dried dates work well)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees (oven temps may vary). Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and whisk together. Add oil and mix with a fork or with electric mixer. Combine wet ingredients, except water, in small bowl, then add wet to dry until batter is stiff and flexible. (You may need to add less or more water depending on the flour you use, so add the water last.) Use a 1/4 cup measure or ice cream scoop to form 6 mounds on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with brown rice or agave syrup, then transfer to wire rack to cool.
Issue #24
Comments
Please login to be able to comment on this article.
more