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Empirical evidence has shown that rising obesity rates closely parallel the increased consumption of processed foods (PF) consumption in USA. Differences in postprandial thermogenic responses to a whole-food (WF) meal vs. a PF meal may be a key factor in explaining obesity trends, but currently there is limited research exploring this potential link.
Recipe: Homemade Peanut Butter Power Bars
The following recipe was adapted from one given to me by our friend Adam Bleakney, who is the head coach of the Illinois wheelchair track team.
I buy all the ingredients at Common Ground Co-op in Urbana, but most natural foods stores should have the hard-to-find items like chia seeds and brown rice syrup. I’ve also included a variation that is gluten-free. If you’re wondering what the regular version tastes like, it is very similar to a peanut butter Clif Bar.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes?
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of brown rice syrup (I use Lundberg Family Farms)
- 1 cup of peanut butter or almond butter (I use bulk PB from CGCO)
- 2 cups of Grape Nuts (I’ve also used Food for Life cereal)
- 2 cups of uncooked Rolled Oats
- Optional: 5-6 teaspoons of chia seeds
Directions:
- Combine brown rice syrup and peanut butter in large, microwave-safe bowl, giving them a quick stir. I use a butter knife of something small like a chopstick to mix b/c it sticks and is hard to easily get off of a large mixing spoon.
- Heat in the microwave for ~2 minutes. I usually stop 2/3 of the way through to give a quick stir.
- If you are using chia seeds pour them in first.
- Pour in the rolled oats and cereal, 2 cups at a time so it is easier to mix. For this I use a wooden spoon.
- Once you have a consistent mix you can plop it into a large rectangular cake pan that has been lightly sprayed with oil.
- Push it around so it is even in the pan, then let it sit for 10 minutes or so.
- At this point I come back with a pancake turner and smooth and compress the mix in the pan so the bars are nice and dense.
- If you’re feeling lazy (like I am most of the time), just keep it covered in the pan and cut off pieces as needed. Otherwise, wait a bit to cut into pieces, as it can be hard to keep the bars together if it is still warm.
Gluten-Free Variation:
To turn this into a gluten-free recipe is very straightforward. Simply replace the regular rolled oats with gluten-free rolled oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill), and the Grape Nuts with a hard cereal, such as Perky’s Crunchy Rice cereal from Enjoy Life (CGCO has it).
This version is actually just as tasty, but because of the rice cereal is lighter, crispier, and less filling. Here’s a photo of the gluten-free bar (the little black bits are the chia seeds):
A Princeton University research team has demonstrated that all sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same.
How Much Caffeine Is In That? | Wise Bread
Handy reference guide for caffeine content with realistic portion sizes.
