Dr Pam spent many months refining a recipe found whilst on holiday in America. Personally, I love crunchy breakfast cereals but am so disappointed when I taste most of them & even more concerned when I read the ingredients. Even expensive versions are full of cheap fillers & bulking ingredients, despite a ‘healthy’ description on the front pack. Also many granolas & toasted mueslis are very oily & this affects not only the taste but the nutritional value also.
Family & friends loved my granola & asked me to make it for them regularly. When I told them I was going to try manufacturing with my daughter Anna, as a small business, at my stage in life, they thought I was mad! If I could create a ready-made, easy to eat but super-healthy crunchy delicious cereal then it was one way to help. Look at the ingredients, taste it & you will be hooked.
Dr Pam’s is oat-based & wheat free. Oats are a marvellous food, low GI & containing a wonderful soluble fibre that is much gentler on the bowel than the rougher insoluble fibre found in wheat,spelt, rye etc. Many people are finding that they are wheat sensitive too, so many of the mueslis & granolas & commercial cereals are unsuitable.
Dr Pam’s Finest is slowly toasted in the oven, with frequent turning –nothing really good comes easily! It is then cooled, & blended with finest quality dried fruits –currants, sultanas raisins & apricots. My aim was to make the best tasting, best quality &’ best for your health’ granola that I could possibly do & I truly think I’ve achieved that. The proof is in the eating –it tastes great. It’s scrumptious with natural or vanilla yoghurt, or with milk & its great straight from the pack too. It makes a wonderful topping for ice-cream.
Dr Pam’s Finest Granola is sweetened naturally with small amounts of honey & maple syrup. No other sugar is added & when you taste it, I’m sure you’ll agree that none is necessary. The slow toasting brings out the natural sweetness of the oats & the nuts also.
I don’t want to be negative about any of the other granolas out there, but just turn the pack over & read the ingredients –you’ll be very surprised at how they can call it healthy (often v heavy on the fats & added sugars) & also how they can charge so much for it when the main ingredients are cheap fillers such as rice, bran, wheat & rye flakes.
Let me tell you why each & every ingredient is included in Dr Pam’s. For me the health concerns have not compromised the taste & the taste concerns have not compromised the healthiness of this excellent product. It is packed in biodegradable brown paper bags & is available in 300g (£2.75) & 500g (£4.25) sizes.
OATS
Oats are a super food. They provide slow-release energy to maintain both your blood sugar & energy levels. One of the fibres they contain helps to lower low-density cholesterol (the bad sort). They also contain protein as well as lots of other nutrients including magnesium, potassium, selenium, thiamine,zinc & vitamin E. Just superfood.
NUTS
Almonds & Walnuts in my granola give a lovely crunchy texture especially since they are slowly toasted in the oven to bring out their natural oils & flavour. The fats in nuts is of the good kind & can help protect against cardiovascular disease.
Almonds contain trace elements such as zinc,magnesium & potassium important in immunity & energy levels. Almonds also havd Vit E thought to be essential to protect against ageing, especially for the skin.They contain protein for tissue repair & fibre for healthy gut function.
Walnuts also contain protein, B6, Vit E, trace elements such as zinc, copper, magnesium & potassium and omega-3 fatty acids which is essential for cardiovascular health & youthful skin.
MAPLE SYRUP
Maple syrup is a very pure ingredient. A small amount is used in DR Pam’s to provide just a touch of natural sweetness. It also contains a wealth of minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium & zinc as well as good amounts of B complex vitamins especially thiamine.
DRIED FRUITS (Apricots, raisins, currants, sultanas)
Dried fruits are rich in vitanins A,B1, B2, B3, B6 and Pantothenic acid. They are an abundant source of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, copper & manganese. They contain protein but also carbohydrate in the form of fruit sugars. They are all low in fat.
BUTTER
Butter is pure unadulterated churned cream. It is extremely rich in minerals like calcium, phosphorus & potassium. It is packed with vitamins especially Vitamin A, Choline, Vitamin E, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic acid, Vitamin K, Folate & Vitamin B12.
HONEY
The health benefits of honey are well-recognised. It contains natural vitamins & minerals that help metabolism & fighting infection.It has a healthier GI level than other sugars.