Christmas is the season of gift giving, but every day can be Christmas when you give yourself a lasting gift of nutrition.
Two years ago, Linda Ikeda of Lakewood launched her own line of food bars that became edible sensations in the local community— Jumpstarter Body Fuel. The concept behind the bars was to simply include only wholesome, unrefined, whole-food and natural ingredients that can used to make small batches, which, unlike large amounts, don’t need to be processed. Ikeda, aware that the body doesn’t benefit from processed foods, avoided bleached flour, fortified foods, white sugar and hydrogenated oils when she created her handmade, homemade bars.
“We are seeing more diabetics and others with not so good physical health conditions,” Ikeda said. “Perhaps too many sweet refined cookies? Of course, these are not the sole reasons.”
Ikeda had her own experience with health issues 20 years ago when she was diagnosed with a debilitating illness. She says that changing her diet was the key to her recovery, energy and true vitality. “Working 24/7 can be stressful,” she says. “With proper nutrition, I have been able to cope with my busy schedule. Raising a business is like raising a child.”
Ikeda says her Jumpstarter Body Fuel bars have no “guilt complex,” since they’re full of wholesome ingredients and are made of nothing but the best from nature. “On top of that, it is palatable and tasty,” she says. And that’s why Whole Foods Markets, Mother’s Kitchen and local coffee-house customers come back for more.
You be the judge. Read the ingredients carefully and compare with other desserts and snacks. “If you can’t read the ingredients, then why buy it?” Ikeda asks. “When a manufacturer lists ‘natural flavors’ that means they are hiding something.” She says that, since the FDA does not require manufacturers to list these so-called “natural flavors,” they can be derived from similar flavors that are not the original ingredients. Readable ingredients are Ikeda’s personal protocol. “What you see and read is exactly what you get,” she says. “What you eat is exactly what you ingest.”
Jumpstarter Body Fuel bars are available at Southern California Whole Foods Markets, Orange County Mother’s Kitchen and Markets, It’s A Grind Coffeehouses, Erewhon Natural Foods of Los Angeles, Co-Opportunity in Santa Monica, Malibu Fitness, Metal Mountain Bike Shop and online at jumpstartbodyfuel.com.
