As a gluten free, wholefoods bakery, Honest Goods Co. has always taken a holistic approach to creating our baked goods. We’re not just picky on keeping the nasties out of our food - we’re also really picky about what stays in. We’re less about ticking off certain macros, more about creating food that nourishes, satisfies and delights, while also being as gut-friendly as possible.
The Wholefoods Approach
The wholefoods mindset is fundamentally holistic, taking into account where the food comes from, the taste, the enjoyment of eating, and the nutritional benefits. It’s an understanding that gluten free doesn’t necessarily equal healthy; paleo products are often full of shitty starches; and vegan products might be good for the environment but they can be horrible for your health if the substitutes are full of chemicals and low quality fats. It’s not just about what’s been left out. What’s left in should be high quality, nutritious and tasty.
Wholefoods are as unprocessed/unrefined as possible, and should be free from chemicals and additives. In a way, this puts companies like ours at a disadvantage in the marketplace, as products made without chemicals and preservatives don’t last as long, and are usually more expensive to make. This is why it’s so important for customers to vote for what they want with their wallets - supporting local wholefoods businesses ensures that we can keep filling the shelves (and cafes) with the products you want!
Why Wholefoods Matter
Less processing means more of the original fibre and nutritional value is retained in the end product. This is one occasion where size doesn’t matter! Wholefoods tend to be more nutrient dense than highly processed foods, with fewer empty calories, so you may eat less in volume but feel more satisfied and sustained.
Wholefoods are often also local, or at least contain a higher ratio of local ingredients than more refined comparable products. This means lower food miles, which is better for the environment and better for the local economy. Many foodies will also claim that wholefoods just taste better. It’s a highly subjective claim, but we’re sticking by it. The pecans that we source for our Cinnamon Pecan Butter from South West W.A. just taste different (and, we think, better) than pecans flown in from the other side of the world.
A colourful wholefoods lunch hosted by Perth yogi Rhyanna Van Leeuwarden
Baking and Wholefoods
What does it mean to be a wholefoods bakery? Well, we start with our motto - no nasties, just the good stuff. We don’t do chemicals or preservatives, no artificial colours and no artificial flavours. When we make banana bread, we start with bananas. When we make our paleo pumpkin bread, we roast local pumpkin, shred fresh zucchini, and turn it into loaves. Of course some of our ingredients are processed - you can’t get almond meal without processing almonds, for example. But we select ingredients that are as close to their original form as possible. We source local suppliers when we can (it’s not always doable, but we try!). We use safe and nutritious oils. And we never, ever send out a product until it’s passed the final test - tastes uh-mazing!
Are we doing this wholefoods thing perfectly? Probably not, but we’re definitely aiming for it! If you have any feedback or ideas about how we can keep improving, comment below or drop us a line via our enquiry page, we’d love to hear from you!
Interested in learning more about wholefoods?
This New York Times article on holistic eating vs. nutritionism is a great 15 min read.