Step One Foods was developed by cardiologist Elizabeth Klodas, M.D., who wanted to offer her patients a simple dietary solution for maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. To overcome the biggest barriers to eating better — time and complicated meals — Klodas developed a food-based approach with products that are convenient, science-based and taste great. One such product is the Dark Chocolate Walnut Bar, and we spoke with Klodas and Bill Alldredge, cofounder at Step One Foods, about why eating two of these bars a day can be life changing.
Why did you decide to have walnuts play a starring role in your Dark Chocolate Walnut Bar?
Klodas: Walnuts are in every Step One Foods product. Walnuts were chosen because of their known health-promoting properties and documented results in terms of cardiovascular health and population data. The attributes themselves — the main nutrients we’re trying to provide — fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, plant sterols in terms are what walnuts deliver.
Supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces of walnuts per day, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet, and not resulting in increased caloric intake, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. One ounce of walnuts provides 18 grams of total fat, 2.5 grams of monounsaturated fat and 13 grams of polyunsaturated fat, including 2.5 grams of alpha-linolenic acid, the plant-based omega-3.
How do walnuts add to the texture and flavor of the Dark Chocolate Walnut Bars?
Klodas: One of the primary things we’re trying to accomplish is improving health by adding a source of concentrated healthy nutrients, but it’s not going to matter if the product doesn’t taste good or the person doesn’t enjoy it. Walnuts have a beautiful nutty flavor and they have a great texture, so they add a lot to the enjoyment of the food. Our program relies on people consuming the foods twice a day on an ongoing basis, so they have to be enjoyable foods. Anyone can make things that are healthy, but to make them healthy and delicious is a whole other level.
Alldredge: You have to use the best stuff, and we pride ourselves on using premium ingredients to achieve great taste and great nutritional value.
Taste is surely king, and with the snackification of America, it’s great to have the balance between taste and nutrition.
Klodas: If you’re going to have a bar, you want it to fill you up and keep you full for a long time and not make you crave more in 10 minutes. These are so good that they could even be dessert.
Alldredge: It’s a treat. Too often nutritious products are viewed as punishment — if it’s healthy it must taste like cardboard, right? It’s great chocolate, it’s beautiful walnuts and it feels like a delicious treat.
How does Step One Foods’ model as an e-commerce business set you apart in the competitive bar market?
Klodas: We ship directly to consumers and we exist to improve health, and our products are backed by scientific data — not just around the ingredients that carry their own dossier of research, but we have done a clinical trial with the Mayo Clinic and the University of Manitoba, randomized control like you would subject a drug to, and we found that these foods help lower cholesterol in 30 days. On average 9% LDL reduction, or bad cholesterol reduction, and in some people as high as 30 or even 40%, which is a drug effect. If we lowered the entire country’s LDL by 9%, we would dethrone heart disease as the No. 1 killer of Americans. This is the power of food, and walnuts are part of that power.
Inspired to formulate your next bar with walnuts? Email kseiz@walnuts.org for more information.
