Eating a variety of whole grains is important but many foods contain just one. We’ve included wheat, oats, barley, rye, and triticale in as many of our products as possible. As one of nature’s super foods, whole grains help provide your body with the necessary vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients it needs to take on every day. Most importantly whole grains retain the natural fibre.

Where we can we use as many whole grains as possible. In our trail bar snacks range and our cereal range we use the following five whole grains; wheat, oats, triticale, barley and rye. In our porridge range we use three; oats, rye and barley; but here is a bit more of the background on what each has to offer…

1. Wheat was one of the first crops that could be easily cultivated and is commonly used in the form of wheat flour. We use the whole grain to retain the bran fibre which is often removed in refined cereal foods.
2. Oats have numerous uses in food; most commonly, they are rolled into oatmeal, or ground into fine oat flour. They add a subtle, nutty flavour and are a prized source of beta-glucan, a soluble fibre.
3. Triticale is a cross between wheat and rye that was originally developed in the 1950s.
4. Barley is an old favourite that has been grown for many centuries and adds a smooth,
malty flavour as well as being a great source of soluble fibre.
5. Rye is a resilient staple grain with a distinctive earthy flavour that has been widely cultivated since the middle ages.

Nuts are naturally packed with healthy fats, protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals which makes them a good choice as part of a healthy eating plan. Even better, they taste great!

Nuts and seeds are high in protein and have a low glycemic index (GI). This means that nuts help keep you satisfied for longer when you’re walking on the trail or however you’re enjoying the outdoors. 

In the past many people avoided nuts because they are high in fat. But actually eating small amounts of nuts regularly can be good for you. This is because nuts contain high levels of the ‘good fats’ which are beneficial to wellbeing.

Raw nuts also contain fibre to maintain a healthy digestive system and are naturally low in salt.

Some of the good stuff in our favourite nuts include:

Almonds are a good source of the antioxidant vitamin E.  

Cashews contain the good fat monounsaturated fat as well as magnesium and zinc. They are naturally low in food chemicals that some people are intolerant to.

Hazelnuts are a good source of vitamin E.

Macadamias are one of the nuts with the highest levels of monounsaturated fats, the good fats. 

Walnuts contain one of the god fats, plant omega-3 fat (ALA).

Enjoying a handful of nuts and seeds (30g a day) most days of the week is beneficial to wellbeing. You can also include nuts and seeds into your daily diet by choosing breakfast foods that contain nuts and seeds, sprinkling nuts and seeds throughout your salads and stir fries and snacking on a handful of nuts and seeds through the day. Be Natural nut bars can contribute to your 30g a day because they contain between 8 and 28 grams of nuts.

Eating fruit is a great way to enjoy nature’s goodness everyday. At Be Natural  we use a whole variety of different fruit to add a burst of flavour and colour to our bars and cereals. From our delicious pink lady apples to our zesty cranberries we have worked hard to ensure that you can see, taste and feel the fruit in our products.

The colour and flavour of the fruit in most Be Natural bars and cereals is all natural, dried without the use of colours, flavours or preservatives. Some fruit naturally changes colour as it dries so it’s only natural that the dried apricots in our bars might look a little bit darker than a fresh apricot.

To get the full benefit of all that fruit has to offer, try to also include some fresh fruit in your day like a cup of fruit salad or a piece of seasonal fruit like a nectarine or peach.

Seeds and their oils are bursting with nutrients and also add a tasty zing to meals and snacks. 

Pumpkin seeds, which some people call pepita seeds contain iron, zinc, potassium and magnesium.

Linseed, also known as flaxseed, is popular because it contains plant omega 3 fats.

Amaranth is often talked about as a grain because it is made into a gluten-free flour for bread, but actually a seed.

Chia seeds contain plant-based omega 3 fats and are also high in fibre. 

Sunflower seeds contain more fibre and iron than other seeds.

Why no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives?

It’s what we leave out that counts. All of our Be Natural cereals, porridges and trail bars are free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. It has taken more than ten years for our hard-working team to find the great natural ingredients for all our products and make sure they are free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. But some of our nut bars still use a preservative in the fruit pieces so we are working with our suppliers to find some alternatives that are free of artificial preservatives. We're hoping in the very near future we’ll be able to tell you that our entire range of bars are free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives just like our cereals.

What is minimally processed?

Whole grains are some of our favourite natural ingredients. But most grains can’t be eaten raw (ever tried chewing on a raw grain of rice?). They need to be rolled or milled or puffed so that we can chew and digest them. That way everyone can enjoy the benefit of the goodness of whole grains.