We're told not to eat sugar, swap for sweeteners and to only eat fruit. Don't eat too much fruit says the other dentist, because it will still rot your teeth due to the acid. It's obvious that too much sugar intake can cause obesity and diabetes along with other health conditions. But for one day, we're going to put that aside and give sugar a break by talking about some of the health benefits. Of course, consume in moderation but a little sugar won't harm (even Mary Poppins agrees). 

(Image credit: Science Daily) 

The Basics

Natural sugars are sugars that are found in fruits and milk, they are complex carbohydrates that give us the nutrition we need and help with blood sugar levels. Added sugars are things such as white sugar, brown sugar, honey and syrups that are added to food. They provide hardly any nutrition and can cause spikes in blood sugar. 

Benefit #1

Sugar can provide energy almost immediately. Once the energy for immediate use is being used, the body will store excess to use later on. This is called glycogenesis. This is a great process because it can allow us to go for longer periods of time without eating, however, when glucose exceeds storage the leftover is turned into fat. 

Benefit #2

Natural sugars come with added nutrients. When you have milk and fruit, they usually contain additional fibre, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and hydration. You can indulge in all of the healthy treats without massive spikes in blood sugar. 

Benefit #3

According to some scientists, sugar can improve our brain health. Apparently, our brains use up 400 calories of glucose per day but it depends where you get the sugar from. So, don't be downing chocolate and Gookie Dough (however, it is a treat!) because the natural sugars have the real benefit. It's best to eat whole fruit than juice because an apple has more fibre and it's consumed slower.

Benefit #4

Glycolic acid in sugar can be great in keeping skin healthy. Using it can help to get rid of blemishes and restore the balance in oils. Sugar is also great on the skin in the forms of body scrubs. The gritty texture is perfect for exfoliating and removing dead skin cells which leaves you with luxurious smooth legs!

So, not so fast with cutting out sugar when you're hitting the hardcore diet. Sugar is needed and is essential, just eat the junk food in moderation and choose an apple over chocolate. Easier said than done, we know! 

Our heart is the key to our body being healthy. A healthy heart is the key to a happy life. Nutritional advice can be overwhelming but here at Gookie Dough, we like to keep things nice and simple. Here are the foods that can improve your heart health and those that aren't as good. 

(Image credit: funfitlasrozas.wordpress.com)

Mushrooms

Fungi are nutritional goodies. They contain anti-inflammatory compounds, vitamin D and antioxidants. They can reduce hardening of the arteries, cholesterol and blood pressure. You only need to consume three ounces of mushrooms to provide you with your daily dose of nutrients. Unfortunately, you either love them or hate them. Hide them in your mashed potato or chicken pie. Do anything!

Alcohol 

You don't have to ask us twice if we'd like a glass of wine. It's known that one glass of wine (drinking in moderation, of course) can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and increase lipoproteins. We don't mean drink the whole bottle every single day as this can lead to heart attacks and high blood pressure. Drink to recommended amounts and don't overdo it. Remember, too much of a good thing can be harmful! 

Tea

(Image credit: futurity.org)

Us Brits love a good cup of builders tea. Researchers believe that antioxidants in tea can have a positive impact on our health. Tea contains good cholesterol which helps our cell membranes to function and also tries to remove the bad cholesterol out of the bloodstream. Of course, tea is good if you're not sprinkling it with sugar constantly. You'll end up with diabetes instead!

Energy drinks

A BIG NO. Caffeine, vitamins and stimulating ingredients are the worst for heart health. Drinking energy drinks can lead to palpitations, heart attacks and seizures (hence the new 16 age limit). Pumping all of these compounds into your body at the same time means that your heart is working harder and can struggle, especially if you have underlying health conditions in your genes. Gookie Dough wins yet again. 

So, eat your mushrooms, drink your tea and enjoy a glass of wine. After all, it is hump day and we're all dying in the office wondering when it's the weekend. Order your Gookie Dough here to keep you going till Fri-yay! 

Cookie dough is delicious, there's no argument with that. We've all licked the bowl and spoon clean as a child and found that the dough itself tastes so much better than the end result of the baked cookie. Yet, we are always warned not to eat the dough as it is harmful to us and we can become ill. This is why Gookie Dough was created, a cookie dough that tastes just as good as homemade but with zero risks. So, why is normal cookie dough so bad for us? 

(Image credit: Eater Dallas) 

The bacteria in homemade dough 

You think that everything you whisk up at home is relatively safe to eat if you know what you're doing. Something that may surprise you is that the flour in your dough can be harmful. Flour is a raw product which means it hasn't been treated to kill bacteria such as E.coli. Harmful pathogens can contaminate the grain while it's still in the field or at other stages when the flour is being produced. The bacteria is only killed when the product is cooked or backed. This is why the raw batter can be harmful. 

E.coli symptoms tend to develop between three or four days after exposure to the bacteria, however, sometimes it can be a lot sooner. Symptoms aren't very pleasant and include abdominal cramping and vomiting. Now, healthy adults can recover from the E.coli invasion but young children and older adults have a greater risk of becoming more ill, leading to problems such as kidney failure. 

Raw eggs

When making cookies, we add eggs because they're being put into the oven and they're one of the most used ingredients in the world. however, raw eggs or foods containing them can increase the risk of salmonella infections. Salmonella can be present on the egg shells but also inside of the egg, consuming the egg raw can cause food poisoning if uncooked because again, the heat when being cooked will kill anything harmful. It is only ever safe to consume raw eggs if they have been pasteurised. 

(Image credit: Joy of Kosher) 

Gookie Dough benefits 

So, Gookie Dough is here to save the day. There is stands on top of a skyscraper wearing it's cape and saving you all from the nasty bugs. Our flour is heat-treated which means that it kills any of the bacteria that may have been present before it is put into our mixture. We're a no-egg zone, which means we've spent hours trying to develop our recipe without the need for any eggs which means that ALL flavours are egg free, yay! 

There you have it, an educational five minutes. Have any more questions? Check out our FAQ page or feel free to shoot us an email!