MILL CREEK — For someone watching their carbohydrate intake, going to the grocery store is nightmarish when faced with calculating hidden carbs in fresh fruit, ignoring the aroma of fresh bread and avoiding pretty treats in the bakery aisle.
Dan Arnold and Amber Wester, owners of SmartEats at the Mill Creek Town Center, are helping make grocery shopping less restrictive and frustrating for shoppers with special dietary needs.
Earlier this year, Wester and Arnold opened SmartEats. They sell foods and cooking and baking ingredients that are low in carbohydrates or free of gluten. Some items are both low-carb and gluten-free.
The couple set up shop at the Mill Creek Town Center because it offers a lot of restaurants and shops in one convenient place. Arnold said they refer customers to Central Market and Granolas and vice versa when they know the other two businesses carry a product they don’t.
“It’s a good nest,” the former real estate broker said. “We have a good, supportive community to live in.”
Their goal is to offer a variety of foods to help people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, gluten intolerance and those opting for a low-carb diet to live healthier without giving up the foods they enjoy.
The married couple’s website promises customers they can have their cake and eat it too.
Wester said there are low-carb cake and brownie mixes. She also recommends baking with almond or coconut flour or replacing mashed potatoes with mashed cauliflower.
“You don’t have to miss out,” she said.
Their store couldn’t come at a better time.
As many as 1 in 3 American adults could have diabetes by 2050, according to a recent federal report.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts 1 in 10 people have diabetes now, but that could increase if the current trend continues. People who are overweight or obese, older adults and ethnic minorities are at particular risk for Type 2 diabetes.
Wester opted for a low-carb diet after watching the majority of her family become diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, which in many cases is preventable.
Arnold followed and after losing 50 pounds, he had lowered his cholesterol and blood pressure levels enough to go off medication.
Wester, an accountant, recommends people take control of their health and diet by doing research. Additionally, people should consider eating healthier foods rather than relying on medication to control Type 2 diabetes, eczema or high blood pressure.
“It’s not a weight issue, it’s a health issue,” she said. “Find a solution that gets to the root of the problem, don’t just fix it with pills and creams.”
They caution people to be particular about sources while combing through the Internet and books.
“Be careful — anyone can create a website,” Arnold said.
Wester said a gluten-free diet can help people diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or Asperger’s syndrome and those who are prone to skin rashes. A lot of people have been misdiagnosed with irritable bowl syndrome, eczema or chronic fatigue because nobody looked at what people are eating including the amount of gluten in their diet, she said.
“Doctors have discovered our diet is bombarded with gluten and your body is not designed for it,” she said.
While the couple acknowledge it tends to cost more to eat healthier, the cost of eating low-carb foods or fresh fruit and vegetables is cheaper than medications and surgeries linked to an unhealthy lifestyle.
“Unfortunately the cheapest food is the worst for you,” Arnold said. “When you start eating healthy, you eat less. Carbs make you hungry faster. When you eat more whole foods you feel fuller.”
“Eat sensible foods in healthy proportions,” he added. “These concepts are pretty simple.”
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