Indulge the healthy way

A toothsome goodie is meant to be indulgent but Bandra’s Fitness Bakery has successfully accomplished an extraordinary culinary feat by discovering an innovative way of baking cupcakes, cookies and breads without the unwholesomeness of principal ingredients like sugar, butter and wheat flour. In place of these flavoursome ingredients are healthy, guilt-free substitutes such as almond and coconut flour, whey protein, sorghum (jowar) and brown rice flour.

Brain behind it
When fitness consultant Mustafa Ahmed, known for his mighty sweet tooth, was asked to cut down on his sugar intake, he put his shoulder to the wheel and instead of forgoing sweet treats he decided to reinvent them without the unhealthy (and at times allergic) ingredients. The result was Fitness Bakery, which is run by Ahmed and his wife from their little pad at Bandra.

Grain-free, gluten-free cupcakes with no potato flour, tapioca, and corn starch is quite a tall order but not an impossible task for this enterprising duo, who are gainfully employed by day and bakers by night. After a tiring day at work, the husband-wife duo don the chef’s hat and put their culinary skills to test. “Without any kind of formal training in baking, we resort to a trial-and-error approach. When we come across an interesting recipe, we first try it out at home and if it turns out to be a success, the item finds a place in our menu,” says Ahmed. 

While Ahmed’s tryst with baking started years ago, it was in August 2013 that he decided to turn his passion into business. Just three months old, Fitness Bakery has managed to garner a decent number of followers and clients in Bandra and the neighbouring areas, who regularly drop by to pick up the healthy treats. They are also flooded with regular enquiries from fans living in far-off cities like Bangalore and Delhi. “People are becoming increasingly health conscious and do not mind swapping a sugar and wheat loaded dessert with a healthy treat. That explains the growing demand for Fitness Bakery,” explains Ahmed. Their dark chocolate cupcake (with grain) filled with the goodness of sorghum, brown rice, cocoa, splenda and whey protein contains just 99 calories, while the almond and cinnamon cookie made of almond meal, coconut flour, apples and cinnamon will not cause the scale to shoot up as it just contains109 calories.

Simple pleasures
Whey protein and grain-free cupcakes, cookies and bread rule the roost at this bakery. All their treats are sans the fattening and unhealthy butter and oil. You can count the calories you consume as every order is accompanied with a tiny note that mentions its calories, carb, fat and protein content and natural sweeteners like honey and jaggery, and sugar-free natural leaf sweetener Stevia or Splenda have replaced white sugar without compromising on the taste.  

With a clientele that cannot stop raving about the healthy treats, Fitness Bakery seems to have established its presence in the neighbourhood. Jolly Philip, a diabetic patient, who tasted their apple and cinnamon cookies was glad to have stumbled upon the bakery. “I also had their Boston creampie and dark chocolate cupcakes. I have been asked to stay away from cupcakes because of their high sugar content. But I had a cupcake from Fitness Bakery after nearly a year of avoiding sweets and cakes, and I was pleasantly surprised to note that the calorie count in the cupcakes is very low. These cupcakes are also low on sugar and all unhealthy ingredients like flour, butter and icing sugar. I was glad to come across a healthy cupcake.”

If you want to taste the healthy goodies at Fitness Bakery, you will need to order in advance as over-the-counter orders are not taken. You may want to try their new grain-free range, where the treats are made with almond and coconut flour.

To place an order, call 77189 18188, email fitnessbakery@outlook.com or visit www.facebook.com/thefitnessbakery.