Organic Manna Bread Muffin: Healthiest Muffins in the World

I know it’s a bold statement to call something the healthiest anything in the world, but I seriously think the Manna Muffin by Manna Organics just might be the healthiest muffin EVER…at least it absolutely must be the very healthiest muffins you can buy already made.

Discovering the Manna Muffin has made clean eating just that much easier….especially when I’m on the go! They are the perfect nutrient-dense snack for fueling my nine-year old son before football practice and they truly taste amazing.

I am normally not a big muffin eater because most muffins are basically cupcakes cloaked in health suits. For kicks I decided to Google “healthy muffin recipes” and one of the first things that popped up was a recipe from Eating Well for an “Apricot Wheat Germ Muffin”. I quickly glanced over the ingredients (listed below) and sure enough, the recipe wasn’t exactly a nutritional all-star. While the recipe did include a nice hefty dose of wheat germ and dried apricots, it also called for a mediocre oil, 1/2 cup sugar, processed empty-calorie all-purpose flour and a full cup of buttermilk. I’m not saying the “Apricot Wheat Germ Muffin” is the unhealthiest recipe in the world, I’m just saying it’s not the healthiest either.

Typical Ingredients in a “Healthy” Muffin Recipe

• 3/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1/2 cup orange juice, divided
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon toasted wheat germ, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients in the VitaMuffin

Since I know a lot of people don’t have the time to make homemade muffins from scratch these days I decided to look up the ingredients in the ever so popular VitaMuffin. The VitaMuffin comes in an assortment of flavors so I randomly chose the CranBran VitaMuffin. I’ve cut and paste the ingredients below in GREEN:

Water, whole wheat flour, organic sugar, egg whites, whole wheat flakes, cranberries, molasses powder, soy bran, oat fiber, wheat protein isolate, oat bran, inulin, leavening (potassium bicarbonate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate), wheat gluten, fruitrim (grapejuice, brown rice), acacia gum, natural flavor, unrefined sea salt, cinnamon, xanthan gum, lecithin, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, folic acid, iron, biotin, zinc. CONTAINS EGG, SOY, WHEAT

I don’t like to bad mouth products, but all I’m going to say is that you are kidding yourself if you think eating a VitaMuffin is going to do anything to improve your health or help you lose weight. The VitaMuffin might be spiked with some synthetic vitamins and stuff, but it’s absolutely not an intrinsically nutrient-dense “whole food.”

I’m in Love with Manna Muffins!

The ingredients in the VitaMuffin are one of the reasons I end up in the kitchen a lot. In my effort to eat clean I sometimes end up cooking more than I’d like mostly because it’s hard for me to find tasty packaged foods that I think are truly healthy. But, ever since discovering the Manna Muffins I can’t tell you how much time I have been able to save packing lunches for my son, coming up with a good afternoon snack or finding something tasty for a quick on-the-go lunch.

The ingredients in the Manna Muffin are as pure, wholesome and nourishing as you can get. I can’t think of a way I could make a muffin any healthier. Manna Muffins come in a variety of flavors (Banana Walnut Hemp / Fig, Fennel & Flax / Fruit & Nut / Cinnamon & Date, etc.) and they are all incredibly healthy. One of my favorites is the Carrot Raisin….just check out the ingredients.

Ingredients in the Carrot Raisin Manna Muffin

INGREDIENTS: sprouted organic whole wheat kernels, organic raisins, filtered water, organic carrots.

And no, I’m not kidding. That’s the entire list of ingredients. The Manna Muffin contains no flour, no sugar, no added oils, no preservatives, no yeast, no salt and no added fats. And yet, incredibly, they still taste sweet and they are very, very moist. (And by the way, if you watch the video above and see my 9-year old son eating and loving them you’ll see they also pass the kid test!)

Because Manna Muffins are made with sprouted whole grains they are nutritionally superior to any muffin made with flour; this is because the process of sprouting releases all the vital nutrients stored within the whole grain. You can certainly sprout your own whole grains and make your own muffins…but of course that means you’ll be spending some time in the kitchen.

Manna Muffins are also low glycemic (so they won’t spike your blood sugar levels) and this means they are excellent for keeping your energy levels high all day.

Oh yes! And because Manna Muffins do not contain preservatives you won’t find them squatting on the supermarket shelves along with the other processed foods. Look for Manna Muffins in the frozen section of your natural foods supermarket or at Whole Foods Market. I promise you won’t be disappointed!