Diabetic people, or even those with high blood sugar levels, cannot eat too much sugary foods. Realising this, the KETO Pound Cake by FoodGenius founder, Dr Nur Athirah Hashim, produces pound cakes that are keto-friendly, sugar-free, and gluten-free so that everyone can enjoy the sweet life without worrying about their sugar levels.
All you need is love and low-carb cake
As a person who loves sweet-tasting foods, being unable to eat all of my favourite desserts is the worst thing I have ever experienced — more painful than a breakup!
I still recall having to limit my sugar intake during both of my pregnancies because I have gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) — and this sometimes makes me, and I believe, other expectant mothers, especially the sweet tooth ones, feel blue.
Dr Nur Athirah Hashim, a mother of two, also experienced this problem, but it did not prevent her from continuing to enjoy sweet treats; rather, it served as an inspiration for her to create healthier cakes by utilising ingredients that are low in carbohydrates.
“I had GDM issues every time I was pregnant, and two years after giving birth to my youngest child, my haemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) test revealed that I had pre-diabetes (my sugar level was slightly higher than the normal level).
“However, I don’t give up easily, and I believe that my body will be able to return to its normal state with His permission through healthy eating and taking appropriate supplements.
“So, from there, I learned to change my eating pattern from high-carb to low-carb (the ketogenic diet), and stop using either white sugar or brown sugar in any of my food or beverages.
“In order to decrease the keto-flu phase and make following the keto diet easier, I also take the necessary supplements,” said the 35-year-old, also known as At among family members and close friends.
Elaborating, Dr Athirah, who has a PhD in Organic and Natural Plant Chemistry, said that she was inspired to learn how to make low-carb bread and simple cakes by her cravings for sweet foods, especially cakes.
“What’s interesting is that I can now enjoy as many KETO Pound Cakes as I want while still maintaining a stable blood sugar level without worrying about it.
“Moreover, a follow-up blood test revealed that my HBA1C had returned to normal after four months of following the ketogenic diet. I actually shed about 15 kilogrammes as well, going from an L size to an M size,” she said.
Explaining the ketogenic term, she said that the word “keto” itself comes from the word “ketogenic diet”, which is a diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates. This combination helps the body enter a state of ketosis, where the body switches from burning carbs (which can usually disrupt the body’s metabolism) for energy to burning fat for energy.
Therefore, Dr Athirah produces her KETO Pound Cakes using low-carb ingredients like almond flour and coconut flour, as well as keto-friendly sweeteners (which have zero calories and carbohydrates) like lakanto and erythritol, in order to appeal to people who enjoy sweet foods.
When asked where the inspiration for starting her company, KETO Pound Cakes by FoodGenius, came from, this former oleochemistry research and development (R&D) researcher said it all started with the request of her close friends, who wanted to try and didn’t mind spending more just to taste her cakes.
“It then became famous among outsiders who also wanted to consume low-carb cakes.
“As a result of the great demand, I began selling these KETO Pound Cakes at the beginning of February this year, initially with just the Marble flavour. Then I introduced the other flavours, which included Chocolate and Pandan, Royal Fruits Berries, and Almond Flakes.
“I believe the growing public awareness of the importance of health has caused an extraordinary response to my cakes; recently, I also received my first order from Sarawak in addition to orders from customers all over the Peninsula,” said the Johorean, who decided to stop working to focus on her family and her children’s education.
When asked what makes her KETO Pound Cakes different from the ones already on the market, she responded that her cakes do not contain any vegetable oil and only use premium keto-friendly ingredients, including pure butter, whipping cream, and natural yoghurt to make them more moist and soft.
In addition, her cakes don’t include any preservatives that may cause other health problems.
“To make sure the flavour isn’t significantly different from pound cakes prepared with wheat flour, I also make plenty of trials and errors when making my own version.
“Alhamdulillah, my cakes and other ordinary pound cakes taste very much the same. What differentiates them is that my cakes’ texture is denser because they are made using almond or coconut flour instead of regular wheat flour,” she said, adding that she usually produces up to 20 KETO Pound Cakes per day.
According to her, so far she has been handling every process alone — from baking to packaging to delivering or shipping — and that when the demand for her cakes becomes steady, she will probably hire an assistant.
She added that she has now changed the packaging from an aluminium food container to a box, where the cakes will be vacuum-sealed first before being placed in the box and then wrapped and delivered to her customers.
In response to a question about whether she would sell her cakes for this coming Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Dr Athirah said that since her regular customers have been asking her the same question since the beginning of March, she has now begun accepting orders (until the third week of Ramadan) from them as well as from people who want to serve her KETO Pound Cakes as one of the dishes during the festival.
She said that despite being made using only premium ingredients, KETO Pound Cake by FoodGenius is still offered at a very competitive price, which starts from RM35 to RM45 for each 320 grammes.
Meanwhile, speaking of her aspirations, Dr Athirah expressed the hope that one day her KETO Pound Cakes would be able to contribute to the growth of the nutrition and health sectors, particularly in Malaysia.
“In addition to having a relationship as a seller and buyer, the customers and I frequently exchange stories about health issues, especially those related to nutrition. However, for medical advice, I will ask them to seek advice from a qualified medical doctor or dietician,” said the entrepreneur, who currently lives in Perak and plans to permanently return to her hometown in Johor, possibly at the end of this year.
Members of the public who have health problems, especially those with high sugar levels, or anyone who wants to try the delectable KETO Pound Cakes made by Dr Athirah can contact her at 013-7933093.
You can also search for her social media accounts — Nur Athirah Hashim on Facebook, dr.nurathirah on Instagram, or FoodGenius_Kitchen on Shopee.
Come on, let’s adopt healthy eating habits so we can live longer. Low-calorie keto desserts are not only healthy for those with high blood sugar levels, but they can also help obese people lose weight naturally.
