LOCABA FAQ

First of all: the taste. But beyond that LOCABA cakes are low-carb and have therefore a series of positive effects on your health. They help you stay in shape, are good for your teeth and even have anti-aging effects.

We use natural and untreated ingredients. No table sugar (Sucrose) is added in our cakes, no (gluten-containing) grain, no preservatives. Yes, it’s “clean baking”. And if we use eggs, we use cage-free eggs only.

Everybody, of course, who loves delicious desserts.
• Especially foodies who want to stay in shape – as LOCABA desserts work against weight gain and obesity (low-carb means low insulin release).
• Especially kids – as the desserts are not cariogenic (good for your teeth!).
• Especially sportspeople – the desserts are rich in proteins.
• Especially elder persons – as the desserts have anti-aging effects (antioxidants, no pro-inflammatory ingredients).
• Especially diabetics – as LOCABA desserts are blood sugar stable.

They come from Markus Berndt’s years-long journey on his quest for healthy food – experimenting with hundreds of ingredients and their effects on the blood sugar level. These findings, combined with Austria’s organic background and Vienna’s rich confectionery- and coffee house-tradition result in LOCABA’s one-of-a-kind recipes.

Because we are convinced about the effect of our cakes and desserts on the entire body. For example: if you enjoy food that does nor cause a peak in blood sugar level, you don’t feel tired after the meal.
LOCABA cakes and desserts do not cause this fatigue, are good for your figure and your teeth and can have anti-aging effects. We call ‘em “full body treats” because something that is not only good for your palate but also for your whole body indulges you in a totally new kind. Promise.

Yes, the lower the amount of carbohydrates, the better it is for diabetics. All our products are all strictly low-carb desserts, blood sugar stable and therefore diabetic-friendly cakes and desserts.

“Blood sugar stable” means that – if at all – the postprandial (2 hours after consumption) blood sugar level is never more than 20% of the initial value. Equivalent conventional desserts cause a rise of at least 50%.
Often the consumption of LOCABA desserts leads to no rise of the blood sugar level at all.
(We are talking about average values. If you measure your blood sugar, we highly appreciate if you share your experience with us!)

https://youtu.be/e9AKq5Si9ak

Of course, this is a complex topic. But to put it in a nutshell: The less carbs, the lower the insulin release. And you surely don’t want to have a lot of insulin in your system: Insulin blocks fat burning (it is a fat-storing hormone), is pro-inflammatory and even boosts tumor growth.

Because we don’t use cariogenic ingredients, especially no table sugar.
If you want to know it in detail: bacteria like carbohydrates (so they love sugar) and when consuming it, they produce lactic acid and acetic acid. And those acids attack your dental enamel. LOCABA desserts are low-carb and don’t contain the said sugar.

As LOCABA desserts are low-carb (and table sugar free, of course), they don’t trigger a significant rise in blood sugar. So there is no need for insulin release, which would then block fat burning.
Plus: Our desserts are rich in protein, which is good for your muscle growth, and a higher quality and longer lasting energy provider than carbs for your workout.

Calories per se are not bad. And calories are not calories! You need calories (=energy) for your vital functions like breathing, for moving, growth and for keeping yourself warm! All these factors differ a lot, of course, from individual to individual.
But what you should avoid are “empty calories” which don’t include any nutrients at all. These calories are immediately absorbed, leading to a spike in blood sugar and if not immediately used for e.g. heavy physical activity, they will be stored in fat (gaining weight). As you probably know, most things that taste sweet are full of sugar.
LOCABA desserts don’t contain any table sugar and don’t include any “empty calories” at all, only calories that the body can use and benefit from.

Because they contain antioxidants which are well known for their positive health effects (see e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioxidant ) and they don’t contain pro-inflammatory ingredients like table sugar and wheat flour.

LOCABA desserts provide you with long-lasting energy due to their high protein content and high-energy ingredients like nuts and almonds. Protein boosts and preserves muscle growth and is a longer-lasting provider of energy than carbs.

Low-carb nutrition triggers reduced insulin release. This prevents the body from establishing an insulin resistance (which is an intolerance of the body’s cells towards the endogenous insulin). Insulin resistance itself paves the way to diabetes (Type 2).
In addition, insulin resistance boosts the activation of inflammatory processes –which in turn boost the insulin resistance. A vicious circle that can be avoided.

Yes, definitely! Kids love sweets. It’s a natural desire. Our products are healthy treats. Our cakes contain no table sugar, are not cariogenic and are good for the kids’ teeth. Plus: they contribute to prevention of obesity and diabetes (Type 2).

In contrast to popular opinion, fats are not bad per se. Fats are an important and valuable source of nutrients. But, as always, fats should also be consumed in the right dose and in a balanced mix.
As fats are flavor carriers and have a bad reputation, many producers replace them with the flavor-carrier sugar. LOCABA desserts contain no table sugar and fats only in high quality and beneficial form.

Dietary fibers are indigestible carbohydrates, which come primarily from vegetable foods. They boost digestion, give you a longer satiety and improve your intestinal flora. Dietary fibers reduce blood sugar peaks after eating, as these type of carbohydrates pass more slowly into the blood from the intestines.

The health effects of soy are much discussed. Soya beans contain so-called isoflavonoids that belong to the group of phytoestrogens. These phytoestrogens may interact with hormone metabolism, affecting thyroid metabolism. (See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3074428/ )
In Asia – where soy is an important part of the diet – the legume is often not eaten “pure” but in fermented form. Typical soy ferments are Natto, Tempeh and Miso.
In addition, Soy is often genetically engineered and produced in huge monocultures with massive use of pesticides. This contradicts our concept of “clean baking”.

Low-carb food contains at least 30% less carbohydrates than conventional equivalent products.
Good to know: A strongly carb reduced diet can counteract many diseases: cancer, Alzheimer’s, migraine, diabetes, multiple sclerosis as well as intestinal and skin diseases.
See:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/benefits
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5842847/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4709725/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3951260/
A typical distribution of nutrients within the concept of low-carb nutrition is: 25% Carbs – 25% Proteins – 50% Fats.

If a product contains less than 7 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams: As a rough rule of thumb and according to our experiences this is the amount of carbs that your pancreas usually ignores and thus releases no insulin at all.
(“Insulin – Wichtigster Regulator für unsere Gesundheit”/”Insulin – the most important regulator for our health”, Günter Ulmer, Ulmer. More detailed info: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3907653/ )

No blood sugar peaks, a reduced insulin release and no fatigue! You don’t feel tired after the consumption of low-carb dishes. This after-meal fatigue is always a sign of the blood sugar level dropping after a peak.
Good to know: The glycemic index is a measure of the effect of carbohydrate-containing food on blood sugar levels. The higher the value, the more sugar there is in the blood.
See: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/carbohydrates-and-blood-sugar/

Yes.
(LOCABA stands for LOw-CArb BAkery.)

Yes! The American Diabetes Association officially acknowledges it. 

No. Often artificial sweeteners like Aspartam are used instead of sucrose (household sugar), and the effects of these are discussed quite controversially. Fructose is also in widespread use in “sugar free” products but according to new scientific findings fructose has an even more harmful effect than table sugar, as it boosts insulin resistance and the development of a non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD).
See: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5372893/

We use our in house developed calorie-free sugar, LOCAR. It contains 99% less metabolized carbs than table sugar. It is calorie-free and not cariogenic – so it’s good for your and your kids’ teeth. LOCAR also does not cause blood sugar spikes, so it’s diabetic-friendly.

No.

No. Products without table sugar most likely contain considerable amount of “simple carbohydrates” like e.g. refined wheat products, rice flour, which lead to a quick rise in blood sugar levels, just like sugar.
In addition sugar substitutes may be used that are not suitable at all for diabetics – like fructose syrup, honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, rice syrup, corn syrup, date sugar and date syrup (often used in vegan products), all sugar derivatives and glucose/dextrose (also as syrups).
Most sugar alcohols like maltitol, xylitol and sorbitol should only be consumed in very small amounts because they can cause diarrhea.
Some of these sugar substitutes are highly glycemic (not low-carb) and others can favor non-alcoholic fatty liver disease due to their fructose content.

It hast this full and familiar taste, texture and mouthfeel of sugar because technically it contains real sugar (monosaccharide) – just without the utilizable carbs & calories.

LOCAR is based on a special Allulose which is new to the Singapore market and a purely plant-based raw material from sugar beets that also occurs naturally in dried figs, kiwis and raisins. We also use a special monkfruit sweetener from Blyss. It combines the all-natural fruit extract derived from the fruit pulp that contains zero carbohydrates and calories with the naturally produced sugar substitute erythritol which is also discarded without being metabolized at all.

Yes, LOCAR will be available hopefully soon here in LOCABA’s webshop! So you can also start to healthily sugar your own desserts or coffee!

Depending on your personal taste, LOCAR might be a little less sweet than table sugar. But you can also just use more without concerns as you don’t have to worry about calories, carbs or your teeth. The only limit: we recommend a maximum daily intakt of 0.9 grams LOCAR per kilogram of your bodyweight. So a person of 40 kilograms shouldn’t eat more than 36 grams of LOCAR which equals 9 teaspoons of LOCAR.
Consuming over the recommended amount may cause unpleasant (yet harmless) digestive feedback.
And if you eat half a conventional cake with table sugar you would probably feel weird as well. 😉

Only 1–2% of the population has celiac disease – which means their organism really can’t handle gluten. But a lot of people do not tolerate highly industrialized wheat and therefore feel better consuming gluten-free products.

Because we don’t use grain at all and therefore no gluten containing ingredients. Generally all our products are wheat free as well as wheat flour free and gluten-free desserts.

This varies from recipe to recipe, of course. The main substitutes are coconut flour and almond flour.
(Please understand that we cannot disclose all our ingredients in detail as a there are also pending patent procedures for LOCABA’s production processes.)

Gluten is a general name for proteins found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale. Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds food together. That’s why gluten is so popular in kitchens.
Good to know: There are gluten-free cereals such as buckwheat. Rice is gluten free but highly glycemic (high-carb)!

In general, a ketogenic diet is a very carbohydrate-reduced form of nutrition in which the main energy is drawn from fats. The metabolism is reprogrammed, so that carbohydrates are virtually no longer needed.
In the course of a ketogenic diet, no more than 50g of carbohydrates may be consumed in order to get into “ketosis” which means: As soon as glucose is no longer available, the liver begins to produce the ketone bodies from fatty acids, which in turn serve the body as a source of energy.
So basically you burn your fat reserves instead of carbs.

An ideal distribution of nutrients during a ketogenic diet: 5% Carbs – 35% Proteins – 60% Fats.
Another guideline: the daily amount of fats consumed should be at least double the total carbohydrate and protein content.

LOCABA products are so strongly carbohydrate-reduced and contain good fats that they are keto cakes and desserts by nature. They can be consumed as part of a ketogenic diet.

A majority of people, particularly in Asia, are to some extent lacto-intolerant. But not only to address this health aspect, also for the environment and to reduce our contribution to climate change LOCABA includes a variety of great tasting vegan products without milk, dairy products or eggs. Guilt-free for you and for the planet!

No. We have low-carb desserts that can contain dairy products and eggs, and we have vegan low-carb desserts.

Yes. We go with the classic definition of vegetarianism (see Wikipedia) “the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, and the flesh of any other animal), and may also include abstention from by-products of animal slaughter.”
Of course, all our cakes do not contain any meat or seafood. And, in contrast to many conventional desserts we don’t use any animal-based gelatin (which is produced with slaughter by-products of beef or pork). So LOCABA offers vegetarian cakes only.

No. For our non-vegan cakes and desserts we do use eggs (cage-free eggs only!). If you want to avoid eggs, please choose our vegan cakes and desserts–these are, of course, eggless desserts.

Yes, for sliced cakes & jar desserts you are welcome to visit us at Erwin’s Gastrobar
8A Marina Boulevard, #01-01, Ground Plaza, Singapore 018984, where we have a daily assortment available for takeaway or dine in!
For whole cakes, please order online first. As we believe in clean baking and don’t use any artificial preservatives, each cake is freshly prepared to order.
Please order online at least one day in advance (before 4pm for next day) and choose pick-up or islandwide delivery to your convenience. 

Yes, we have a daily assortment of sliced cakes (and jar desserts) available at our Erwin’s Gastrobar. You can also order our new sliced cake packages online!

As our cakes do not contain any artificial preservatives, we recommend to consume our cakes within 3 days upon delivery/pickup. Please keep it chilled, of course.

Not (yet) certified Halal but we use no pork and no lard. (Even the gelatin we use is Halal certified.)
Please be aware that our Tiramisu contains some rum. (It’s the only cake containing some alcohol.) The Vegan Tiramisu is alcohol-free.