This video story was written by Chloe Benjamin. Anchor by Courtney Patterson. Show edit by David Rose. Web editing by Zachary Wooten, David Rose, and Jamie Newby.
November is National Diabetes Month, and organizations across America are bringing awareness to the disease which affects 30 million people in the U.S. Every 21 seconds, someone in the country is diagnosed with diabetes.
Sweet Desires Keto Bakery in New Port Richey makes it easier for people with diabetes to live a nutritious life while still enjoying their favorite foods. They offer low-carb, gluten-free and sugar-free food to adhere to the keto diet to ensure the body burns fat for energy rather than carbohydrates.
The bakery is just one of many hopping on the new keto lifestyle trend, which has taken off exponentially since 2019. People are turning to baked goods that adhere to keto diets to manage weight. Gluten-free baked goods are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11.24% into 2024.
Sweet Desires uses almond flour, monk fruit, heavy cream and other nonprocessed ingredients. They sell desserts such as carrot cake and red velvet cupcakes. Peanut butter bars and bagel bites are available.
“They said I was pre-diabetic. And I was like, something has to change what is just so happens that the keto diet helped lower my blood pressure to where I was feeling light headed,” co-owner David Kalbaugh said. “And things like that went to the doctor and he cut the medication in half, reversed the pre-diabetic condition.”
Kalbaugh and his wife, Bethann, started the bakery last year after going on the diet, which helped David lose 40 pounds and Bethann 35 pounds.
People with diabetes are at a greater risk of complications such as kidney disease and can suffer from fatigue, blurred vision and will have repeated infections in the gums or skin.
Sweet Desires Keto Bakery aims to help people simultaneously eat their preferred bakery confections and stay healthy without worrying about their blood sugar rising to dangerous levels.
“Everything is about moderation. And the way we bake is, we took that into consideration,” David Kalbaugh said. “No processed foods and things like that. We are now selling exactly what we were making for ourselves, with the cleanest diet possible in mind.”
The home bakery is partnered with two business locations for people ready to pick up their order. One of them is Vampire Penguin where, if you want, the owners of the bakery will drop off the customer’s deliveries.
To check out Sweet Desires Keto Bakery, visit them at 11760 Crestridge Loop in New Port Richey or place an order on their website.
