April 2019 - Inner Connected Wellness

Low-Sugar Easter Treats

Looking for a healthy alternative to chocolate eggs and marshmallow bunnies? Our Fruit-Filled Chocolates and Raspberry Gummies are satisfying. Make them from stabilizing whole foods that minimize blood sugar surges. These low-sugar Easter treats even fight inflammation with antioxidant ingredients.

Fruit-Filled Chocolates

3-4 oz. chocolate bar, at least 70% cacao

1/2 c. dried apricots

1/4 tsp. almond flavoring

1/2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes

In a food processor or high-powered blender, process the apricots and almond flavoring with the coconut flakes until a smooth mixture forms that holds its shape when pressed together. Form marble-size balls and set aside.

Break the chocolate bar into 1-2″ pieces. Melt in a microwave-safe container at half power in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until no lumps remain. Chocolate should not be hot! To the touch, it should as warm as body temperature. If warmer than this, set aside to let cool slightly so that you get a nice thick coating on each apricot ball.

Dip each apricot ball in the chocolate, swirling to cover. Then lift out with a fork and place on parchment paper to set. (Either dip the balls in a cool room, less than 70° F., or place in the refrigerator after dipping.) Store in a cool place – if you don’t gobble them up immediately! Makes 18-24 balls.

Nutty Variation: Place a piece of an almond, hazelnut, peanut, pecan, or walnut inside of each apricot ball before dipping.

Berry Burst Variation: Omit the almond flavoring and use dried cranberries in place of the dried apricots.

Reese’s Variation: Use raisins in place of the dried apricots. Substitute 1 tsp. vanilla for the almond flavoring. Swap 1 c. nuts for the unsweetened coconut flakes.

Tootsie Roll Variation: Add 1-2 Tb. cocoa or carob powder to the Reese’s variation. Roll into mini-logs instead of balls. Wrap in waxed paper instead of dipping in chocolate.

Fruit-filled chocolates are low-sugar Easter treats

Antioxidant Raspberry Gummies

2 raspberry or raspberry-hibiscus tea bags

1/2 cup boiling water

1 Tb. honey

2 Tb. unflavored gelatin

Steep the tea bags in boiling water 10 minutes. Remove the bags and stir in the honey. Cool the tea. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cooled tea. Stir just until gelatin is moistened. Let stand 5-10 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and mixture looks grainy. Gently warm the mixture on the stove until all the gelatin is dissolved, stirring intermittently. Spoon into candy molds and refrigerate until set. Makes 18-36 candies, depending on the size of your molds.

raspberry gummies are low-sugar Easter treats

Low-sugar Easter treats will keep you from feeling deprived while others around you gorge on fake foods and end up with a sugar hangover. This year, celebrate Easter without the guilt – and without the inflammation that comes from too much sugar!

in Food & Cooking

Blood Sugars and Leaky Gut

Are your blood sugars making you sick? New research suggests that high blood sugars may actually cause leaky gut, a condition linked to chronic disease and autoimmunity.

This research is fascinating because we already know that a leaky gut causes high blood sugars (via inflammation and insulin resistance). So, with science now showing that high blood sugars can trigger leaky gut, we see that dysfunction in one leads to degeneration in both.

What is Leaky Gut?

Technically called increased gut permeability, leaky gut is a condition where bacteria and toxins from your intestinal tract enter your blood stream. The resulting inflammation harms your digestive health. Leaky gut seems to trigger metabolic syndrome and may be prerequisite for autoimmunity. Increased gut permeability occurs when the “gatekeepers” that let nutrients into your bloodstream, called tight junctions, don’t work right. Infection, food allergies, or toxins from the environment, such as pesticides, can damage tight junctions.

Sugar in your diet may contribute to leaky gut by feeding certain microbes that open tight junctions. Of course, too sugar much in the diet means high blood sugars, too. So dietary sugar contributes to leaky gut in that way, too.

Protect Yourself

A stitch in time saves nine. Don’t wait until chronically high blood sugars compromise your gut and put you at risk for long-term illness. Choose to quit sugar now. Eating a nutrient-dense, whole foods diet can normalize your blood sugars as well as support your gut health.

Processed foods often have sugar added. So avoid canned and packaged products where possible. Choose fresh fruits and vegetables in season, unrefined nuts & seeds, whole grains and legumes, and animal products from pastured, free-range, or wild-caught sources.

in Education