I chose to use almond butter in this recipe instead of peanut butter as I know many people are allergic to peanuts. You can, however, use peanut butter if you prefer. The cookies are delicious either way!
Almonds are jam packed with healthy fats. Yes, some fats are healthy. Fat helps to keep us full and satiated, which can help us lose weight. It also helps to regulate blood sugar, which means we are less likely to get hangry (you know, hungry angry), feel tired, get headaches or become shaky. It also means we are less likely to crave sugar and/or refined carbohydrate laden food, which is really important for hormone conditions, such as, PCOS and insulin resistance.
Speaking of hormones, we need fat to manufacture our sex hormones - and almonds have that in spades. They also have a good amount of fibre, which is needed to eliminate excess oestrogen. The reason being, when the liver clears excess oestrogen from the blood, it sends it to the colon for elimination. In order for the oestrogen to be eliminated, it MUST bind to fibre! If it doesn't, then it will get reabsorbed, and that is not what we want, especially in oestrogen dominant cases like PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, etc.
Now, let's get back to fat. It is vital to brain health because the brain's gray matter is made up of about 60% essential fatty acids1. Crazy, right?! Not only that, fat can also increase serotonin levels temporarily!
Almonds, in particular, help to lower cholesterol and are rich in the heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. Roughly 70% of the fat content in almonds are from monounsaturated fat. This is interesting because monosaturated fat is the key fat in the Mediterranean diet, which has been shown in numerous studies to be associated with decreases rates of heart disease and cancer and longer life spans2.
Ready to get some almonds into you? Let's get baking!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup 100% Almond Butter
- 1/2 tsp Aluminum Free Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Organic Ceylon Cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp Celtic Sea Salt
- 1/4 - 1/3 cup Natvia or Swerve
- 1 Free Range Egg
- 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 80g Lindt 70-85% Chocolate
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 180° Celsius.
- Place all ingredients, except the chocolate, into a bowl.
- Mix well.
- Chop the chocolate into chunks then mix through the batter.
- Spoon into 12 balls.
- Bake 9 - 10 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown. Do not overcook as they will harden as they cool.
- Enjoy!!
References:
Bowden, J. (2007). The 150 healthiest foods on earth. Beverly, MA: Fair Winds Press
Mathews Larson, J. (1999). Depression-Free, naturally. New York: Ballantine Books
0 Comments