We’ve been asking our network of professional nutritionists what their clients key concerns are since the fluctuating ‘new norms’ and to our surprise a key concern was snacking.
So, we thought we would share with you some tips on how to snack on one of most popular cakes without all the sugar and non-beneficial calories that sadly come with it. And an easy way for getting in your daily intake of elénzia Restore™ – Hydrolysed collagen type II.
Firstly, why do we crave snacks so much and what can we do to reduce the habit?
Biologically we are craving immediate energy usually from sugar and psychologically having a snack to hand has become a physical habit. However, there are a few things you can do to change this.
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No one really plans to snack but they should be prepared
If you are one of those people who finds it is inevitable that you are going to crave something sweet between, immediately after meals or after a hard training session in the gym, then be prepared. By having fruit, nuts or something like our cake-less carrot cake ball prepared you are more likely to reach for something that contains nutrients and calories that sustain energy than processed, packaged snacks filled with refined sugars and additives that will not benefit the body in anyway other than a blood sugar spike. Afterall, remember that saying ‘moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips’.
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Change up the habit
If you are going to snack then tweak the habit by adding something to the process. For example, for every snack you have try completing 30 reps of an exercise such as squats or press ups. You will find this will help you notice how often you are snacking and benefit the body by adding some physical movement to reduce the level of sugars in your system. Adding movement will also help you overtake the hunger hormone ghrelin with endorphins aka happy hormones, and eventually lead to a reduction in trips to the fridge.
Recipe Health Benefits
Every individual ingredient within this recipe is beneficial to health. And unlike some popular snacks out there, when combined they are tasty but not addictive. There are only so many you can snack on which reduces that risk of over-consumption brought on by sugar spikes and additives in most processed foods.
Dates:
Dates are a source of fructose, which is a natural type of sugar found in fruit. For this reason, dates are very sweet and also have a subtle caramel-like taste. They make a great healthy substitute for white sugar in recipes due to the nutrients, fibre, and antioxidants that they provide.
The best way to substitute dates for white sugar is to make date paste, as recommended for this recipe. It is made by mixing dates with water in a blender. A rule of thumb is to replace sugar with date paste at a 1:1 ratio. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, you replace it with 1 cup of date paste. However, it is important to note that although dates are high in fibre and nutrients, they are still fairly high in calories and best consumed in moderation.
The nutrients dates provide are associated with various health benefits such as bone health and blood sugar control. For example, dates contain several minerals, including phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium. All of these have been studied for their potential to prevent bone-related conditions like osteoporosis. Further, research exploring the link between dates and blood sugar control, shows they have the potential to help with blood sugar regulation due to their low glycaemic index, fibre and antioxidants. Thus, eating them may benefit diabetes management.
Cinnamon:
The distinct smell and flavour of cinnamon are due to it is very high in the compound cinnamaldehyde. Scientists suggest that this compound is responsible for most of cinnamon’s powerful effects on health and metabolism. For example, cinnamon has been shown to improve sensitivity to the hormone insulin which is a key hormone that regulates the metabolism and energy use. It is also essential for transporting blood sugar from your bloodstream to your cells which is a problem for many people who are resistant to the effects of insulin. This is known as insulin resistance, a hallmark of serious conditions like metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes and a reason why so many of us crave snacks! The good news is that cinnamon can dramatically reduce insulin resistance, helping this important hormone do its job. Further, by increasing insulin sensitivity, cinnamon can lower blood sugar levels, and why cinnamon is well known for its blood-sugar-lowering properties and helping reduce the effect of Type 2 diabetes.
Carrots:
The carrot is a root vegetable often claimed to be the perfect health food with its crunchy, tasty form and highly nutritious content. Carrots are a particularly good source of beta carotene, fibre, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants. They also have a number of health benefits and are a weight-loss-friendly food linked to lower cholesterol levels and improved eye health.
Although they come in various colours, the orange carrot is known for its beta carotene content which is an antioxidant that your body converts into vitamin A. This nutrient promotes good vision and is important for growth, development, and immune function.
They are particularly good to snack on as they are high in pectin, a soluble fibre also found in apples and known to lower blood sugar levels by slowing down your digestion of sugar and starch, and providing a source of energy for the friendly bacteria in your gut, which can lead to improved health and decreased risk of disease.
What’s more, certain soluble fibres can impair the absorption of cholesterol from your digestive tract, lowering blood cholesterol. The main insoluble fibres in carrots are cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Insoluble fibres may reduce your risk of constipation and promote regular bowel movements.
Walnuts:
To say that walnuts are a nutritious food is a bit of an understatement.
Walnuts provide healthy fats, fibre, vitamins, and minerals — and that is just the beginning of how they may support your health. They are scientifically speaking proven to support health in many ways, from reducing the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes and improving neurological health and much more. Though they are calorie-dense, you may not absorb all the calories in walnuts and any you do are outweighed by the vital nutrients they bring with them. In addition to this recipe, they may even help you control appetite and hunger.
Further, may help you reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes through their proven ability to have a direct effect on blood sugar control. Additionally, walnuts are significantly higher in omega-3 fat than any other nut, providing an estimated 2.5 grams per 28-gram serving. Omega-3 is an essential fat, meaning it is essential for life and a fat you must get from your diet as the body cannot produce it itself. The Omega-3 we source from plants is called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and according to the Institute of Medicine, the adequate intake of ALA is 1.6 and 1.1. grams per day for men and women, respectively. A single serving of walnuts meets that guideline.
In a nutshell, the walnut and consuming daily the amount provided in a serving from this recipe, will support your health in more ways than one.
If you didn’t know already, elénzia as a brand provides support for those who seek to achieve their health goals holistically. A key part of fulfilling a holistic lifestyle is that nutrients should be sourced naturally from the diet where possible. Where this is not always possible, at elénzia we provide them across our nutrition range within innovative and precise formulations to provide clinically proven efficacy. For example, elénzia Restore™ provides precision nutrition through a targeted highly bioavailable hydrolysed collagen is clinically proven to provide signally peptides (mini protein messengers formed by a hydrolysis process through scientific innovation) that trigger your body to start repairing and restoring areas of the body where collagen is deterring or needs repairing. The collagen we source naturally from the diet is not targeted like the hydrolysed form, which is exactly why we provide and advise taking this supplement to additionally support gut, hair, skin, nails, joint, bone and muscle health.
Adding elénzia Restore™ to this makes it the perfect precision nutrition snack after a work-out for joint and muscle recovery or, if you are wanting to get that additional beauty from within kick and plump up your skins collagen.
Cake-less Carrot Cake Protein Balls
Ingredients:
- Ground Walnuts – 250g
- Grated Carrot – 200g
- Coconut flakes – roughly 100g for sealing.
- Dates – 350g
- Cinnamon – flat tspn
- Natural Vanilla extract – 1 tbspn
- Optional – elénzia Restore™ – Hydrolysed collagen type II sourced from Porcine. – 24 capsules
- Makes 24 balls. Not suitable for vegetarian, vegan, Halal or Kosher diets.
Estimated nutrition information per serving (40g):
- 100 calories
- Carb 10g
- Protein 3g
- Fat 7g
- Free fruit sugars 6g
- Fibre 4g
Recipe Instructions
- Soak dates in water overnight in the fridge.
- Make sure all stones from within the dates are removed and blend in food processor into a paste.
- Separately, grind or process the walnuts until they become what looks like a thick flour.
- Grate carrot with a cheese grater.
- Stir all ingredients together (cinnamon, vanilla, grated carrot, ground walnuts, and date paste) except the coconut flakes.
- If adding elénzia Restore™ break capsules open and add in hydrolysed collagen powder. Stir until dissolved into mixture. And taste test for every 4 to 6 capsules you add to ensure you aren’t impacting the carrot cake flavour.
- This is where your hands may get sticky. Place coconut flakes into a bowl.
- Use a spoon to scoop out and drop into coconut flakes the mix. Roll around until only the outer edge picks up bits of coconut. Then roll this around in your palms until its create a ball shape.
- Lay on non-stick baking paper. Evenly separated and store (keep stored) in the freezer. Remove 10 minutes before consuming as these are best eaten cold. If you have sensitive teeth, we recommend removing 30 mins before consuming.
