Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Protein Balls
Carrot cake that cares about your health…
I had my girl Alisha over at Eat Your Heart Out put together a tasty treat for you all. It has dates which are sweet treats on their own that pack a fiber, antioxidant punch. Even though they’re sweet with sugar, they have a low glycemic impact. Then she’s mixed in some seriously heart healthy fats, flavor and cinnamon!!
In a recent gut health study, researchers at the Melbourne, Australia-based RMIT University School of Engineering determined that even a small dose of cinnamon helps to drop the carbon dioxide levels in the stomach—lowering body temperatures and aiding with digestion. The results, which were published in the journal Scientific Reports
I can’t wait for you to get your hands on her balls because she definitely didn’t drop the ball on flavor! ;-)
Goods To Get:
½ cup organic shredded carrots
½ cup walnuts
2 tbsp almond butter
1 scoop cinnamon or vanilla protein
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
8 dates, pits removed
Splash of almond or coconut milk
Unsweetened coconut for rolling
Mix it all together, refrigerate or freeze in a stasher bag!
Product Perks:
Carrots - Raw carrots have a unique fiber that binds with endotoxins, like excess estrogen and bad bacteria. Without enough non-digestible fiber to sweep the intestine, harmful bacteria outcompete the good guys that keep you healthy.Carrots fix that problem with its toxin-binding and non-fermenting fiber.
Walnuts - In a randomized, controlled trial, researchers found that eating walnuts daily as part of a healthy diet was associated with increases in certain bacteria that can help promote health. Additionally, those changes in gut bacteria were associated with improvements in some risk factors for heart disease.
Dates - In a clinical study a group of people were randomly assigned to either a control group (maltodextrin-dextrose) or an intervention group (seven dates, approximately 50 g) for 21-days. During the study their gut health was measured clinically and with metabolic markers.The addition of those 7 tasty lil dates to their daily diet was found to significantly improve bowel movements and stool frequency suggesting better digestive function.
Protein - Gut bacteria are able to break down protein into amino acids and amino acids are the building blocks of the body.
Cinnamon - this antioxidant, anti-inflammatory spice has been shown that if people with type 2 diabetes, add 1 gram or about half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day that it’ll have beneficial effects on blood markers. It also reduces levels of total cholesterol, “bad” LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while “good” HDL cholesterol remains stableThis recipe works during the REINTRODUCTION phase of The Gut Refresh because of the dates.
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If you make this recipe & share it please make sure to tag me and the blog url. Thanks for all your support!! I just love your guts!!
Chanelle Cozette Doyle
*This post is not sponsored. Prizes given are purchased by myself. When you purchase a product from my pink links I do receive commission from the company you purchase from, this does not impact the price you pay!! This allows me to continue to provide you with free & fabulous content. Thank you for your support! All my content, including pictures is protected. Xo
SOURCES:
Alyssa M Tindall, Christopher J McLimans, Kristina S Petersen, Penny M Kris-Etherton, Regina Lamendella. Walnuts and Vegetable Oils Containing Oleic Acid Differentially Affect the Gut Microbiota and Associations with Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Follow-up of a Randomized, Controlled, Feeding Trial in Adults at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease. The Journal of Nutrition, 2019; DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxz289
Eid N, Osmanova H, Natchez C, Walton G, Costabile A, Gibson G, Rowland I, Spencer JP. Impact of palm date consumption on microbiota growth and large intestinal health: a randomised, controlled, cross-over, human intervention study. Br J Nutr. 2015 Oct;114(8):1226-36.