I am on month 11 of being vegetarian and have seen some great changes. I rarely get sick, and if so it's only for a short time. My fitness still seems to get better each month and I may be in the best shape of my life. I have more energy and seem fine with less sleep than what I used to get. My weight is stable and never seems to change no matter what I eat (but it's rarely ever processed food or snacks). And my cravings for that sweet treat every night has diminished greatly. But I do still get a craving from time to time and have realized I need to listen to my body and trust my cravings now as they seem to be telling me what my body truly needs rather than me telling my body what to eat as I used to do. Make sense? Anyway, now when I get that desire for something sweet, one of my favorite treats is a carob, date truffle.
You'll love these. Really! I mean if you've ever eaten a date recently, you know these things are super sweet and make a great natural sweetener. I love eating dates for a snack or after a workout as well as they are loaded with natural sugars and lots of vitamins and minerals that help your body recover quickly. Dates are a good source both soluble and insoluble fiber, helping with digestion and possibly lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. They are also a great source of magnesium, calcium, potassium, vitamin A and iron. You just can't go wrong putting such a wonderful, natural food in a treat such as date truffles.
Another ingredient in these truffles is raw coconut oil which has now become my favorite "healthy" oil. Coconut oil is a good source of short and medium chain fatty acids which are easy to digest as they require no bile or pancreatic enzymes to be broken down. Rather they are passively absorbed through the digestive tract into the blood where they are used an an immediate source of energy. It is for this reason that coconut oil can boost your energy and increase your metabolism helping promote weight loss. Also, coconut oil has amazing antiviral, antibacterial and anti fungal properties.
Nuts, the other important ingredient in these truffles, are also a healthy addition to one's diet (just a note that, for nuts to maintain many of their healthy qualities, they should be consumed raw rather than toasted or roasted). Nuts such as walnuts contain essential Omega-3 fatty acids which are necessary for brain and nerve function. Just 25 grams of walnuts will give you 90% of the recommended daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega 3's have anti-inflammatory properties which may help lower blood pressure, lower bad cholesterol, raise good cholesterol and reduce the risk of breast, colon, and prostate cancers. Nuts are also high in antioxidants, vitamins B and E, and are a great source of minerals such as iron, zinc and magnesium.
Let's add another healthy ingredient to round out the healthy benefits of these truffles, carob powder. Carob is high in antioxidants, vitamin E, is antiviral and antibacterial and is considered a digestive aid. Carob is naturally sweet so that helps too!
So no more "gut bombs" for dessert. Instead make and eat some of these raw, healthy, delicious and easy to digest truffles that won't give you heartburn. Your body will thank you.
Here's the recipe for Date Truffles:
(approximately 15 truffles)
10 large Medjool Dates pitted and chopped
1/4 cup chopped nuts such as walnuts, almonds or pecans
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons carob or cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt.
Extra cocoa or carob powder for coating the truffles. You could also use chopped nuts or coconut.
Mix ingredients well. This can be a sticky job but well worth it. Roll into small balls and coat with carob/cocoa powder. Refrigerate for a bit to firm them up or eat them right away if you can't wait. I'm not sure how long they'll keep in the fridge as mine never last more than a couple of days : )
Enjoy!
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