When trying to stay on a gluten and sugar free diet, one usually has to pass up dessert. Most desserts are composed of heavily refined foods which wreak havoc with our health. White flour and white sugar, when introduced into the healthy diets of indigenous peoples, very quickly begins to ruin the health of these previously robust populations. The negative health changes can be seen within one generation. Rotting teeth, poor skeletal formation , diabetes, and infectious disease, are just some of the consequences of a refined food diet. For more information on this subject, which is crucial to the survival of our species, I highly recommend The Price Pottenger Nutrition Foundation www.ppnf.org
For almost a year now I have been seeing a Maximized Living Chiropractor for adjustments and lifestyle support. Their program is very comprehensive and includes diet and excercise. Check out my friends at Coastal Chiropractic http://lymesentinel.blogspot.com/2011/04/maximized-living-chiropractic-care.html If you want to find a Maximized Living Chiropractor near you, you can contact Coastal Chiropractic for a reference. The reason I am bringing this up is because the basic recipe for the macaroons pictured above came from the Maximized Living Nutrition Plans ( a very helpful recipe and meal plan book)
I didn't follow the recipe exactly but it really isn't an exact recipe. It can be experimented with. I will share with you how I did it. Then we can talk briefly about the health benefits of the ingredients and why these chocolate macaroons are healthier than many other desserts. Here are the ingredients I used. There are very few and the recipe is fairly simple.
In a large bowl beat the egg whites till they are frothy. Then add the coconut and then stir in the melted butter. Add sweetener to taste. Form coconut mixture into small patties. If they are too crumbly and don't stick together....add another beaten egg white. Place patties onto a greased cookie sheet. The recipe says it makes about 12 cookies. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. The tops of the cookies don't have to brown but the bottoms should be a light brown. Remove from cookie sheet and cool.
For STEP 2 you need unsweetened baker's chocolate (3 squares), 2 Tablespoons of butter, 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil and stevia or xylitol.
Melt the chocolate, butter and coconut oil in a double boiler, add sweetener till it tastes the way you like it. I had never made macaroons nor had I ever dipped anything in chocolate before so when I observed the melted chocolate mixture it didn't look like the chocolate was deep enough to dunk the macaroons in. So.... I added 2 more squares of chocolate, and a tablespoon more each of butter and oil and then adjusted the sweetener (I used xylitol). Make sure your macaroons are cool and firm enough to dip, then dip each one in the chocolate and turn it over to coat the whole cookie. Then place on wax paper to cool. I did have some leftover chocolate so I took the top of the double boiler off the stove, let it cool a bit so the chocolate would be a bit thicker and then I used a spoon to slowly drizzle more chocolate over the tops. This created a thicker chocolate coating.....yum. Then I store them in the fridge. I froze half of the batch but I haven't eaten any of them yet so I can't tell you whether they froze well or not. I did think they were absolutely delicious!
I have been trying to find ways to incorporate more coconut products into my diet. I have read about the antibiotic, antifungal and antiviral properties of coconut oil.....and to a lesser extent the flaked coconut itself. The book Stop Alzheimer's Now by Dr Bruce Fife http://lymesentinel.blogspot.com/2011/07/stop-alzheimers-now.html , stresses how important coconut oil is in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's. Also you may want to check out the video, in the right hand column of this blog, which talks about a doctor's experience in partially reversing Alzheimer's with coconut oil.
Dark chocolate is reported to contain high amounts of antioxidants, however, chocolate is bitter and doesn't really taste very good without a sweetener.......which then may at least partially negate any benefits.Powdered stevia and xylitol are more natural than say...aspartame but they are still refined sweeteners. One of their main advantages is that they do not raise the blood sugar and are safe for diabetics and hypoglycemics. These sweeteners also do not encourage candida in the gut. Xylitol is reported to discourage cavities. I used xylitol in the above recipe and found that it did not hurt my sensitive teeth like sugar does. Chocolate also contains caffeine. So, while the recipe above appears to be much healthier than some desserts, we still must eat desserts in moderation.
Last night I had the chocolate macaroons with chaga coffee.No caffeine in chaga coffee....only immune and anti-aging benefits. More about that delicious healthful drink here
Anyway the standard body ph is heavily weighted toward acid-forming foods. However, the point remains that most people eat both acid-forming and alkaline-producing foods.
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