Microbiome healing, hormone supportive cherry cheesecake ‘magnum’ lollies

I know it’s not for everyone, but I really love making versions of sweet foods and favourite dishes, and giving them not just a healthy spin, but a functional food spin that’s great for endometriosis. I also love decadence. The recipe ideas I come up make Chris laugh, because they’re so just ridiculously indulgent - despite being full of nutritional benefits.

This is one of those recipes.

I travel Europe full time, and something I’ve noticed every summer, is that the shops and markets are full and I mean FULL of cherries, great piles of them heaped up into big, deep boxes, glinting in the sun.

This summer, the cherry boom also happened at the same time that I invested in a magnum lolly mould, to start making you guys some endo summer magnums - and all of a sudden, my brain remembered that cherries, alongside chocolate and hazelnuts, are some of the most polyphenol rich foods available. And my latest decadent idea was born.

Cherry cheesecake magnums, enrobed in chocolate and hazelnuts.

Sound too good to be endo supportive?

Read on my friends, read on…

This endometriosis friendly Cherry Cheesecake Magnum recipe is…

• Absolutely jam packed with polyphenols to heal the endo belly.

Polyphenols are types of antioxidants found in certain plant foods that not only reduce inflammation levels and improve overall health, but they are also an absolute favourite food for our gut microbiome, which means that can support our good gut bugs to thrive.

Why does this matter? Research is finding a strong correlation between microbiome disturbances and endometriosis development, such as reduced levels and variety of good gut bugs and higher levels of pathogenic (bad, infectious), opportunistic (in high numbers, can cause problems like inflammation) gut bugs, as well as gut bugs linked to elevated oestrogen levels. These microbiome differences have also been associated with higher IL-8 levels, a type of inflammatory cytokine shown to be involved in the development of endometriosis.

Polyphenols are like gut bug boosters - the more we provide our healthy bacteria to grow, the more they can outnumber the bad guys, and bring the gut back into harmony, which can improve gut symptoms, intestinal inflammation and whilst we need to do more research, could even help us fight endo.

• Boosts your plant points to encourage microbial diversity.

As we just explored, one of the problems we face with endometriosis is a lack of microbial diversity. The good news is that research has shown that those who eat 30+ different plant foods a week had more good gut bugs and a more diverse microbiome.

This recipe offers 4-5 different plant foods - dark chocolate (yes, it counts!), cherries, cashew butter, hazelnuts and if using, vanilla (if using the pod).

• Rich in probiotics from the cream cheese to feed the good microbiome.

As we’ve been exploring, people with endo have been shown to have microbiome dysbiosis, with lower levels of some beneficial bacteria and higher levels of pathogenic (bad) or opportunistic bacteria, which can not only fuel IBS symptoms like bloating (a.k.a. the endo belly), but also inflammation.

The cream cheese in this recipe (providing you buy one with live cultures) offers probiotic benefits, even when frozen! Probiotic foods provide us with more beneficial bacteria, to help top up and diversify our own. Given the strong connection between endo and the microbiome, it’s important for us to introduce new and varied bacteria through various probiotic sources, so that we can build up our healthier bacteria, but also outcompete the pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria (such as e.coli and klebsiella).

• Low in sugar and blood sugar balancing to keep inflammation, pain and PMS at bay.

The closest Magnum lolly flavour I can compare this to is the Utopia Double Cherry, this is a bit smaller than your average classic magnum, but it still comes in at 21g of sugar, with very little fibre and protein to help negate the blood sugar spike.

The majority of store bought ice creams, including Magnums, are very high in sugar and are typically classified as ultra processed. Both high sugar foods and processed foods can potentially contribute to more PMS and endo pain.

In contrast, this recipe is sweetened only with cherries, and uses a high percentage dark chocolate for the coating, which is low in sugar, so each bar comes in at about 5-6g of sugar, much of which is naturally occurring from the cherries.

The added bonus is that the fat, fibre and protein, which are all present in great amounts from the cream cheese, nuts and fruit, further help stabilise blood sugar, by slowing down digestion and therefore the release of glucose from the chocolate and cherries. This means that the release of glucose to the blood stream is gradual, creating a gentle and steady rise in blood sugar, rather than a big spike.

Keeping blood sugar levels stable helps to prevent oxidative stress, which leads to more inflammation in the body and that may trigger further pain and symptoms. In fact, oxidative stress is higher in people with endo, and it’s a key driver of endo growth.

Additionally, these magnums can help us out with luteal phase cravings. When we’re in our luteal phase, we often experience more blood sugar swings because oestrogen, which dominates in our follicular phase, helps us to regulate our blood sugar response, but is lower in the luteal phase. As a result, we tend to get cravings for sweet foods or foods high in starch. The problem is, these foods keep us on a blood sugar rollercoaster, and raise inflammation levels, resulting in more of those inflammatory symptoms and pain that we’re trying to avoid. This lolly, being low in sugar and rich in fibre, can help us get our fix without the pain triggering spikes.

To add to that, constant blood sugar swings can take their toll on hormones, leading to issues like elevated androgens (think testosterone), which can affect ovulation and cycle length. Blood sugar swings may also cause oestrogen excess or dominance and low progesterone if ovulation is interrupted or stopped entirely.

Finally, blood sugar swings are linked heavily with mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, so if you struggle with low moods in your luteal phase, supporting blood sugar can actually support your mental health!

• High in fibre and prebiotics thanks to the cashew, hazelnut and cherries.

Each lolly provides 5g of fibre, which is just over 15% of your daily RDA for fibre (30g) - in contrast, the average Magnum offers around 1g of fibre! Fibre helps to keep us full, but is also crucial to a healthy gut because it keeps our bowels moving and fibre is the key source of food for our good gut bugs, and when they’re happy, our gut and digestion is happier too.

Polyphenols are prebiotics, as we explored earlier, but there are also other prebiotics hidden inside this decadent treat. Prebiotics are types of types of fibre rich foods that feed the gut microbiome and have been shown in the research to offer unique benefits for the gut and our microbiomes. Cashews are a fantastic prebiotic food that gut bacteria love.

Now, cashews are high in FODMAPS, which isn’t a bad thing, in fact, it’s the FODMAPS that the bacteria have a good munch on with cashews, but it does mean that some of us won’t be able to tolerate these lollies without swapping cashew butter for a different type. The good news is, all nut and seed butters offer fibre benefits, especially almonds, so you won’t be missing out. I’ve provided you with some alternatives in the notes below.

• A good protein booster thanks to the cream cheese, cashews and hazelnuts.

Protein is an essential macro for helping to us balance blood sugar, as well as keeping us full and satisfied. Often we we reach for a Magnum, it’s not exactly something that fills us up and satisfies us for a few hours - in fact, the blood sugar rollercoaster it can put us on, can often drive us to crave more sugary delights.

Most Magnums contain 1-2g of protein in them, these lollies contain around 9g of protein, so can help us fill full, manage cravings and blood sugar, and can also help us to reach a healthy amount of protein for the day.

Protein, especially as age and for cyclical bodies, becomes even more important during menopausal years, when bone density can decline. Building muscle is one of the key ways to keep our bones healthy, but we need adequate protein to build muscle - and who wouldn’t want to get there with a little sweet treat?

Important notes to help you tailor this recipe to your own body and needs (and tastebuds!)

How to make these lollies low FODMAP

These lollies are not low FODMAP due to the serving sizes. The serving sizes exceed low FODMAP levels for frozen cherries and dark chocolate, additionally, cashews are high FODMAP at any serving size. The cream cheese levels do come in at under a low FODMAP serving size however, this may change if you use a different type of cream cheese such as cashew or almond.

If you find this recipe bloats you, you can make some tweaks to reduce the level of FODMAPS. Swap the nut butter for a lower FODMAP option, such as almond or sunflower seed butter and you can also get hold of mini magnum lolly moulds, and make half portion sizes, so you have 12 instead of 6, this will make the dark choc well within low FODMAP ranges, and the cherries in the moderate range. You may find that swapping the cashew butter for a low FODMAP option is enough to improve your tolerance.

Making these dairy free

Research shows that about half of people with endo may experience improvements in pain and symptoms with the removal of dairy.

If this is you, look for a good quality cream cheese alternative that has live cultures in it and minimal ingredients, as many dairy free alternatives are ultra processed or do not have beneficial bacteria in them, which doesn’t benefit gut health! A good brand in the UK is Nush and you could also look for lactose free options, which may be better tolerated. Keep in mind if you opt for a coconut based cream cheese, the protein levels will be lower. Additionally, the nut based cream cheeses may be higher in FODMAPS.

Alternatively, you could use a dairy free yoghurt instead of cream cheese, which will still give a cheesecake like flavour.

Want these to be sweeter?

I like to keep sugar low and opt for whole food sources where possible, so mine and my trusted taste tester boyfriend’s taste buds have adapted to less sweet foods, but if you need a little extra sweetness, throw in one to two medjool dates. Yes, they’ll be more sugar in these, but they’ll also be extra fibre and minerals too!

Budget considerations

This recipe isn’t the cheapest to make because it’s so indulgent, so if financial constraints are a concern for you, keep this recipe for special occasions, such as a summer party. I have plenty of other simple recipes coming out that are cheaper to pull together, that still hit those summer sweet tooth cravings!

Further resources

If you’re struggling with your endo nutrition or gut health, you might find my courses and one to one coaching helpful. You can find out more here. I’ve also got endless podcast episodes on gut health and blood sugar.  

To understand more about the low FODMAP diet, start here.

Microbiome healing, hormone supportive cherry cheesecake ‘magnum’ lollies

Method:

• In a food processor, pulse and then blend the cream cheese, cashew butter and cherries, plus the vanilla if using, until smooth. Depending on the strength of your food processor, you may have some small bits of cherry left remaining.

• Spoon (it’ll be thick so you can’t really pour) into magnum shaped lolly moulds (or whatever moulds you have) and freeze overnight.

• The next day, gently melt the chocolate and coconut oil over a double boiler and cover a chopping board with baking paper. Decant into a narrow drinking glass (but wide enough to dip the chocolate in) and stir in the chopped hazelnuts. One by one, dip the lollies. You may need a spoon to fill in some gaps. Hold the lolly over the chocolate for a few seconds, to allow the excess to drip off. You’ll likely need to rotate to prevent the hazelnuts from dropping off.

• Alternatively, hold the lollies over the melted chocolate, in the bowl it was melted in, and with a spoon or silicone spatula, coat the lollies, whilst rotating them, to ensure even coverage.

• The chocolate should harden as it hits the lollies, once it’s fairly set (as in, no longer dripping), place each one down onto the chopping board, and return to the freezer for an hour or so to firm up.

• Enjoy!