Blood sugar Supportive snickers crunch date bites

Recently I had a client ask me for easier, quicker recipes. She loved the sound of some of my brownies, cookies, protein bars, etc. but she was new to healthier, endo friendly snacks and felt easily overwhelmed by long ingredients lists or by products she wasn’t familiar with.

So, this recipe is dedicated to her.

These Snicker Crunch Date Bites are inspired by the viral snicker dates, but with a very little endo twist. And here’s why…

I am loving the trend for healthier versions of our favourite chocolate (or candy for my US peeps) bars, but something I do wonder about is blood sugar reactions. Dates are fantastic because they're filled with fibre, and many types of dates have a low to moderate glycemic index, which means they have a lesser effect on blood sugar. However, there’s also something called the glycemic load, and that takes into account how much of a food you’re eating in one serving, which can increase the blood sugar impact of a food even if it’s low glycemic, based on how much carbohydrate or sugar you’re consuming from that food in one sitting. You can learn more about this here.

Dates naturally are quite high in carbs and sugar, and whilst they do have a great amount of fibre, if you’re eating a lot of them as some of us are when making date bark for example, or if we’ve paired them with a higher sugar dark chocolate or with maple syrup, for example, the impact on blood sugar can start to increase.

And aside from that, for some of us, dates do just spike blood sugar, despite their low to moderate glycemic index. In fact, a number of diabetics report using medjool dates to get their blood sugar levels up following a drop in blood sugar.

I am one of those people. If I eat dates alone, or without extra fat, fibre or protein, they spike me. I’ve tested my blood sugar multiple times and it’s a consistent reaction.

So, this is exactly why when I make my recipes and I am using dates, I am always careful to moderate how many I use, and pack the recipes out with fibre, fat and protein, to slow down the blood sugar reaction (more on that below).

And yes, this may be tailored to me, but most of my clients suffer with blood sugar dysregulation, and the science shows that endometriosis is associated with metabolic and blood sugar problems, so I hope that these tweaks I make for blood sugar benefit you too.

So, what’s the twist?

Chia seeds.

These guys are pretty easy to get hold of these days and most people have heard of them, so shouldn’t be too intimidating for those who are new to making more endo friendly treats. Chia seeds have a profound positive effect on blood sugar, and combined with peanut butter, even more so and so this power duo can really help to curb any spikes so you can get the most enjoyment and nutrition from these delicious treats.

What’s even better is that when frozen, as I recommend for this recipe, they create an almost crisp biscuity crunch, similar to the crunch you get in a Dubai chocolate bar or a chocolate bar with crisp pieces like rice or cookies. Pair that crispness with the chewy caramel texture of the frozen dates, and the borderline ice cream mouth-feel of the peanut butter and you have bliss in a blood sugar supportive bite.

These Snicker Crunch Dates Bites are…

• Made with peanut butter to prevent blood sugar spikes from starchy and sugary foods.
  Nuts have been shown to have a positive effect on blood sugar, particularly peanuts and peanut butter. One study showed two tablespoons (32g) of peanut butter with a high glycemic index meal (a.k.a blood sugar spiking) significantly reduced the blood sugar spike, this is due to the fat, fibre and protein in peanut butter, which all can play a role in slowing down the digestion and absorption of glucose to the blood stream.

  We’re not using that much peanut butter, but we’re also not consuming a high glycemic meal so the amount of peanut butter required to curb the blood sugar response doesn’t need to be as high. For context, the study use 250ml apple juice plus two slices of white bread.

• Made with chia seeds to slow down the release of glucose and to slow down digestion.

Chia seeds contain something called viscose fibre. Viscose fibre forms a gel-like texture when added to water, and when combined with liquids and food in the gut. This slows down digestion and also the release of glucose from foods such as the dates in this recipe.

Now, whilst you may think that a small amount of chia wouldn’t be enough to move the needle, in fact, chia seeds can work their magic at low amounts. Whilst it’s true that higher doses have been shown to reduce postprandial glucose spikes, just adding 3g, 5g and 7g of chia seeds to cookies were all shown to elicit a lower glucose response. The even better news is that the cookies were estimated to have about 16-18g carbohydrates per 30g serving, which is similar to the amount of carbs that will be in a serving of this recipe, so we know that the chia seeds will work their magic on the carb/glucose release of these date bites. Additionally, the cookies from the study were very low in fibre, and didn’t have the added benefit of peanut butter, but still saw an improved glucose response with the chia seeds, so we should experience an even greater improvement with all the added benefits of fibre from the dates and peanut butter.

Each half a date contains 3g chia seeds so that just even if you’re not eating the full serving size, you’re still getting that chia seed benefit.

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.

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.

• A source of omega 3 to lower inflammation and improve endo symptoms.

The chia seeds in this recipe help to top up your omega 3 intake. A large body of research has shown links with endo and low omega 3 intake, and significant improvements in endo pain and period pain with increased intake or supplementing with omega 3. In fact, numerous research is now showing dietary intake of omega 3 as a helpful treatment for endometriosis inflammation and symptoms. Additionally, research has shown that a higher omega 3:omega 6 ratio suppressed endo cell survival, whilst another study showed suppression of growth.

Why are omega 3 fatty acids so beneficial? It’s mainly to do with their effects on immune compounds called prostaglandins. Prostaglandin E2 and F2α are elevated in people with endometriosis and people with dysmenorrhea. It’s these inflammatory prostaglandins that are the key cause of our pain with endometriosis, they also play a major role in the development and progression of endo. And whilst we need a health inflammatory response to heal after surgery, elevated levels of prostaglandin E2 can also make surgery recovery more painful and slow down wound healing time.

The good news is, we can actually lower the amount we make by the we eat (and supplements we take). A type of omega 6 called omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid makes prostaglandin E2 and prostaglandin F2α, but omega 3 makes anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. I have deliberately ensured that these cookies have a healthy balance of omega 3 to 6, which helps us to keep inflammation levels at bay and prevents excessive production of prostaglandins E2 and F2a.

• A source of hormone and endo supportive minerals.

The peanut butter in these snickers date bites provides about a significant contribution to your RDA for vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, folate and iron.

Vitamin E can help us manage endo and the associated pain that comes with it. A recent meta-analysis of over 589 participants, concluded that vit E supplementation can reduce period pain, pain with sex, daily pelvic pain and even improve quality of life with endometriosis patients. And a systematic review and meta-analysis of eight studies and over 1000 people concluded that vitamin E significantly reduced period pain and could be used as a treatment for dysmennorhea.

One study found people with endo had a 40% reduced intake of vitamin E, but levels increased after following a high antioxidant diet, and oxidation levels reduced by 20% - this study actually used sunflower seeds as their main vitamin E provider.

Vitamin E can also help raise progesterone levels, and whilst we’re not using as high a dose as used in the studies, ensuring you’re getting enough vit E can support a healthy corpus luteum and progesterone production.

Research has shown magnesium to be an effective treatment in preventing dysmenorrhea (period pain) because it reduces inflammatory prostaglandins that are the drivers of both endo and period pain. One study showed that six months of magnesium treatment reduced prostaglandin F2a by over half!  In fact, in recent research, magnesium is being explored as a dietary treatment for endo and a higher intake of magnesium rich foods was associated with a lower risk of endo. Additionally, magnesium helps to regulate our sex hormones, and as result, is a recognised treatment for preventing PMS.

Folate is crucial to ovarian function and ovulation, and low folate levels can cause irritability, mood swings and fatigue, and fertility problems.

Low levels of zinc have been linked to endo, and research has shown it can significantly reduce period pain thanks to its anti-inflammatory benefits. It additionally supports follicle development and ovulation, while deficiency has been linked to infertility.

Iron deficiency is extremely common in general, but even more so in people with heavy menstrual bleeding. Iron plays a major role in preventing fatigue, and yet many of the clients who I work with, come to me with significantly low levels due to having SIBO, avoiding red meat, heavy periods or other reasons. Supporting healthy iron absorption and intake is a key part of beating endo fatigue and recovering from heavy blood loss and low levels can cause brain fog, extreme tiredness, heart palpitations, dizziness, muscle weakness and depression to name a few.

• Low FODMAP to keep endo belly at bay, yet rich in prebiotics for a healthy gut microbiome.

People with endo can often suffer from bloating, dubbed as the endo belly. This can be caused from numerous factors, but is often linked to small intestine bacterial overgrowth and/or microbiome issues. Research has shown that the low FODMAP diet may help ease symptoms in people with endo who also have gastrointestinal symptoms, such as bloating.

People with endo have been shown to have microbiome dysbiosis, with lower levels of some beneficial bacteria and higher levels of pathogenic (bad) bacteria, which can not only fuel IBS symptoms like bloating, but also inflammation.

These date bites are a great source of polyphenols and prebiotic fibre from the cacao, dates, chia seeds and peanut butter. Polyphenols are types of antioxidants found in certain plant foods that not only reduce inflammation levels and improve overall health, but they are also a favourite food for our gut microbiome, which means that can support our good gut bugs to thrive.

Often fibre rich foods can trigger bloating in sensitive populations, but by keeping the fermentable carbohydrates down (FODMAPS) we can help keep our gut healthy, whilst also reducing endo belly flare ups.

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

How to make sure these stay low FOMDAP

Medjool dates are low FODMAP at serving sizes of 20g, and moderate at 40g. Two large dates will be about 30g, so if you want to eat two in one sitting, choose small-medium dates to prevent leaning into the moderate FODMAP levels.

Other than that, 20g 85% dark chocolate, 24g chia seeds and 50g peanut butter are all low FODMAP serving sizes, so you’re well within low FODMAP amounts.

Tailoring the amount of chia for blood sugar support

If you know you’re sensitive to dates or your blood sugar is unstable at present, you may (but you don’t have to, that’s why I’ve added so many layers of blood sugar support in this recipe) want to snack on just half a date at time, or two date halves at a time. If you’re planning to eat the dates in halves as little treats across the day, I would ensure each date half has 3g chia for that minimum studied, beneficial amount. That means you’ll need 12g chia in total.

If you’re eating the dates whole, I would aim for around 5g chia per date as it’ll give you a bit more bang for your buck so to speak, as we know that more chia = better blood sugar support, so that would be 10g of chia in total.

Of course 3g per date is fine as well, as we know that’s an effective amount and it may be more tolerable for those of you who don’t like getting chia stuck in your teeth!

Can I eat chia seeds unsoaked?

Yes, you can eat chia seeds unsoaked! The recommendation to soak chia seeds in milk, water or yoghurt is because it helps to create the gel that slows down the release of blood sugar and supports gut health, but viscous fibre (the type of fibre that creates the gel) will also do the same thing in the gut, so you’ll still get the benefits.

The danger of consuming dry chia seeds is if you’re consuming moderate to large portions without liquid and you’re generally not drinking enough. They can get stuck in the throat, but can also dehydrate you because they will be soaking up what little fluid you do have in the gut.

Now, we are using a tiny amount of chia seeds, so we don’t run the same risks here - and don’t forget, plenty of us will eat chia seeds in energy balls or raw energy bars without thinking about it! But, to be careful and to reap the best benefits of chia seeds, drink a glass of water around the time of consuming these dates, and ensure you’re properly hydrating in general as well.

Increasing quantities

You can double, triple, etc. the amount if you want to make a batch of these up to enjoy over the week. At the moment, Chris and I are snacking on two date halves a day, so I make up enough to last us from Mon-Friday, and keep them in the freezer ready to go.

Using more chocolate

You’re welcome to use more chocolate - I am keeping the amount to 10g per date/5g per half a date to moderate sugar levels (as of course, the idea is to balance blood sugar!). However, if you prefer a thicker shell, please feel free to use more chocolate, but try to keep to a low sugar chocolate such as 85% or higher.

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 small bowl or cup, mixed together the chia seeds and peanut butter.

• Cut the dates either entirely in half if you plan to eat them as halves (see notes above) or cut down the middle and remove the stone, to create a ‘pocket’ to stuff the nut butter mix into.

• Fill the dates, and place in the freezer for at least two hours or until the nut butter is solid (it should no longer be sticky or tacky to touch).

• Melt the chocolate over a double boiler and remove from the heat once melted, leave to cool for just a few minutes as when it’s very hot, the peanut butter starts to melt and mix in the chocolate. Dip the dates into the chocolate, you can either just hold them peanut butter side down to have a chocolate coating on top, or roll in the chocolate to coat entirely.

• Sprinkle with crushed peanuts if using.

• Return to the freezer and leave to set for another two hours for the ultimate crunch yet chewy bite - I find the longer, the better! If you prefer a gooey texture, you can eat sooner (as soon as the chocolate has set), but I find these shine the most when frozen.

• When ready to eat, sprinkle with sea salt.