Easy, three ingredient magnesium packed ‘mars Bars’

When I was a child, I distinctly remember my dad always eating a Mars Bar every single day for lunch - this was coupled with a white bread sandwich (I’m not talking sourdough!), and an apple. My lunches in primary school were not much better - they were typically a white bread sandwich normally filled with peanut butter, cream cheese or processed meats, a bag of crisps, a chocolate bar and either an apple or banana. The fruit was the only whole food in my entire lunch, and this was after a breakfast of sugary cereal like Frosties or Coco Pops. I wince to think about my little body growing up on that 90s/2000s approach to eating, especially as my teen years were then filled with Diet Cokes and not much else other than vodka.

But now we know better, and boy am I making up for it! In that way, discovering I had endo had a silver lining. For the first time in my life, I started to pay attention to what I was eating for the health benefits, not because I was concerned with the calories (as had been the focus for at least 13 years of my life). It was changing my diet that led to the breakthrough of my first pain free period, and discovering real food for the first time - and absolutely loving it.

Now, whilst I am probably never going to persuade my dad to swap his beloved Mars Bar for my version, I did want to offer you guys an alternative, if you have a nostalgia for those chewy, creamy chocolate bars.

I also wanted to offer you an easy endo friendlier treat. This comes off the back of a discussion with a client who didn’t like to spend much time in the kitchen, who is new to eating for endo and to a more whole foods focused approach to eating, and who at present, is battling with fatigue so can’t stand for an hour making an endo friendly snack in the kitchen. And I am sure many of you can relate. One of the challenges of endo and the various other chronic illnesses our demographic can live with (such as POTS) is that these conditions can make it hard for us to have the physical energy or ability to cook well for ourselves, which can create a vicious cycle, because nutrition can and does influence our inflammation and hormone levels.

So, whilst I love making decadent and more elaborate treats for you that have functional ingredients in and serve multiple purposes for endo management, I also want to give you quick and easy options that are better than reaching for that regular Mars Bar.

These (better for you) Mars Bars are…

• Packed with endo and hormone super star magnesium.

Now, normally I like to spike my recipes with a functional ingredient like flax, but for this recipe, I wanted to keep the ingredients minimal, but that doesn’t mean the nutrient levels are low. In fact, a single ‘Mars Bar’ provides roughly 40% of the UK’s RDA for women.

And magnesium is a key nutrient we want to increase both for endometriosis management, but also hormonal balance.

Prostaglandin E2 and F2α are elevated in people with endometriosis and people with dysmenorrhea. When they get high we get pain, heat and swelling. 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.

Research has shown magnesium to be an effective treatment in preventing dysmenorrhea (period pain) by reducing these inflammatory prostaglandins. One study showed that six months of magnesium treatment reduced prostaglandin F2a by over half! In contrast, the placebo group’s levels stayed at 90% of their original baseline levels.

In fact, in recent research, magnesium is being explored as a dietary treatment for endo and a higher intake of magnesium rich foods were associated with a lower risk of endo.

We also know that endo is an oestrogen dependent disease, and so when we have too much oestrogen or too little progesterone (which leaves oestrogen to reign supreme), it can increase endo activity and symptoms. Not to mention, a whole host of PMS problems like sore and swollen breasts, clotty periods and water retention.

Magnesium plays a key role in helping to keep our hormones in balance. Firstly, it helps oestrogen metabolism (clearance) in several ways, and it’s when oestrogen isn’t cleared properly from the body, that oestrogen can build up and we end up with oestrogen dominance (there are other ways we can become oestrogen dominant too).

Magnesium supports the liver to break down oestrogen through a series of key enzymes, it then helps to package oestrogen up in bile, ready for delivery in the gut. Next, magnesium plays a role in healthy bowel movements, which are essential and the final step for clearing oestrogen. When we don’t have regular, daily bowel movements, oestrogen can be reabsorbed into the blood stream.

Magnesium helps out progesterone too. Magnesium helps to regulate something called our hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, which is a bit like the command centre of our hormones. When it’s off-track, this has a downstream effect on our hormones, particularly progesterone, which can be lowered when this system isn’t functioning properly. You can learn more about this here.

In fact, magnesium is so good at supporting our hormones, that it is a recognised treatment for preventing PMS.

• A source of fibre, protein and fat, and rich in micronutrients to support better blood sugar levels.

Nuts have been shown to have a positive effect on blood sugar, and whilst less attention has been focused on cashews in the research, they are rich in healthy fats, fibre and protein, which have all been shown to help stabilise blood sugar levels and slow down the uptake of glucose from our food (dates and chocolate, in this case) to our blood stream, preventing blood sugar spikes.

In fact, one study found that consuming mixed nuts, including cashews, improved post-prandial glucose and insulin levels (this means how high glucose and insulin rose after a meal) and a meta-analysis found that 3 weeks of mixed nuts, again, including cashews, reduced fasting glucose levels and HbA1c levels (average glucose levels). Finally, cashews have also been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, which can help those of us struggling with insulin resistance.

To top it off, cashews help to provide a hefty dose of the magnesium in this recipe, and magnesium plays a significant role in blood sugar stability and low levels are associated with insulin resistance and diabetes. It’s so vital, that research has demonstrated that simply an increase in dietary intake of magnesium can actually improve insulin resistance .

Now, I could have made a caramel with maple syrup, but I also wanted to provide sweetness in the form of whole foods to support blood sugar, which is why I used dates (plus, they’re easier than making a caramel sauce!).

Dates have a low to moderate glycemic index, which means they shouldn’t cause a dramatic or quick rise in blood sugar, especially in contrast to a simple sugar like regular table sugar or glucose syrup, the first two ingredients of a Mars Bar.

However, research has shown that individual blood sugar responses vary from person to person, and if you eat a lot of even a low glycemic index food, it may have a greater impact on your blood sugar levels because you’re eating more in one sitting. You can learn about this here. Personally, I’ve noticed with myself (and with some clients) that we do have to be mindful of how many dates we eat per sitting.

Therefore, I’ve kept the caramel layer to just one date to reduce the impact and keep the overall sugar content of the bar on the lower side (you’re welcome to increase to two dates, and I’ve elaborated on that in the notes below).

We also have the benefits of the naturally occurring fibre, fat and protein that are present in the dates and cashew butter. A regular Mars Bar contains 24g of sugar, 1.8g of protein, less than a gram of fibre and 6g of fat (many of which are not beneficial fats). In contrast, one of these bars contain almost 5g protein, 22g of healthy fats, 5g fibre and only 10.5g naturally occurring sugar. Balancing out the sugar content with fat, fibre and protein all helps to lower the release of sugar to the blood stream, creating a more even and gradual rise in blood sugar levels.

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.

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!

• Rich in polyphenols to help heal the endo belly and support microbial diversity.

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. Polyphenols can be found in various plant foods, including cashews, cacao, vanilla (if using) and dates, all featured in this recipe.

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 to our good gut bugs, the more they grow and outnumber the bad guys. This helps to bring the gut back into harmony, which can improve gut symptoms and intestinal inflammation and whilst we need to do more research, could even help us fight endo.

• High in hormone and endometriosis supportive nutrients.

In addition to the rich magnesium content, according the AI, each’Mars Bar’ offers around 25% of your zinc and iron RDA, just under 20% of your vitamin E RDA and around a whopping 60-70% of your copper RDA (to be honest, I am sceptical about how high that is, but I ran the numbers multiple times, so if it’s wrong, it’ll still be high!).

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.

Copper is crucial for supporting normal thyroid function and levels, and when the thyroid struggles, our sex hormones struggle too. Additionally, low thyroid hormones can cause problems such as low energy/fatigue, depression and brain fog- all symptoms people with endo face, so we want to ensure that low copper isn’t worsening or driving those symptoms.

Finally, 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.

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

Is this recipe low FODMAP?

Due to the cashew butter, this recipe isn’t low FODMAP, so for those of you with SIBO or frequent endo belly bloating, you might find the cashew triggers symptoms for you, but it is a fairly small amount, so you could test your tolerance.

If you wanted a low FODMAP swap for the cashew butter, I would recommend sunflower seed butter or almond butter, which would both be low FODMAP at this serving size, however, they won’t give the classic Mars Bar taste that the cashew butter offers.

Blood sugar considerations, tweaks and swaps

I usually cram extra blood sugar support in my recipes, such as viscous fibre like flax or chia, but because the idea of this recipe is to keep it simple, and for my specific client who I designed this for, to avoid any ingredients that may be hard to find or feel too new or overwhelming to try, I avoided the extra blood sugar balancing boosters.

Now, this doesn’t mean the recipe will spike you. You can read above how in theory, it shouldn’t. However, we all respond differently to sugar sources and I’ve especially observed varying reactions to dates in clients (yes, they are rich in fibre, but they’re also fairly high in sugar), so observe how you feel (or even better, use a CGM!). If you feel like you crash after this, your blood sugar likely spiked, and you may be better off either adding a viscous fibre or having half a portion, or saving the whole version for when you need energy, like before a walk or workout. Another easy hack would simply to eat this as a dessert, after a lunch or dinner rich in protein, healthy fats, and fibre.

Ideally, aim for 90% dark chocolate or higher, to keep added sugar levels down.

Want it with more caramel?

If you’d like a thicker layer of caramel, you are welcome to use two medjool dates. I didn’t, because as I explain just above under ‘Not as blood sugar beneficial as usual’, I didn’t use any extra blood sugar balancing functional ingredients in this recipe, so I wanted to be really careful with the total amount of sugar, but as I mentioned, the cashew and the fibre from the dates, still do provide some great blood sugar balancing benefits, so you may well be fine on two dates per bar - it’s really going to come down to individual tolerance.

If you want a thicker caramel layer but you know medjool dates can trigger spikes for you, or you just want to be careful, use deglet noor dates, which are much lower in sugar than medjool, but still provide that classic caramel flavour and bite.

Want an even quicker version?

You don’t have to make these into bars, I thought that was just fun - but for weeks I was recipe testing this as stuffed dates. Just cram one date with 10g of cashew butter (good luck fitting 20g in!) and repeat the remaining steps.

Vanilla powder/bean/extract

You can absolutely make this recipe with just three ingredients, but if you have any sources of vanilla available, they are really going to elevate the flavour and I think, help to create that Mars Bar milk chocolate vibe.

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.

Easy, three ingredient magnesium packed ‘mars Bars’

Method:

• Cut each date in half lengthways.

• Using small chocolate bar moulds or cake bar moulds (like this), lay the dates down so that one date covers the base of one mould, and if desired, squash them into the corners to make a more uniform shape.

• If using the vanilla, stir the vanilla and cashew butter in a small bowl. Top the dates with 20g cashew butter each and spread out evenly.

• Freeze overnight or at least for six hours. The firmer and colder these are, the more they’ll hold up when coated in chocolate (otherwise the cashew butter starts melting into the chocolate).

• When ready, cover a chopping board with baking paper and melt the chocolate over a low heat. Once melted, remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Then, either roll the frozen bars in the chocolate, or decant the melted chocolate into a glass, and insert a wooden skewer (like a kebab stick) into the bar, dip the bars into the chocolate, and then hold over the glass for a minute to allow the excess to drip off. The chocolate should set enough that you can place the bars down onto the chopping board. Place back in the freezer for hour or two to set.

• When ready to eat, remove from the freezer for five to 10 minutes to allow the bars to soften a little.