high protein, high fibre fudgy banana bread (Gluten free & Dairy Free)
You may or may not know that I am a huge Jane Austen fan. And for some reason, my latest creation made me think of the two sisters in Sense and Sensibility. This banana bread is like the younger, more passionate sister, Marianne, to our older, more sensible breakfast banana bread recipe - or sister, Elinor.
This recipe is more concerned with your senses, the experience - whereas my other recipe, was more about hitting some key nutrition goals.
But, of course, I am not about to neglect my values - this is still a respectable banana bread, after all. And one slice still offers fruit, veg, 10g of fibre and 14g of protein. This is super important because not only does one slice help you to reach enough protein and fibre a day, it also gets you closer to the UK RDA of 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, which only 17% of UK adults are currently managing to achieve. P.S. Did you know that beans and lentils count as a veg?
But this banana bread is also extra fudgy, extra moist and perhaps is more reminiscent of banana cake than it is bread.
Thanks to the presence of chickpeas. Now, don’t freak out - I know for some, chickpeas can cause bloating, but I’ve kept the serving size of chickpeas to low FODMAP portions, and also recommend using canned chickpeas, which are typically easier to digest and lower in FODMAPS, because they’ve been stored in water.
Okay, so now I’ve hopefully sold you on it, let’s get to the good stuff…
This fudgy chickpea banana bread is…
Blood sugar balancing to stabilise hormones, reduce PMS and lower oxidative stress.
Some of the typical ingredients in a home baked banana bread, like sugar and flour, are unfortunately some of the biggest blood sugar spikers, which can pose a problem for us endo peeps.
Blood sugar spiking foods such as high sugar foods and processed foods can potentially contribute to morePMS, menstrual pain and endo pain. Blood sugar spikes increase oxidative stress, which leadsto 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 avoid these issues, I have focused on the presence of healthy fats (from the olive oil, eggs, almonds and banana), fibre (chickpeas, oats, bananas and almonds) and protein (chickpeas, almonds, oats and eggs), which have all been shown to help stabilise blood sugar levels and slow down the uptake of glucose/starch from our food (oats, chickpeas, banana and chocolate, in this case) to our blood stream, preventing blood sugar spikes. In fact, just one serving gives us 14g protein and 10g of fibre!
One of the easiest ways for us to support our blood sugar is to opt for whole food carbohydrates, such as fruit instead of sugar or maple syrup, as I have done here with bananas. Whole foods still contain their fibre, which helps slow down digestion and the resulting absorption of glucose to the blood stream, creating a steady drip rather than a flood.
Another great way to support blood sugar is with lower glycemic index foods, and every ingredient in this recipe, other than the ripe bananas (which can get moderate-high depending on ripeness) is low to moderate on the glycemic index scale. The glycemic index is a tool that looks at foods and the impact they can have on your blood sugar, on a scale of 0-100. A high GI index would be 70 and above, a medium GI is 56-69 and a low GI index is 55 or less. High GI foods are very likely to spike your blood sugar levels and do so quickly, foods with a medium GI rating tend to cause a moderate rise and low GI foods tend to keep blood sugar levels stable and steady over time with a gentle rise. This is because low GI foods break down slowly in the gut because they are rich in fibre and slow release carbohydrates, this means that the release of glucose to the blood stream is slow and gradual.
I’ve also intentionally used oats, chickpeas, olive oil and almonds in this recipe to further support blood sugar.
Rolled oats contain beta-glucan, a special type of fibre found in oats that offers a wide range of health benefits, including stabilising blood sugar post-meals, and as a result, makes oat-based foods more effective than wheat based foods (like using regular flour) for blood sugar stability.
Now let’s look at chickpeas. Research has shown that when compared to other carbohydrates, like white bread, chickpeas not only cause a lesser spike, but a smaller crash as well. When compared to white bread, which created a large spike followed by a more severe crash, chickpeas created a gentler, more even rise in blood sugar that was followed by a gentle return to baseline blood sugar levels pre-meal. What’s even more interesting is that when eaten first, chickpeas reduce blood sugar spikes in the following meal!
Nuts have also been shown to have a positive effect on blood sugar, showing improvement in blood sugar responses when paired with high glycemic/high sugar foods.
Research has also shown that adding olive oil to meals reduces the post-prandial blood sugar levels (meaning it helps prevent blood sugar spikes from foods/meals), even in high glycemic meals (meaning meals/foods high in sugar or starch that can cause rapid blood sugar spikes).
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. Both of these imbalances can cause more PMS, heavier periods, and may also exacerbate endometriosis symptoms.
Additionally, this banana bread can help us out with luteal phase or period 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 banana bread, being lower in sugar and rich in fibre, can help us get our fix without the pain and PMS triggering spikes.
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.
Now, let’s be clear before we wrap up this section. I am not saying you have to avoid sugar or refined carbs for the rest of your life, but if like me, you enjoy a sweet treat as a snack or after dinner, it can help to make these regular goodies a bit more blood sugar balancing, so that we’re looking after ourselves on a day to day basis.
Gluten and dairy free to help minimise symptoms and reactions in certain endo folk.
Whilst not everyone with endometriosis needs to go dairy free or gluten free or entirely gluten/dairy free (some people feel better just not eating them that often), reducing gluten and/or dairy may help some of us manage our pain and endo belly symptoms.
In a major and recent survey study of 2388 endometriosis patients, out of those who removed or reduced gluten, 45% experienced a reduction in pain. In another study, 75% of patients had a significant reduction in painful symptoms after eliminating gluten for 12 months. There is also a significant association between endometriosis and coeliac disease. And whilst the research on endometriosis and gluten has limitations, I myself experienced improvements by reducing gluten in my diet (in fact, it was one of the key players for helping me live a normal life again no longer ruled by pain and my periods), as have many of my clients (though not all, it’s very individual).
Likewise, the same major study found that 45% of those who reduced dairy also had a reduction in pain.
If you’d like to learn more about why gluten or dairy may impact some of us with endo and how, and what all the research says, I recently did a huge deep dive into all the research on my podcast, here and here.
Rich in prebiotics and polyphenols to help heal the endo belly and reduce systemic inflammation.
The latest data shows that 96% of UK adults are getting less than the recommended 30g fibre a day. That’s not great for our guts, which rely on fibre to thrive, and people with endo need extra gut support already (as you’ll come to learn shortly) so a lack of fibre isn’t going to help the situation (though you may find you need to tailor your fibre sources if you have IBS or SIBO). Thanks to the addition of bananas, chickpeas, oats, and ground almonds, this banana bread offers 10g of your recommended 30g, per serve.
Additionally, a major study of 10,000 people found that eating 30 or more plant foods a week helps to create a healthier and more diverse microbiome. This recipe offers you 6 of your 30 already, and with herbs, spices, olive oil, fruits, veggies, beans/legumes, teas and coffee and whole grains all counting, you can easily top up your levels further. For extra guidance on how to reach your 30 a week, check out this article by The Gut Health Doctor or this one by Zoe.
And thanks to our specific ingredients of dark chocolate, almonds, bananas and chickpeas, this recipe is also high in polyphenols. 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 (prebiotic) for our gut microbiome, which means they can support our good gut bugs to thrive.
But why does this matter for us endo folk?
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 and prebiotic fibre 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.
These prebiotic fibres help us to increase our production of gut friendly fats, called short chain fatty acids, which are made when good bacteria consume fibre. Research shows that people with endo may be low in short chain fatty acids, especially one called butyrate. Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid produced by our gut microbiome, and has been found to be low in people with endo. Butyrate has a range of benefits for endometriosis and gut health (so therefore, can help us tackle endo belly) such as reducing intestinal inflammation, improving insulin sensitivity, preventing leaky gut, promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria and inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria. But here’s what I find most interesting. Butyrate inhibits our inflammatory immune response to lipopolysaccharides (LPS). LPS are toxins that come from certain bacteria, and have been shown to be heavily involved in endo pathogenesis. Chickpeas and oats may be especially beneficial for improving butyrate levels, so we have a double whammy of support with this recipe!
Loaded with hormone and endo beneficial nutrients, including vitamin E magnesium, zinc, folate, B6 and iron.
The ingredients in this recipe make this banana bread incredibly nutrient dense.
Just 1/5 of this loaf offers around 30% of your UK RDA for vitamin E. This is because nuts like almonds are a significant source of vitamin E - just one 30g serving of almonds provides 50% of your RDA!). 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 dysmenorrhea.
But it’s not just supplements that help - food helps too!
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 used 4 tbsp sunflower seeds and 3 tbsps of peanuts per day to raise vitamin E levels, for four months.
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.
Additionally, 1/5 of this loaf gives you about 35% of your magnesium RDA. 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.
Finally, magnesium helps to regulate our sex hormones, and as result, is a recognised treatment for preventing PMS.
A serving of this banana bread also gives you about 20% of your RDA of zinc. 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.
This recipe is also brimming with B vitamins including folate and B6.
Folate is crucial to ovarian function and ovulation, and low folate levels can cause irritability, mood swings and fatigue, and fertility problems.
B6 is one of the most important B vitamins for balanced hormones as it supports progesterone production and oestrogen metabolism. Additionally, research has shown that B6 treatment can help reduce PMS, especially the mood challenges that can come with the syndrome.
And lastly, this banana bread offers you around 20% of your daily iron needs. Iron deficiency is extremely common in general, but even more so in people with heavy menstrual bleeding and/or endo, with a recent major study of over 43,000 endo patients finding that we have a six-fold higher odds of iron deficiency.
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. 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.
Healthy iron levels are also essential for ovarian function, which is key to producing healthy amounts of sex hormones and low levels are associated with menstrual irregularities and fertility problems. Additionally, low iron levels are linked to ADHD development and can worsen ADHD symptoms, and ADHD is a condition which many people with endo struggle with.
Whilst heme iron (found in animal products and spirulina) is the easiest form of iron to absorb, we can also top up our iron levels with non-heme iron rich foods, found in plants, like chickpeas and almonds. Ideally, pair with a vitamin C food like berries, to aid absorption, as non-heme iron can be difficult for our body to absorb, but vit C has been shown to aid this process.
IMPORTANT NOTES TO HELP YOU TAILOR THIS RECIPE TO YOUR OWN BODY AND NEEDS (AND TASTEBUDS!)
Everything you’ve said about blood sugar and processed foods, does that mean I can never have my favourite treats again?
Absolutely not. I am all for ‘worth it moments’. Enjoy our fav foods, whatever they are, in moments when we really desire them. But I am a health coach, and my goal is to minimise your symptoms and lower things like oxidative stress and inflammation that could contribute them, so I am going to encourage snacking smarter and leaning on healthier treats on a day to day basis, and that’s way these recipes are for. So you can have your cake, and eat it!
Not sweet enough?
I don’t use a lot of added sugar in my recipes to keep inflammation levels and blood sugar spikes at bay, and I am very used to using lower sugar amounts and natural alternatives like dates, bananas or apple puree, so for me, my tastebuds have adjusted. If something is not sweet enough for you, give it a few bites and some time, and you may surprise yourself as your palate starts to change. However, if you do want some more sweetness to this recipe, you could add an extra banana, but I am not 100% sure how it will affect texture - you might need to up the dry ingredients to prevent it from being too wet.
Can I make this vegan?
I think so, but I haven’t tried it. Use 2 flax egsg and give it a go!
Can I make this nut free?
Yes, swap the ground almonds for ground sunflower seeds (you’ll likely need to grind them yourself with a spice or coffee grinder).
Is this low FODMAP?
Because we’re using ripe bananas in this recipe, it does push up the FODMAPs, so 1/5 is a moderate FODMAP serving. If you wanted to make it low FODMAP, use firm bananas that aren’t yet too ripe.
Why do you make so many recipes low FODMAP?
The low FODMAP diet is being shown in the research to be one of the most effective dietary interventions we have for symptom relief in endo (esp. for those with IBS issues). That doesn’t mean you have to do it, and if you do, it should be done under supervision of a doctor or low FODMAP trained professional, but some people may be on the diet already, so I like to tailor to as many people as possible. It also means this recipe is less likely to trigger bloating (though that’s not guaranteed, because everyone is different).
Is this recipe suitable for SIBO?
Everyone’s triggers vary with SIBO, but this recipe is low-moderate FODMAP (depending on the bananas) so can help reduce bloating and flares, though some people do find chickpeas challenging - hopefully this smaller amount makes them more tolerable.
Further resources
If you’re struggling with your endo symptoms 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 endometriosis and SIBO.
high protein, high fibre fudgy banana bread
Ingredients:
240g canned chickpeas
3 medium bananas
120g oats
100g ground almonds
2 eggs
40ml olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Optional add ins:
100g 85% or higher dark chocolate, roughly chopped
50g walnuts
serves: 5
prep time: 10 minutes
bake time: 1 hour
Method:
Preheat the oven to 175°C (conventional oven, drop by 20c if using a fan).
In a food processor or large blender, add all the ingredients except for the chocolate, walnuts (if using) and raising agents. If your food processor or blender is not that strong, mash the banana before adding - this helps offer more liquid to get the mix moving.
Add the raising agents and pulse a few times to distribute well.
Stir through the chocolate and walnuts if using.
Pour into a lined baking loaf tin or silicone loaf mold.
Bake for 60-65 minutes. If the top starts to get too brown, cover with baking paper or foil in the final 15 minutes.
Leave to cool for 30-40 minutes before slicing - it firms up as it cools, but it’s also extra fudgy when warm so you might want to eat it sooner!
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Need more help or want to learn how to work with me?
Ways to work with me:
One to one coaching info and application
Live and Thrive with Endo 2.0 DIY online course
Endo Sessions: Single and mini-package one to one endo coaching
SIBO Sessions: Single and mini-package one to one SIBO coaching
Masterclasses in endo nutrition, surgery prep and recovery and pain relief
This EndoLife, It Starts with Breakfast digital cookbook
Free resources:
This podcast!