I am kind of obsessed with pears at the moment. They are low glycemic so great for blood sugar, rich in fibre, and are a cosy in season fruit for delicious autumnal recipes. They are also a good fruit if you have interstitial cysts and don’t do well with acidic fruits.
So, anyway, I was scrolling on Pinterest planning our Christmas menu (this is the kinda stuff I do for fun) and came across these gorgeous recipes of poached pears, sat in cream and drizzled with a dark chocolate sauce and nuts.
I instantly wanted to recreate this recipe in a way that was easier for tired chronic illness peeps who don’t have the energy to slave over pears in the kitchen, and I also wanted to give it an anti-inflammatory and gut loving glow up, so this recipe was born.
It looks super fancy, is very autumnal, and yet takes 10 minutes to pull together.
This easy pear and chocolate dessert is…
Better for blood sugar to stabilise hormones, reduce PMS and lower oxidative stress.
Blood sugar spiking foods such as high sugar foods and processed foods can potentially contribute to more PMS, menstrual pain and endo pain. Blood sugar spikes increase 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.
Whilst I LOVE dessert (it’s my fav meal, if you hadn’t noticed), I don’t love the added sugar content so for this recipe, I have focused on the presence of healthy fats (from the nuts and yoghurt), fibre (nuts and the pear) and protein (pecans, yoghurt), which have all been shown to help stabilise ground blood sugar levels and slow down the uptake of glucose/starch from our food (dark chocolate and pears in this case) to our blood stream, preventing blood sugar spikes. In fact, one serving gives you around 10-15g of protein (depending on the yoghurt) and around 9g of fibre.
One of the easiest ways for us to support our blood sugar is to opt for whole food carbohydrates, such as fruit, as I have done here. Whole foods like pears 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. I’ve kept the skin on for extra fibre!
Another great way to support blood sugar is with lower glycemic index foods, and every ingredient in this recipe, 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 pecans and yoghurt in this recipe to further support blood sugar.
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 to our blood stream, preventing blood sugar spikes.
Pecans can also support healthy blood sugar levels. One intervention study found that 4 weeks of a pecan rich diet improved insulin sensitivity and fasting insulin levels.
I’ve included yoghurt as the fat and protein can help to make this recipe both blood sugar stabilising and satisfying, curbing those luteal phase cravings. Additionally, fermented dairy has been associated with lower rates of type 2 diabetes and insulin levels, as well as lower glucose and insulin levels (don’t worry if you’re dairy free, I have options for you below in the notes, and the bacteria from any type of yoghurt is still beneficial!).
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, blood sugar balancing treats like this cake 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 dessert 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.
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).
A serving of this recipe provides around 6g of fibre!
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 around 3 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 pears, chocolate and pecans, this recipe is also a good source of 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 and that this may be linked to endo pathogenesis, so by improving our fibre levels, we may actually be improving some of our defences against endo.
Finally, this recipe is also rich in probiotics from the yoghurt! Research has shown that 10 weeks of a high fermented foods diet resulted in better microbial diversity and lower inflammatory markers (including interleukin 6, which is a major driver of endo) than 10 weeks of a high fibre diet alone. Participants who ate a diet rich in fermented foods ate between 3-9 fermented foods a day, and the greater the servings, the better the outcomes.
A good source of hormone and endo supportive vitamins and minerals.
Amongst several other micronutrients, this dessert is a good source of calcium (if using dairy yoghurt), magnesium, zinc, B6 and folate to name a few.
Calcium
Low levels of calcium have been repeatedly associated with increased PMS symptoms and research has shown that treatment with calcium supplements can reduce the syndrome and even period pain because low levels of calcium can cause more contractions. Calcium may also be a supportive option for PMDD.
Magnesium
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.
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.
B6
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.
Folate
Folate is crucial to ovarian function and ovulation, and low folate levels can cause irritability, mood swings and fatigue, and fertility problems.
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!
Can I make this dairy free?
Yes! Just choose a dairy free yoghurt. One made with nuts or soy is likely to be higher than coconut.
Can I peel the pears?
Most recipes like this used peeled pears but I have kept them on for the extra fibre and polyphenols found in the skin! It also makes the recipe much quicker. But yes, you can peel the pears if preferred.
Is this low FODMAP?
I’m afraid not, as pears are high FODMAP?
Is this suitable for SIBO?
It depends on your personal triggers, but as the recipe is high FODMAP, possibly not!
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.
Five minute ‘Poached’ Pear with dark chocolate ‘sauce’ and pecans
Ingredients:
Ingredients
300g greek yoghurt or yoghurt of choice (thick is best here)
2 pears of choice
A couple of cardamon pods, or vanilla extract or ground cinnamon/cinnamon sticks
20-40g 85% or 90% dark chocolate
Serves: 2
Prep time: 2 mins
cook time: 2-3 mins
Method
Cut the pears in half lengthways, cut out the core (carefully!) if desired or just leave it in and eat around it (once the pear is soft it’s easy to do).
Place the pears in a microwave plate or bowl with a splash of water. Crush the cardamon pods with the side of a knife and add to the water, or add whatever flavourings you’re using. Microwave and heat in one minute increments until the pears are soft like poached pears (depends on the microwave but I find 2-3 minutes does the trick).
Meanwhile, spoon yoghurt into a bowl and chop the pecans.
Lay the pears with the flesh facing upright on the yoghurt.
Melt the chocolate in 15 second increments in the microwave (it burns quickly so keep an eye on it) and the drizzle over the pears.
Scatter with chopped pecans and flaky sea salt if desired.
Endo of summer special offer - if you’ve got half way through the year and endo has taken much of that time from you, I’m offering £500 off my 12 session 1:1 coaching or £250 off the six session coaching. Learn more about coaching here.
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These are some of my favourite brands…
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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
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This EndoLife, It Starts with Breakfast digital cookbook
Free resources:
This podcast!