Gluten free (and dairy free option), naturally sweetened coffee donuts
I have never liked coffee cake, or chocolates filled with coffee cream, or anything along those lines basically. I do however, love coffee - the decaf kind (caffeine stimulates my nervous system too much with dysautonomia and tends to cause me more PMS), but weirdly, I recently had a craving for coffee donuts.
The weather here is moody and dark here, and something about the idea of coffee donuts, with a deep, dark brown glaze, felt right.
I actually hadn’t attempted donuts for years. I once made a batch of gluten free, vegan donuts for my cousins at Christmas - in fact, an entire 24 box worth. And they were so good, but so exhausting to make that I sort of felt I reached my peak and couldn’t do it again!
But, the time had come - and on this go, I wanted a recipe that wasn’t exhausting, and used ingredients that you would (mostly) find in your cupboard.
Of course, I also wanted donuts that were better for blood sugar, dairy and gluten free for those who need it, and full of whole food, nutrient rich ingredients.
I would go as far to say, that these beat even my cinnamon buns, but I’ll let you be the judge of that!
These gluten free, naturally sweetened coffee donuts are…
Gluten free to help minimise symptoms and reactions in certain endo folk.
Whilst not everyone with endometriosis needs to go gluten free or entirely gluten free (some people feel better just not eating it that often), reducing gluten 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).
If you’d like to learn more about why gluten may impact some of us with endo and how, my Nutrition Masterclass dives into all the science, and you can also check out my podcast episodes like this one.
Made with whole foods and are rich in healthy fats, fibre and protein to stabilise blood sugar, plus a psyllium husk for an extra blood sugar supportive boost!
Unfortunately, simple carbohydrates, like those found in baked goods such as donuts, are 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 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.
To avoid these issues, I have focused on the presence of healthy fats, fibre and protein, which have all been shown to help stabilise blood sugar levels and slow down the uptake of glucose/starch from our food (oats and dates in this case) to our blood stream, preventing blood sugar spikes.
One of the easiest ways for us to support our blood sugar is to opt for whole food carbohydrates, such as whole oats instead of flour, and fruit instead of sugar or maple syrup, as I have done here. 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. The added benefit is that 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 for blood sugar stability).
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.
Overall, these donuts are estimated to have a low-medium glycemic index and a moderate glycemic load per serve.
To further slow down that moderate rise in blood sugar, I’ve added two super star ingredients; psyllium husk and olive oil.
Multiple studies have shown that taking psyllium husk daily, normally before a meal, can improve blood sugar levels over time. And adding psyllium husk to meals or immediately before meals has also been shown to improve the postprandial (after meal) glucose response, blunting spikes, and one study found these effects were even better when combined with a meal high in protein.
How does this magic ingredient work? Thanks to its high viscous and soluble fibre content. Psyllium creates a gel-like texture by absorbing water (either added water or liquid in our gut) and slows down digestion and transit time, reducing the uptake and slowing down the uptake of glucose and carbohydrates.
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, these biscuits 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, such as cookies! 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. These biscuits, being low in sugar and rich in fibre, can help us get our fix without the pain 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.
Rich in prebiotics and polyphenols from the oats, olive oil and dates to help heal the endo belly and reduce systemic inflammation.
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 4-5 of your 30! 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.
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 for our gut microbiome, which means they can support our good gut bugs to thrive.
Polyphenols can be found in various plant foods, and are in high amounts in olive oil, and dates.
The anti-inflammatory effects of extra virgin olive oil, thanks to its polyphenol content, are far reaching. For example, research has shown that extra virgin olive oil can decrease C-Reactive Protein levels, a marker for inflammation.
Additionally, these biscuits are a great source of prebiotic fibre from the whole foods, and provide special soluble fibres like beta-glucans from the oats, that are incredibly beneficial for a healthy gut microbiome.
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 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.
But that’s not where the benefits of prebiotics end. Both beta-glucans and psyllium husk both help to boost short chain fatty acid levels, including acetate and propionate and even butyrate.
Research shows that people with endo may be low in short chain fatty acids. Acetate and propionate play an incredible role in reducing systemic inflammation, immune regulation and helping to stabilise blood sugar, but butyrate is the highlight here. Butyrate has a range of benefits for endometriosis and gut health 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.
Now you might think that without its prebiotic benefits, that psyllium may worsen endo belly by causing gas and bloating. However, psyllium ferments at a slower pace than some other types of fermentable carbohydrates, which means that it’s less likely to trigger a quick and excessive increase in gas, which results in bloating and other IBS symptoms like cramps, or diarrhoea, etc.
Having said that, it is worth noting that everyone has their own unique triggers, especially if small intestine bacterial overgrowth is present, so just because it’s generally deemed as better tolerated, doesn’t mean it will be, and Monash University, the creators of the Low FODMAP diet, acknowledge that psyllium husk may be one of those fibres which can exacerbate symptoms for some people, despite it being recommended for people with IBS.
Despite the word of warning, psyllium also has other benefits for us endo belly gals and folks. Psyllium is classified as a bulking type of fibre, this means that it increases volume and mass of stools, which in turn, improves consistency and form, and the extra bulk can increase the frequency of bowel movements and speed up colonic transit time, which is the time it takes for food to pass through the gastrointestinal tract. This makes psyllium husk a great evidenced based option for people with constipation, and in fact, it has been studied for this purpose multiple times, hence why you will find it in prescription and over the counter laxatives. Additionally, thanks to its gel-forming properties (by absorbing water), psyllium can help reduce diarrhoea and loose stools.
Are a great source of beneficial nutrients, including magnesium, zinc, folate and B6.
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.
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.
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.
Important notes to help you tailor this recipe to your own body and needs (and tastebuds!)
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. However, dairy is nuanced so it’s worth reading or listening to this series to help you work out if it’s right for you and how much you can tolerate (you may not need to cut it out entirely!).
If you know you can’t tolerate milk, use a good quality dairy free milk like an almond that just has simple ingredients (almonds, water, salt) and no added gums, starches or preservatives. I used almond milk with one test and goat’s milk with another (as I don’t do well on cow’s milk) and they both came out great.
Making these egg free
Whilst I haven’t tried it, you could sub the egg for 45ml aquafaba (the water from a chickpea can) and when you blend the wet ingredients, pulse to get it super frothy, as that’s what will crate the lightness and airiness that the egg brings. Be careful to mix gently too, as to not burst the air bubbles. Let me know how they turn out!
Are oats gluten free?
Oats do not contain any gluten, but most factories that handle oats, also handle gluten, which means there are often trace amounts of gluten on the oats. If you have coeliac disease or an allergy, you need to avoid all traces of gluten, so go for gluten free oats. The same may be said if you have a very reactive intolerance. However, if you just generally avoid or minimise gluten, regular oars should be just fine.
Are these low FODMAP?
If you swap the cashew butter for almond butter, or sunflower seed butter, and you opt for a low FODMAP milk, then yes, one donut will be low FODMAP.
Out of nut butter for the glaze? Try this glaze option:
Use 80ml coffee and an extra tbsp of olive oil (so two total), and one tsp psyllium husk powder, plus the other ingredients. You’ll get a sticky, yet shiny glaze.
Spoon onto a flat plate, and press each donut down into the glaze, and swirl about a bit, to get it to stick. Repeat a few times to build up the layers.
At first, the glaze will look a bit weird because the psyllium husk makes it go quite gloopy - but trust me, it creates a sticky, shiny glaze that tastes great and has added blood sugar and fibre benefits!
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 endometriosis and SIBO.
Gluten free (and dairy free option), naturally sweetened coffee donuts
Ingredients:
For the donuts
80 g rolled oats (blended into flour, you can use oat flour if preferred)
25 g ground almonds or sunflower seeds
5 g psyllium husk powder (if you only have husk, you can grind in a spice grinder)
60 g soft medjool dates (soaked in coffee)
120 ml strong brewed coffee, decaf if needed
65 ml milk (any type you tolerate, but try to avoid oat or rice, which increases the glycemic index and load)
1 large egg (separate yolk and white)
25 ml olive oil
Baking powder: 1 tsp
Baking soda: ¼ tsp
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Glaze
3 medjool dates
60ml strong coffee
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cashew butter (or nut butter/seed butter of choice)
1/2 tsp carob powder (optional, but recommended - adds a caramel sweetness and antioxidants)
Optional toppings:
30g pecans, roughly chopped
Cinnamon or cardamon stewed apples (easy, quick recipe here)
85% dark chocolate shavings
makes: 6 donuts
prep time: 15 mins
bake time: 18 mins
cool time: 20 mins
Method:
Preheat your oven to 180c (fan assisted). If you have a silicone donut mould, you shouldn’t need to grease, but if you have any other kind of mould, grease lightly with olive oil or coconut oil.
Make your coffee as desired (I did 19g decaf in an AeroPress), and pour over the dates, whilst hot, in a cup/jar and leave for 10 minutes to soften.
In a blender, add the egg, olive oil and milk and vanilla extract if using, and set aside (don’t actually blend yet).
If using whole oats, pulse in a spice grinder or food processor until you get a fine a flour as you can manage.
Add the oats to a bowl with the ground almonds/sunflower seeds, psyllium husk powder, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Whisk with a fork or hand whisk to fully incorporate and to remove any lumps.
Add the coffee and dates to the blender and blend with the other liquid ingredients until smooth.
Carefully and slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients whilst gently stirring with a hand whisk. You want to keep the batter light and airy, and to not burst too many bubbles, but you also want to break up any lumps of oat flour.
Spoon into six donut moulds and leave to rest for 5 minutes for the psyllium to absorb the moisture.
Pop in the oven on the middle shelf, for 18 minutes, until the tops are springy to touch.
Remove from the oven and leave to set for 5 minutes in the mould, then carefully, run a knife around the edges and the donut hole, and gently lift out to prevent any breaking off inside.
Leave to cool for 15-20 minutes whilst you make the glaze.
For the glaze:
Make 60ml strong coffee, and soak the dates for 10 minutes.
Blend with the cashew butter, olive oil and carob powder (if using).
Pour evenly over each donut whilst still slightly warm, and allow to drizzle down the sides.
Toppings:
If desired, you can scatter the donuts with pecans, or stewed apples or grated chocolate. When I made ours, I did two with stewed apples, two with pecans and two plain, but the addition of chocolate on the plain ones would be delicious!
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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!