Dairy free, No added sugar Caramel Macchiato Ice cream Bites
Yes, the weather has turned and it’s now windy, rainy and grey - but is it ever too cold for ice cream? According to my IG poll, no! I had intended for these to go out the last week of August but juggling a family member having major surgery and a broken laptop resulted in me having to skip a week of posting! I was going to keep this recipe until next summer, but my IG followers said otherwise! So, here they are.
These caramel macchiato ice cream bites are inspired by Magnum BonsBons but without all the sugar and processed ingredients and additives. In fact, a serving of these ice cream bites gives you:
One serving of fruit
Half a serving of nuts
4g of fibre
5g protein
Polyphenols and 4-5 plant points
Multiple hormone and anti-inflammatory supportive nutrients
So, yes, they are literally good for you - and amazing for your taste buds!
Blood sugar balancing to keep inflammation, pain and PMS at bay.
High sugar foods and processed foods can potentially contribute to more PMS, menstrual pain and endo pain, so to make this recipe more blood sugar friendly, 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 from our food (chocolate and fruit, in this case) to our blood stream, preventing blood sugar spikes. The fibre comes from the almond butter and dates, the protein from the soy milk and almond butter (there’s over 2.5g of protein per bite), and the fat comes from the almond butter and chocolate.
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. Almonds have been shown in the research to be one of the most beneficial nuts. One study showed that almonds significantly reduced the increase in glucose levels following a high glycemic food like white bread (high glycemic means this food tends to spike blood sugar levels, learn more here). Another study found that 28g almonds (which is about a serving of almonds/handful) reduced the blood sugar spike in healthy individuals from a high glycemic meal of a bagel, juice and butter.
Additionally, in stark contrast to most ice creams, this recipe is sweetened only with dates, and uses a high percentage dark chocolate, which is low in sugar (I like to use 90%, which is about 7g sugar per 100g).
Dates have a low to moderate glycemic index, so they shouldn’t cause a dramatic or quick rise in blood sugar. 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.
However, a serving of these chocolate ice cream bites provides you with roughly one to two dates, which combined with the fibre, fat and protein, shouldn’t cause most people any blood sugar issues.
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.
Additionally, these ice cream bites 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. 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 lolly, 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 polyphenols to help heal the endo belly and reduce systemic inflammation.
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, and are in high amounts in dark chocolate, dates, coffee, almonds and vanilla bean.
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 fibre and plant points to support a heathy gut microbiome.
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 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 dates, almonds and dark chocolate, these bites offer you over 2g of your recommended 30g, per single ice cream!
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 4-5 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.
A good source of hormone and endo supportive vitamins and minerals.
Amongst several other micronutrients (there are so many goodies in this!), these caramel macchiato ice cream bites are a good source of vit E, magnesium, zinc, folate, B6 vitamins and iron to name a few.
Vit E
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. 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%!
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.
Folate
Folate is crucial to ovarian function and ovulation, and low folate levels can cause irritability, mood swings and fatigue, and fertility problems.
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.
Iron
Iron deficiency is extremely common in general, but even more so in people with heavy menstrual bleeding and even more so in 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. Chocolate, dates, and chickpeas are all great sources of non-heme iron, making these blondies surprisingly high in iron. 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!
Are these ice cream bites low FODMAP?
Yes - a serving (2 bites) comes within low FODMAP green serving sizes for all ingredients.
Can I make these nut free?
Yes, you can use tahini or sunflower seed butter.
Is this recipe suitable for SIBO?
Everyone’s triggers vary with SIBO, but this recipe is low FODMAP, which can help some people with SIBO.
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.
Dairy free, No added sugar Caramel Macchiato Ice cream Bites
Ingredients:
200ml good quality unsweetened soy milk (like this), cashew milk or milk of choice (just watch for gums, fillers, sugar)
120g medjool dates
100g pure almond butter (salted is fine, if preferred)
1 tsp of instant coffee (can be decaf if preferred and can also be finely ground coffee rather than instant)
1 tsp vanilla extract
125g 90% dark chocolate
Sea salt, to serve
Makes: about 16 bites
Prep time: 10 mins
Freeze time: overnight
Coating time: 15 mins
Freeze time: 2 hours
Method
In a high speed blender, blend the dates, milk, coffee, vanilla extract and almond butter until thick and smooth.
Pour into ice cube trays and freeze overnight.
The following day, gently melt the chocolate over a double boiler until runny. Take off the heat and leave for 1-2 minutes to cool (so the ice creams don’t melt as quickly).
Whilst the chocolate cools a little, cover a chopping board in baking paper.
Then, one by one, either turn the ice creams over in the chocolate with two forks to coat, lift out and place on the baking paper. You can also drop the ice creams into the chocolate (one by one) and spoon chocolate over the top - whatever you find easiest.
Pop back in the freezer for at least another two hours, then sprinkle with salt when ready to serve.
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.
Looking for tools to help you manage endo and your hormones?
These are some of my favourite brands…
DITTO - DITTO is a clinically studied PMS and PMDD supplement with 10 ingredients that target both the mental and physical challenges that come along with the menstrual cycle, developed by a PhD Nutrition Scientist. You can use the code: ENDOBELLY (all caps) for 20% off any and all orders, now and in the future.
Mira - Mira is an at-home hormone testing device for every day use. Use this link and code 2DJESS20 to get 20% off the device and any future wand orders.
Tempdrop- Track fertility effortlessly with Tempdrop’s Wearable Sensor. Get 15% off with code: ENDOLIFE
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!