Polyphenol boosting Pistachio, chocolate and cherry ice cream

22 Aug

Aside from their infamous role in the viral Dubai chocolate - pistachios are a particularly special kind of nut. They’ve been shown to have incredible blood sugar benefits, powerful microbiome supportive nutrients and are rich in anti-inflammatory plant compounds.

In this recipe, I’ve chosen to pack them in with some other serious star players for fighting inflammation and boosting gut health - cherries, dark chocolate and yogurt.

This idea came to me when we were travelling in Croatia and visited Dubrovnik. There was an ice cream stall selling ice cream made with whole ingredients, and the queue was immense, with lots of people pushing in front of us. One said group, actually turned out to do me a favour - a couple in the group ordered two scoops each, one with a scoop of pistachio and cherry, and the other, dark chocolate and fior de latte. I am the kind of person who gets the same flavour ice cream no matter how tempting the other flavours look; chocolate, every time. But this couple’s pretty unique and inspiring combination, made me decide to play around with these back at our Airbnb apartment, with our beloved ice cream machine, that has come with us all over Europe (yes, I am a dedicated ice cream fan).

This recipe was born and I’ve been waiting until summer to share it with you, so here it is:

This Pistachio, Chocolate and Cherry Ice Cream is…

Absolutely brimming with powerful antioxidants to help lower oxidative stress and inflammation.

Have you heard of the ORAC chart? It stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity and is a chart compiling the levels of antioxidants per 100g in various foods.

Antioxidants are types of plant compounds that fight oxidative stress - in the simplest terms, oxidative stress is a chemical reaction in the body that when high, causes inflammation and significant damage. People with endo have been found to have lower levels and lower intake of certain antioxidants, with higher levels of circulating oxidative stress and oxidative stress markers in the peritoneal fluid (fluid in the pelvic area). In fact, oxidative stress is a key player in endometriosis development and progression, but the good news is, research has shown we can actually modulate these inflammatory markers and pathways through nutrition and food.

The even better news, pistachios, dark chocolate, cherries and vanilla are all high on the ORAC chart, in fact, here’s how they rank:

Vanilla 122400
Dark chocolate 20816
Pistachios 7675
Cherries 3747
Medjool dates 2387

Now, don’t forget that this chart measures in 100g, and you’d never eat 100g of vanilla bean, but what you do get to see is just how much herbs and spices are incredible anti-inflammatory powerhouses, even at small doses, because gram for gram, they outweigh so many other foods in terms of their antioxidant capacity. But they key is, mixing up these foods - because there are multiple types of antioxidants, not just one, and so to reap the most benefits, we want to consume an array of different foods, like we’re doing in this recipe.

Rich in polyphenols to help heal the endo belly.

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 cacao, dates, cherries, pistachios and vanilla bean. In fact, dark chocolate and cherries are amongst the top 100 highest polyphenol containing foods.

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.

A great source of probiotics to replenish good gut bugs.

The yoghurt in this recipe (providing you buy one with live cultures) offers probiotic benefits, even when frozen. Probiotic foods provide us with more beneficial bacteria, to help top up and diversify our own. Given the strong connection between endo and the microbiome, it’s important for us to introduce new and varied bacteria through various probiotic sources, so that we can build up our healthier bacteria, but also outcompete the pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria (such as e.coli and klebsiella).

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 pistachios, dates and cherries, banana, the protein from the yoghurt and the pistachios, and the fat comes from the yoghurt, pistachios and chocolate (though chocolate is a source of added sugar here, so don’t rely on that as your fat source!).

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. This is especially true for pistachios. These green gems were shown to significantly improve the glucose to high carbohydrate foods including white bread, rice, pasta and potatoes! The studied added 28g, 56g and 84g and the glucose response to starchy foods improved in a dose dependent manner - meaning the more pistachios, the better the blood sugar response. That’s why I’ve aimed for 28g per serve in this recipe, as we know that its evidenced based to lower post-prandial (post-meal) blood sugar levels, and more than 28g would be quite a lot of nuts to eat in one sitting!

I’ve also included yoghurt, not just for it’s creamy and probiotic benefits, but the additional fat and protein can help to make this recipe both blood sugar stabilising and satisfying, curbing those luteal phase cravings. Additionally, fermented dairy, like yoghurt, has been associated with lower rates of type 2 diabetes and insulin levels, as well as lower glucose and insulin levels.

Finally, in stark contrast to most ice creams, this recipe is sweetened only with dates and cherries, and uses a high percentage dark chocolate, which is low in sugar (I like to use 90%, which is about 7g sugar per 100g). Cherries are a low glycemic fruit, meaning they have a minimal impact on blood sugar (learn more about the glycemic index here). 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. You can learn about this

Therefore, I’ve only used two dates in this recipe, as I found that it’s enough sweetness, especially when combined with the cherry sauce and dark chocolate. However, if you want to go to three or four dates, you certainly can, especially as I added the extra support of fat, fibre and protein, with the incredible benefits of pistachios.

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 magnums 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!

Packed with nutrients to help us balance our hormones and improve period pain.

Amongst several other micronutrients (there are so many goodies in this!), this ice cream is high in calcium, B1, B12 and folate, zinc, vitamin E and magnesium to name a few.

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.

B1 is a period pain powerhouse. A recent systematic review and meta analysis found that B1 effectively contributed to dysmenorrhea pain management. In fact, numerous studies have shown significant improvements with period pain using B1 supplementation. For example, one study compared ibuprofen and B1 treatment and found that B1 was more effective than ibuprofen at achieving complete eradication of pain, and was a safer alternative to NSAIDs. Additionally, low levels have been associated with endometriosis. You can learn more about B1 and endo here.

Research on the use of B12 for pain suggests that B12 can reduce chronic pain (and menstrual pain) through various methods. Firstly, B12 can inhibit the production of the inflammatory prostaglandins which are responsible for pain and inflammation, and are found to be especially high in people with endometriosis and dysmenorrhea (which is the medical term for period pain). Additionally, B12 plays a role in supporting nerve health and pain signally pathways, which can influence pain perception. If nerves or pain signalling pathways are comprised, this could increase pain levels.

Finally, folate is crucial to ovarian function and ovulation, and low folate levels can cause irritability, mood swings and fatigue, and fertility problems.

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.

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%!

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.

JUMP TO RECIPE

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

Want it extra creamy?

I wanted this ice cream to be considerate of budget as I know pistachios are expensive, so I didn’t want to throw extra expenses into the mix like nut butter. However, if you don’t have an ice cream maker, yoghurt can sometimes go icy in the freezer. You can avoid this by swapping 100g of yoghurt for cashew butter (or sunflower seed butter if you’re allergic to nuts), just be aware that it will add a slight cashew flavour which can take away from the vanilla lightness and add a more caramel-like flavour.

I’ve made this recipe both in an ice cream machine and with the ice cube method. The ice cream machine (at least for me) avoided any iciness, but there was a little with the ice cube method (though most of it gets blended out at the end) but I enjoyed both types and tbh, was happy to save the money!

Want a cheesecake version?

If you’d like a cheesecake version, swap 200g of the yoghurt for 200g of full fat cream cheese (dairy free if needed), just make sure you go for a good quality brand, ideally organic if using dairy.

Want an easier version? Skip the compote and just use cherries.

You can skip making the cherry compote and instead, add the frozen cherries straight from the pack. If using an ice cream machine, just add them a minute or so before it finishes to allow them to incorporate. If using the ice cube method, pulse them into the ice cream once or twice after you’ve ‘churned’ it smooth, try not to pulse more than that because it may end up full blown cherry ice cream! Leave the cherries out for 10-15 minutes prior to using, to soften.

Making this dairy free

Research shows that about half of people with endo may experience improvements in pain and symptoms with the removal of dairy.

If this is you, look for a good quality Greek yoghurt alternative that has live cultures in it and minimal ingredients, as many dairy free alternatives are ultra processed or do not have beneficial bacteria in them, which doesn’t benefit gut health!

Good brands in the UK are Nush and Coyo, you could also look for lactose free options, which may be better tolerated.

Keep in mind if you opt for a coconut based, the protein levels will be lower. Additionally, the nut based yoghurts may be higher in FODMAPS (see below for low FODMAP versions).

Finally, you may find that you do better on A2 (sheep, goat, buffalo) sources of dairy over A1 (cow), which you can learn about here. If that’s the case, try sheep or goat yoghurt for this recipe.

Making this ice cream low FODMAP

Here’s the bad news. If you want to make this recipe low FODMAP, you really do need to cut down on the pistachios. A low FODMAP serving of pistachios is 5g per serve, unless you use activated pistachios (which means they’ve been soaked normally for around six hours, then dried in a dehydrator or in the oven on low, you can buy them or do it at home), in which case, a low FODMAP serve is 11g.

85% dark chocolate is low FODMAP at 20g, so again, you could use 40g in the full recipe and have a half the ice cream, which would be low FODMAP.

The yoghurt is tricky too. Lactose is high FODMAP, so as a result, Greek yoghurt is only low FODMAP at serves of 23g. You may do better with lactose free yogurt (170g is low FODMAP) or coconut yoghurt (149g).

If you want to add cashew butter, I’m afraid that cashews are high FODMAP, so this would be best to keep out.

If you are wanting to use cream cheese, 40g is a low FODMAP serving, so add 80g to the recipe instead of 200g.

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.