Luteal Loving Prebiotic Protein Tahini Brownies

This recipe wasn’t ever intended to make it to the blog, but it was so good that I had to! I was on my period last week and had a hankering for some brownies that wouldn’t spike blood sugar, would keep me full and also help replenish nutrients often lost or required during menstruation.

This recipe is…

• Rich in hormone and period supportive nutrients iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium.

Sesame seeds are the star of the show here, and consuming them in the form of tahini actually aids absorption, because we often end up pooping them out as they’re too small for our teeth to break down, and so go through the gut undigested.

Sesame seeds are rich in calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron. All wonderful nutrients for hormone and period health. Here’s why…

Iron

Low levels of iron are extremely common full stop, but even more so in people with heavy menstrual bleeding. 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 due to having SIBO, avoiding red meat, heavy periods or other reasons. Supporting healthy iron absorption and intake is a key part of beating endo fatigue and recovering from heavy blood loss.

The UK’s RDA of iron for women is 14.8mg, and this recipe provides 3.38mg per serving (AI generated), which is almost 23% of your RDA. Iron is typically difficult to absorb from plant foods, and pairing with vitamin C aids uptake. So, one way to really benefit from this brownie is to enjoy it with a side of vitamin C rich food, like strawberries!

Magnesium

In terms of magnesium, this recipe contains approximately 81.59mg per brownie. The UK RDA (for women) for magnesium is 270mg, meaning that one gooey brownie offers up to 30% of your RDA.

Magnesium helps reduce PMS symptoms, supports healthy oestrogen metabolism (clearance), healthy progesterone production and is a treatment for period pain, because it lowers prostaglandins, the suckers that drive up menstrual pain. Additionally, magnesium is often depleted during times of stress, which I think for many with endo, is all the time, so keeping magnesium levels topped up is important.

Calcium

The UK RDA (for women) for calcium is 700mg and these brownies provide 134.32mg, giving you around 20% of your daily needs. Low levels of calcium has 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).

Zinc

Now let’s talk about zinc. Low levels of zinc have been demonstrated in the research on endometriosis and may be involved in the immune dysfunction that allows endo to grow. Zinc has also been shown to help with period pain and PMS, and also is crucial to healthy progesterone production. The UK RDA for women is 7mg, and this recipe offers 1.84mg, meaning you get a whopping 25% of your daily zinc needs from one delicious brownie.

• A great source of protein, fat and fibre to stabilise blood sugar and curb cravings.

I deliberately designed this recipe to be a good source of fat, protein and fibre to help keep blood sugar levels stable. All three can help to slow down digestion and therefore the breakdown of carbs and uptake of glucose from them, which allows for a more steady drip of glucose rather than a big surge of glucose all at once, which would trigger a blood sugar spike.

I specifically included chia seeds especially, as they provide a viscous fibre, a type of soluble fibre that forms a gel in the gut, and is particularly beneficial for blood sugar.

Protein also helps to keep us fuller and more satisfied, so this keeps us from being so much at the mercy of sugar cravings - especially during the luteal phase!

We also need adequate protein to make enough hormones - our hormones are produced by cholesterol and the StAR protein, and under eating can cause us to struggle to make sufficient amounts of both.

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.

Additionally, 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.

• Low in naturally occurring sugar and added sugars to keep inflammation at bay.

You know me, I like to keep sugar low or naturally occurring, to help manage blood sugar and keep inflammation down.

For this reason, I used a 90% dark chocolate for the chocolate chips, and you can even go to 100%, which will have no added sugar at all (I actually love 100% dark chocolate!).

I also chose carob syrup because it’s a better choice for blood sugar. Carob extract is naturally sweet, and despite being relatively high carb/high in naturally occurring sugar, it actually appears to have very beneficial effects on blood sugar. This is because it contains fibre (the good gut bug feeder!), which slows down the release of the natural sugars to the blood stream by slowing down digestion.

Additionally, carob is rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, which in studies, have been shown to have beneficial effects on metabolism and blood sugar.

Carob extract is also classified as low glycemic index (and so are other carob products like powder), meaning that it doesn’t have a dramatic impact on blood sugar (high GI = blood sugar spikes). Glycemic load looks at both the GI index of the food and how much of that food you’re eating in one sitting, and how that can impact blood sugar.

Due to the fibre content and the blood sugar benefits of the carob, plus because of the fibre, fat and protein content of the other ingredients, this recipe is estimated (by AI) to have a low glycemic index of 25-35 and a low glycemic load of 10. This means that a brownie piece is more likely to create a mild and gradual rise in blood sugar - in contrast, your average brownie would spike blood sugar quickly.

• Rich in omega 3 fatty acids to help lower inflammation and support progesterone levels.

Chia seeds and walnuts are a good source of omega 3, specifically alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Omega 3 fats help us to make our anti-inflammatory prostaglandins (as well as other anti-inflammatory mediators), naturally occurring immune compounds that help to counteract the effects of our inflammatory prostaglandins.

People with endo (and people with dysmenorrhea and heavy menstrual bleeding) have been shown to have higher levels of inflammatory prostaglandins, and what we eat can help us to modulate these levels.

Additionally, various studies indicate an association with lower levels of omega 3 fatty acids and dysmenorrhea and endometriosis. In fact, dietary intervention with omega 3 fatty acids is now being explored for endometriosis treatment and management.

Finally, omega 3 fats and healthy fats can actually help us to make sufficient progesterone, which is important for stabilising mood, and preventing issues such as PMS and luteal phase spotting.

However, it’s worth remembering you need a mix of omega 3 fats; EPA, DHA and ALA. ALA comes from plant foods and is the non-active form of omega 3 and needs to be converted by the body into EPA and DHA, which are the active forms (meaning usable). The body doesn’t always do the best job of this and so consuming active forms from foods like fatty fish and algae (if vegan/avoid fish), can provide our body with a broader range of omega 3.

• A great source of prebiotic fibre to boost short chain fatty acids and ease endo belly.

The chia, walnuts, cacao and chocolate, and carob syrup all contain prebiotic fibre (fibre that resists digestion and ends up in the large intestine, where it feeds gut bugs). This in turn increases levels of short chain fatty acids, beneficial gut compounds which are produced when good bacteria eat fibre. These guys help to keep inflammation down in the gut and the body, help to keep blood sugar levels healthy, inhibit bad bacteria and foster good bacteria growth. Because people with endo often have gut inflammation, high levels of unhealthy gut bacteria and low levels of beneficial bacteria, as well as blood sugar issues, AND often low levels of short chain fatty acids, replenishing SCFA levels is essential to endo belly and endo management.

• A rich source of anti-inflammatory, gut loving antioxidants.

Carob and cacao contain types of antioxidants called polyphenols. Polyphenols not only have a profound effect on reducing inflammation levels , but they are also a favourite food for our gut microbiome. Because people with endo tend to have microbiome dysbiosis, with lower levels of some beneficial bacteria and higher levels of pathogenic (bad) bacteria, feeding our gut bugs is essential to reestablishing balance.

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

Protein powder options

A lot of protein powders have added fillers and are heavily processed, I really try to avoid that where possible, so for this recipe, I went for a minimally processed 100% rice protein powder - with nothing else in it, which also happens to be low FODMAP.

This means it’s better for the gut because it has less ingredients to react to (like gums and fillers), but also it doesn’t fall under the category of ultra processed because it doesn’t have lots of added extras.

I’ve only used rice protein powder with this recipe, but I suspect you could swap for almond protein powder as it is fairly similar in texture (though I would say a bit lighter) and I have used it in similar bakes, like my sticky toffee pudding, with good success.

Plain protein powders like rice or almond are typically more affordable. Where we are staying in Bulgaria, I have been getting them for around £5 by Dragon Foods, but in the UK I know Pulsin does pure protein powders for about £10.

Increasing the fibre content

Normally I would add more chia to boost the fibre, but to keep the brownie taste and texture more typical/traditional, I stayed with lower levels. If you want to boost the fibre content further, add another tbsp, but be sure to increase your water as well (you’ll need to experiment), so the brownie doesn’t become dry.

This recipe isn’t low FODMAP- but it’s close!

Unlike most of my other recipes, due to the prebiotics in the carob (pectin and galactomannans) this recipe is not low FODMAP. However, all the other ingredients are low FODMAP per serve.

FODMAPS are types of carbohydrates that are rapidly fermentable. For people with SIBO, IBS or dysbiosis, some fermentable carbohydrates or certain serving sizes of them, may cause issues like bloating and gas. So, keep in mind that this recipe may or may not trigger bloating/IBS symptoms for you - it’s impossible to know which FODMAPS someone will respond to, because everyone is different, so try this with caution and see how you feel - if you’re worried, start with a half the amount to test your tolerance.

I didn’t have any trouble with this recipe at all, and I have chronic SIBO! Of course, everyone is individual, so see how you feel.

Where to get carob extract or what to swap carob for?

Whilst I never came across carob extract in the shops in the UK, you can actually find it on Amazon, and I suspect you’ll find it in Greek or Turkish delis and shops.

If you can’t get hold of carob, you could swap for maple syrup but that will raise the glycemic load and index, so I would consider adding more fibre, like chia, to balance out the blood sugar affects.

Cacao powder vs. carob powder

If you have histamine intolerance, interstitial cystitis or dysautonomia, cacao may bother you. For some with histamine issues, cacao can be flare inducing, whilst for those with IC, it could irritate the bladder and finally, with dysautonomia, it might be too stimulating. However, and this is a big however, everyone has different responses and I have very few clients who can’t tolerate cacao (unfortunately, I am one of the few who can’t have much).

If you’re sensitive to cacao, you could swap the chocolate for a carob bar (I have a recipe here, just omit the lion’s mane), or swap the cacao powder for carob powder. Carob powder is similar to cacao but tastes more date like and a little bit like molasses. I tend to need a blend of cacao and carob to soften the effects of cacao but soften the taste of carob!

We made the cacao version three times, and the carob twice. You actually can’t tell the difference taste wise, but the cacao is more absorbent, so we reduced the milk by a third, however, adding extra chia could also thicken the texture and aid absorption.

Further resources

If you’re struggling with your 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.

Method:

• Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F) and line a small baking tin (about 20cm²) with parchment paper.

• If desired, first use a spice or coffee grinder to blitz your chia seeds. This way, you won’t have any of that chia crunch.

• Then, mix the chia with 65 ml water and let it sit for 5–10 minutes until it forms a gel.

• Whilst the chia is gelling, add the almond milk, tahini, carob syrup, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl. Add the chia egg once ready, and whisk well.

• Add cocoa powder, protein powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix until fully combined.

• Finally, fold in the walnuts and chocolate.

• Pour the batter into the lined tin and spread evenly.

• Bake for 20 minutes, until the top is set and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs. If it looks like the top is catching, cover with some baking paper during cooking. Once baked, it will feel quite wobbly underneath, it is a very gooey brownie, but it firms up when cool. If your toothpick first comes out very wet, just leave it a few minutes to cool ever so slightly, then try again. If it’s still very wet, pop it back in the oven for 2-4 minutes (but not too long, it’ll dry out), but if it now looks a little less, you’re good to go.

• These brownies are best when cooled and left to firm up. We found the best results by leaving to cool for 5-10 minutes, then getting them into the fridge quickly on a cooling rack. However, they are super gooey when fresh from the oven, so also delicious like that with a dollop of my yoghurt or rice ice cream!