Low sugar, microbiome restoring ‘chunky monkey’ ice cream

I have been sitting on this recipe since March, when I made it for us in Croatia after being inspired by the ice cream stalls in Dubrovnik, and we became a little obsessed with it. It didn’t seem like the right month to release an ice cream recipe, but August does!

This recipe is a really easy one that requires just a few ingredients and not much in the way of fancy equipment. If you have an ice cream machine, it’s a definite bonus, but not essential. I’ve done so many elaborate ‘magnum’ recipes recently, that I wanted to give you guys something easy and a bit more affordable to make.

This ice creams biggest flex is how great it is for our gut bugs, so let’s get to it.

This low sugar, microbiome restoring ‘Chunky Monkey’ Ice Cream is…

• Blood sugar supportive thanks to the yoghurt, nuts and green(ish) bananas.

  Whilst I have fond memories of having a scoop (or more!) of Ben and Jerry’s in the cinema in on a Friday night with my girlfriends as a teen, I cringe to think of the impact a bag of pick n mix, ice cream, a soft drink and chocolate was having on my blood sugar, endo pain levels and my hormones.

  This is because both high sugar foods and processed foods can potentially contribute to more PMS and endo pain. And sadly, a tub of Ben and Jerry’s would be classified as both, with one servings (143g/two thirds of a cup) providing a whopping 32g of added sugar. Does this mean you can never eat ice cream again? Of course not! But I do want to give you other options that you can eat more regularly, to both enjoy and to improve your health and endo management.

  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 (bananas and chocolate, in this case) to our blood stream, preventing blood sugar spikes. The fibre comes from the nuts and banana, the protein from the yoghurt and the walnuts, and the fat comes from the yoghurt, walnuts 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. One study found that women who ate more than two servings of walnuts a week (28g per serve) had a 24% lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Scientists think that walnuts may be beneficial for diabetes prevention because of the positive impact they have on the gut microbiome (more on that later), which in turn, improves insulin resistance. Another study showed that 50g of walnuts per day for 8 weeks significantly reduced fasting glucose levels in hyperglycaemic women (meaning they had elevated blood sugar levels).

  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, this recipe is sweetened only with bananas, and uses a high percentage dark chocolate, which is low in sugar (I like to use 90%, which is about 7g sugar per 100g). Now, bananas have a low to high glycemic index depending on their ripeness.

  The glycemic index is a measurement of how much a food may spike your blood sugar levels. High means it’s going to (or in theory is going to) cause a rapid and high blood sugar spike, whereas a low glycemic index may have no affect on blood sugar levels at all, or a very small, healthy rise in levels, and moderate is what it sounds like - it has a moderate impact!

  So, the riper the banana, the higher its sugar content, which is why it has a high glycemic index. In contrast,  green bananas have a high amount of resistant starch, which makes them low on the glycemic index scale. As the banana ripens, that resistant starch is converted into sugar.

  Resistant starch is a type of starch that resists digestion, and so as a result, that starch is not broken down into glucose in the small intestine and absorbed into our blood stream. Instead, it heads to our large intestine to feed our good gut microbiome (more on that below).

  So, to help keep this recipe more blood sugar (and gut!) friendly, I recommend using greener bananas. They don’t have to be super green if you want more of that sweetness and banana flavour that comes as they ripen, but the greener you can tolerate and still enjoy, the better. Now, if you want to go with fully ripe bananas, please don’t panic - I’ve added the yoghurt and walnuts into the recipe for extra blood sugar benefits, and I’ve added some extra tips below for even more blood sugar support.

• Rich in polyphenols, resistant starch and probiotics 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 particularly high in walnuts and cacao, both featured in this recipe.

  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.

  Now, if you also opt for greener bananas, this recipe is also rich in super food resistant starch. As I mentioned earlier, resistant starch makes its way to our large intestine to feed our good gut bugs. Now, resistant starch is particularly good for us endo folks, because it’s one of the few things that raise butyrate, a type of short chain fatty acid produced by beneficial bacteria in the gut, that is low in people with endo, and the low levels may even be part of the perfect storm that allows endo to grow. You can learn more about that here.

  Finally, 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).

• Rich in period supportive vitamins and minerals to support hormonal health and better periods.

This ice cream is rich in magnesium, B6, B12, calcium, zinc and folate to name a few of its key micronutrients.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Finally, 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!)

Blood sugar considerations

As you may well now know, I really like to consider individual blood sugar responses with my recipes, and I try to add in as many ‘buffers’ as possible to help curb any spikes (and obviously, I opt to keep things naturally sweetened or low in any added sugar). Normally I add in extra support like viscous fibre, but that wouldn’t have worked in this recipe, so in case you do find you spike from bananas, here are a few tips (especially if you’re preferring to go for ripe bananas):

• Aim for 100g walnuts instead of 50g, because you’re going to get more fat, fibre and protein which will help slow down the release of glucose to the blood stream.

• Opt for a 90% or higher dark chocolate, because that will be lower in sugar, and consider going for 50g of chocolate or at least, less than 100g.

• Try having 1/4 of the recipe instead of 1/2. This recipe makes 2-4 servings, and of course, the smaller the portion, the less sugar you’re eating in one sitting. FYI - if you eat a lot of even a moderate 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 here.

• Enjoy this ice cream before a work out or walk, or just do some movement around the house, to use up the fuel.

You don’t have to do all of these, but there adaptations and strategies to play with!

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 cream cheese, the protein levels will be lower. Additionally, the nut based yoghurts may be higher in FODMAPS (see above 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

A 30g serving of walnuts is low FODMAP, so if you use 100g of walnuts, you can have a quarter of the full recipe. Of course, you can use less walnuts (like 60g) and have half the recipe.

85% dark chocolate is low FODMAP at 20g, so again, you could use 80g in the full recipe and have a quarter, or use 40g and have half.

A firm banana (so basically, not a super ripe one) is low FODMAP at 95g, so just weigh your bananas to ensure you don’t have more than this per serving.

Now the yoghurt is trickier. 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).

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.

Low sugar, microbiome restoring ‘chunky monkey’ ice cream

Method:

• Roughly break up the bananas into pieces and bend with the yoghurt in a food processor. Add vanilla this stage if using.

• If you have an ice cream machine, pour the mix into your ice cream machine and follow the instructions. If you don’t have an ice cream machine, pour the mix into ice cube moulds (you’ll need at least two trays) and freeze overnight.

• When ready, roughly chop the chocolate and walnuts. You can chop to your desired chunkiness, I go for the size of a five pence piece for a satisfying bite and flavour, any smaller and I find the banana overwhelms the additions.

• If using a machine, add the chocolate and walnuts according to the instructions (some machines tell you to add in the last 5 minutes, others recommend adding once the ice cream is ready). You can then serve if ready to eat, or decant into a container, cover and freeze for another 30 minutes to firm up.

• If using ice cubes, remove from the freezer and allow to soften for at least 10 minutes. Pop the cubes into a food processor (or blender) and pulse until the mix turns to crumbs ‘crumbs’ and start blending until creamy. This can take some time, but if they really don’t seem to be breaking down, leave to soften for another 5-10 minutes.

• When creamy, stir through the walnuts and chocolate. Either serve as is (it’ll be like a  soft serve), but if you want a firmer ice cream, spoon into a container and cover, freeze for 30 minutes. I do recommend the soft serve version with the ice cube approach because yoghurt has a tendency to go icy when it’s not churned, the ice cream machine tends to prevent that from happening, but the ice cube method can leave it icy so I find it’s most creamy straight from the food processor, but play around with with what works for you.