If you’re aiming to enhance your health, boost your vitality, and ward off chronic illnesses, it might be beneficial to eliminate added sugar from your diet, at least for a while. Added sugar refers to the sugar that isn’t naturally found in foods like fruits and vegetables, but is incorporated during the processing or cooking phase. It’s prevalent in numerous food and beverage items, including soda, sweets, biscuits, cakes, ice cream, breakfast cereals, and caffeinated beverages.
Sugars Effect on Health
Consuming excessive sugar can have severe implications for your health. It can heighten your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, which are among the primary causes of death and disability worldwide. Sugar can also induce inflammation in your cells and tissues, resulting in pain, swelling, and harm to various organs and systems and has been found to adversely impact your mood, energy levels, and cognitive function, leading to feelings of depression, fatigue, and lack of focus. Excessive sugar has been demonstrated to hasten the aging process of your skin and organs, increasing your susceptibility to diseases, while also interfering with your hormones and metabolism, affecting your appetite, weight, blood sugar, and insulin levels.
Go Sugar Free for 30 days
The encouraging news is that you don’t have to completely abandon sweetness. Participating in 30-day sugar-free programs can significantly aid in reducing your sugar addiction. You can still relish the natural sugars from fruits and vegetables, which also supply you with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. The secret to optimal health is balance, and if you’re the kind of person who requires resets to regain balance, then a 30-day challenge might be suitable for you. You may even benefit from a 5 Day Detox Functional Cleanse to kick start your sugar free life. If you’re someone who can easily maintain balance, that’s fantastic! Want other great low sugar options? We've got you covered with low sugar baked goods that are also gluten free! Check out our gluten free bakery and stock up. We’ve compiled a recipe below to help you limit sugar intake during breakfast. Preparing items like breakfast protein shakes and smoothie bowls with fruits is an excellent way to enjoy something sweet and nutritious.
Aim for Low Sugar Usage
While not sugar free, these holiday spiced cookies are low in sugar, and yet, they still taste great! The tahini has a natural sweetness of its own, and because we’re using coconut sugar, which is less refined, there are the added benefits of nutrients from the sugar that you wouldn’t get with processed cane sugar. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 9 tsps of sugar per day for men and 6 per day for women, so this is a recipe you can enjoy without worrying about overdoing the sugar. It's a big improvement from those traditional holiday cookie recipes. These cookies have less than half the sugar found in a typical holiday cookie. You don't have to give up holiday cookies this year! This recipe makes 12 cookies. Pro Tip: Want to go added sugar free? Use dates, process them into a paste and use in lieu of sugar!
Holiday Spiced Tahini Cookie Recipe
What you'll need:
- 1 cup tahini
- 2 Tbsp ground flax
- 6 Tbsp water
- ¼ Cup Coconut sugar
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cardamom
- ⅛ tsp clove
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
How to prepare:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix flax with water and let sit for 5 mins to become gelatinous.
- Add tahini to a bowl and mix with coconut sugar to combine. Next add the baking soda, vanilla, and spices and stir to combine. After the flax has sat with water for at least 5 minutes add to the mixture and stir until well incorporated.
- Scoop up 1 ½ to 2 Tablespoons of mixture per cookie and form into a mound on the baking sheet. Make sure to separate the cookies well as these will spread a great deal as they cook. About 2 ½ inches apart will do.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes then remove from the oven to cool for about 5 minutes. Don’t transfer to a cooling rack right away as they will be very pliable and need to set a bit before moving them.
Hope you enjoy!
About Author: Stephanie is the current fulfillment director and kitchen supervisor for Organic Pharmer. She studied Neuroscience at University of California, Irvine