As the weather starts to heat up, chilled desserts become more irresistible. Thanks to the two no-bake summer dessert recipes you'll get today, there's no need to resist!
Both of them feature almond butter, a delectable ingredient with remarkable health benefits. You'll learn all about how almonds can help you lower your blood sugar and avoid blood sugar spikes.
That's critical for bone health because high blood sugar damages bones, in addition to being detrimental to your overall health.
All About Blood Sugar, Glucose, And Insulin
When you eat foods that contain sugar or other carbohydrates that break down into glucose, your pancreas produces extra insulin to allow your cells to absorb the glucose. That's how your body works to maintain your blood sugar balance.
Foods that contain large amounts of sugar, or which break down quickly into glucose, cause a spike in blood sugar levels. Your body responds with a sudden spike in insulin, which allows for a rapid reduction of blood sugar levels, frequently described as a “crash.”
These after-meal spikes and subsequent glucose crashes caused by excess insulin can lead to tissue damage and systemic inflammation. Studies have linked those effects to diabetes, dementia, stroke, and heart attack.
In addition, sugar is detrimental to your bones because it is acidifying. Your body rebalances acidification by pulling alkalizing minerals from your bones, such as calcium. Furthermore, sugar interferes with other building blocks of bone, like magnesium and copper.1,2
Inflammation has been shown to inhibit the bone remodeling process, weaken bones, and increase fracture risk.3 Any way you look at it, blood sugar spikes are detrimental to bone health.
Synopsis
When you eat foods that spike your blood sugar, your body responds by increasing the production of insulin. Then, the insulin allows cells to rapidly absorb sugar, which causes your blood sugar levels to crash. This spike and crash pattern can cause tissue damage and systemic inflammation, which have been linked to diabetes, dementia, stroke, and heart attack, as well as weakening bone and increasing the risk of fracture.
Study Finds That Almonds Regulate Blood Sugar Levels
A study published in the Journal of Nutrition compared how several meals impacted blood sugar levels. Each of the meals contained foods with a high glycemic index— meaning they resulted in a spike in blood glucose levels. But some of the meals included a handful of almonds.
The meals without almonds had the expected result on participants' blood sugar levels: a swift spike. But participants who ate the same meal with the addition of almonds didn't experience as sharp of an increase in blood sugar levels.4
Almonds were having a moderating effect on blood sugar levels. It only took about two ounces or one-quarter of a cup of almonds to help regulate glucose and insulin levels.4
That's an incredible ability that you can use to help prevent blood sugar spikes. In doing so, you can avoid negative health outcomes, including bone loss and increased fracture risk.
Synopsis
A study found that when study participants added almonds to a meal with a high glycemic index, their blood sugar levels wouldn't increase as much as participants who ate the same meal without the almonds. That means you can add almonds to your diet to help regulate your glucose and insulin levels.
Two Recipes Featuring Almond Butter
Almond butter is an excellent way to take advantage of this nut's ability to stabilize blood sugar levels and protect your bones.
Our first recipe teams almonds up with several other bone-building nuts to create a delicious almond butter pie. Instead of making a crust from white flour and sugar, this recipe uses nuts, honey, almond milk, and other healthful ingredients. This protein-packed crust is full of flavor.
The filling combines almond butter with ripe bananas to create a pie bursting with a natural sweetness that won't spike your glucose levels (or endanger your bones!)
Almond Butter Pie
Servings: one 9” pie
pH-balanced
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans raw and unsalted
- 1 cup cashews raw and unsalted
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey (adjust to taste)
- 2-3 tablespoons almond milk, adding it a little bit at a time, until the dough forms
- 2 teaspoons alcohol-free vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Almond Butter Filling:
- 1 cup unsalted almond butter
- 3 medium-large very ripe bananas
- 3 tablespoons almond milk
- 2 teaspoons alcohol-free vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
Directions
For the crust:
- Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process until a ball of dough gets formed. Do not over-process into the consistency of nut butter.
- Transfer the mixture to a 9″ pie dish and flatten it on the bottom and sides to make a pie shell.
For the filling:
- Wash and dry the food processor or blender and add the almond butter, bananas, milk, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Blend until smooth, pausing to scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared crust, and even out the top with a spatula.
- Sprinkle with chocolate chips and seeds.
- Cover and freeze for 3-4 hours or until frozen.
- Thaw for about 30 minutes before serving.
Nothing says summer more than a cool and refreshing bowl of ice cream. How could such a decadent dessert be bone healthy? The right ingredient substitutions and a simplified process allow you to easily make homemade ice cream that's 100% alkalizing.
Sweetened with a touch of honey and a few drops of liquid stevia, this is an irresistible frozen treat. The base of plain greek yogurt gives this ice cream authentic creaminess, without the dangers of other dairy derivatives. The almond butter confers the blood sugar balancing benefits of almonds, helping prevent inflammation and bone loss.
Servings: 6-8
100% Alkalizing
Ingredients:
- 11/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup unsalted, natural creamy almond butter
- 2 teaspoons alcohol-free vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 7-10 drops of liquid stevia
Directions:
- In a blender or food processor blend all the ingredients until smooth, periodically scraping the sides of the blender/processor.
- Pour into a freezer-friendly container and place in the freezer for 3-6 hours or until firm.
- Freeze for 3-6 hours, until firm. Enjoy!
Note: stays fresh in the freezer for 1-2 weeks. Before serving, thaw it for 30-60 minutes at room temperature, or until soft enough to scoop.
What This Means To You
Stock up on almond butter. It's a versatile ingredient, great as a peanut butter substitute, and powerful as part of these chilled summer treats.
If you'd like even more recipes that transform your favorite foods into bone-healthy dishes, check out Bone Appetit. Bone Appétit is packed with unforgettable recipes and a meal planner to help you stay on track with your dietary goals.
As your collection of bone-healthy recipes grows, your cooking habits become an ever-more formidable force for ensuring strong bones and good health.
References:
1 https://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/61/1/105.abstract
2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1855626/
3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3880424/
4 https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/19a6/db4703187353b5e295004cef8768ffa82441.pdf
Comments on this article are closed.
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I have the same issue, it’s really hard to find the balance! I’m looking forward to Vivian’s answer!
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I have advanced osteoporosis!
I’m enjoying your information and am trying to follow the save my bones information!
I appreciate that so much , I’ll be 75 in June coming up, and am very small boned. 115 lbs.
Thank You for your help!Glennis
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Hi what could I use instead of stevia?
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These recipes sound delicious, but I have a question. Can I use non-dairy yogurt instead of Greek yogurt?
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Can’t wait to try these recipes! Thank you.
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Thank you for the recipes! Will try them.
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I was diagnosed with Severe Osteoporosis when I was 50 yrs old… I am now 74 this yr .
I’m between a rock and a hard place with many of the suggestions I’ve read on saving our bones. In trying to save my bones, the suggestion of using almonds/almond butter, goes against every kidney stone oxalate list I’ve used since being diagnosed with stones. It’s a fine balance between these 2 issues. Do you have a section that addresses this fine line?