‘Trick’ Your Taste Buds And ‘Treat’ Your Bones

Vivian Goldschmidt, MA Nutrition

Evidence-Based
2 min Read
bone healthy pumpkin

Do you know what really spooks me about Halloween? Not the ghouls and ghosts, but the huge amount of sugar kids – and often adults – end up eating.

When my sons were younger, they would cleverly go “trick or treating” around the neighborhood on rollerblades so as to cover more ground and collect as much candy as possible. They would return home after a long evening and I remember gasping in horror as they unloaded their pillow case full of candy onto the floor.

What a shame that sugar, in all its forms, is acidifying, unhealthy, and can hurt your bones by interfering with the transport and absorption of crucial bone healthy nutrients! So with Halloween around the corner, let’s focus on pumpkins instead of candy (even if you don't celebrate Halloween, you're sure to learn something). They’re good for your bones and delicious. In fact…

Pumpkins are a Foundation Food

A rich source of bone-building silicon, pumpkins also offer outstanding antioxidant protection thanks to their high beta carotene content, which is what gives them their bright orange color.

For this Halloween I want to help you enjoy a luscious and guilt-free pumpkin dessert. I’ve come up with a deliciously sweet yet bone-healthy recipe that’s easy to make. And the best part is that you won’t use any bone-harming sugar! Instead, you can use stevia – a bone healthy sugar substitute.

And now for the delicious bone-healthy pumpkin recipe.

“Bo(o)ne” Healthy Pumpkin Crème Brûlée

This alkalizing recipe makes 12 servings.

Ingredients

3 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (if you use canned, make sure it’s BPA-free)
1/4 cup stevia
5 eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat almond milk to just below boiling,
3. Lightly beat eggs, then add pumpkin, stevia, coconut oil, cinnamon and vanilla. Mix until well blended.
4. Gradually whisk in the hot almond milk. Mix well until all ingredients are combined.
5. Evenly divide pumpkin mixture among a dozen 6 oz custard cups. Place cups in baking pans. Add hot tap water to the pans until the water is halfway up the sides of the custard cups.
6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Custard centers should be slightly wobbly.

Enjoy!

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