A big tub of ice cream is the go to night-in treat, its one of the nation’s biggest comfort foods and it’s become the ‘break-up’ food of choice. Alas, ice-cream also happens to be one of the worst offenders when it comes to its colossal sugar content. Panic not! Your sugar free journey does not mean you have to abandon ice cream for the rest of your days. Here is a healthy hormone boosting, vitamin filled ‘ ice-cream’ that is thick, luxurious and will have you licking the bowl clean.
It can be made with just 3 ingredients and super quick to make... and did I mention it has no added sugar!?
I’ve used fresh cherries for this and a splash of tart cherry juice (for added health benefits) but frozen cherries could be used instead. I also added thick cream to one of my batches for my non vegan family members, but my fav version happens to be with full fat coconut cream. Tart cherries are known for their multiple health benefits including reducing inflammation, aiding recovery and boosting the sleep hormone melatonin. The increased use of ‘blue screens’, -our phones & tablets, is impacting our melatonin production. The blue screen activity inhibits melatonin release as it’s perceived as day light hours. Good sleep is the touchstone of our health. It helps the body rest and replenish, helps reduce cortisol levels and has a profound effect on our mood and ability to cope with everyday life.
Sleep also decreases the hormone responsible for hunger ‘ghrelin’. Ever noticed how much you eat when you’re tired, especially carbs. My first recommendation to any client of mine looking to lose excess weight and get healthy is to improve their sleep. My tips for good sleep is to drink a warm tart cherry juice 2 hours before, put phones & tablets and before getting in to bed, do gentle stretches and 10 deep breaths. Ok, enough of my chat because I’m sure you’re eager to get whipping up a batch of this beauty! The simple vegan version is made with: 1 frozen banana 1 450g coconut cream (full fat) 150g cherries Whizz the lot together and pop in the freezer. Leave to set, when frozen re whizz and serve. Non vegan- more ingredients version 1 frozen banana 150ml thick cream 300g coconut cream (full fat) 150g cherries 1/3 cup tart cherry juice Method as above.
Check out the rest of my website for more healthy recipes with no added sugar, along with help and advice on living a low or no sugar lifestyle.
You can find out more about the benefits of cutting out excess sugar from your diet hey watching my video below or reading my blog here.
And if you would like to experience all of the benefits of a sugar detox you can sign up to my 21 Day Sugar Detox here.