BRAINY GLUTEN & DAIRY FREE COOKIES
Delicious and easy-to-make cookies loaded with healthy fats, including anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids as well as heaps of fibre to keep the gut in tip top shape and support hormone function
Ingredients
- 80 grams gluten free self raising flour
- 80 grams coconut sugar
- 80 grams coconut oil
- 50 grams ground flaxseeds
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 medium Egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 320 degrees F (160 C)
- In a mixing bowl, combine the coconut sugar and coconut oil and mix with a spoon until you have a paste
- Add the egg and mix well until fully combined
- Add all the other ingredients and mix well
- Take 1 tbsp of the mixture at a time and place on a prepared baking sheet - leave at least 2 inches in between each blob of mixture -the cookie will spread out quite a bit during cooking
- Bake for 10 minutes
- Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack
- They will keep in a sealed container for a few days
Notes
THE SCIENCE BIT
Among all 127 World’s Healthiest Foods, FLAXSEED comes out number one as a source of omega-3s. The primary omega-3 fatty acid found in flaxseeds is alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA. The ALA in flaxseed has found to be stable for at least 3 hours of cooking at oven temperatures (approximately 300F/150C), which makes it available after ground flaxseeds have been added to baked goods like muffins or breads. FLAXSEEDS are also a great source of fibre and provide antioxidants due to their structure as polyphenols. The unique structure of lignans gives them a further health-supportive role to play, however, in the form of phytoestrogens. Along with isoflavones, lignans are one of the few naturally occurring compounds in food that function as weak or moderate estrogens when consumed by humans. Among all foods commonly eaten by humans, researchers rank flaxseeds as the number one source of lignans. Sesame seeds come in second, but contain only one-seventh of the total lignans as flaxseeds. To give a few further examples, sunflower seeds contain about 1/350th as many lignans, and cashews nuts contain about 1/475th as many lignans as flaxseeds. Finally FLAXSEEDS contain “Mucilage” which refers to water-soluble, gel-forming fiber that can provide special support to the intestinal tract. For example, gums can help prevent the too rapid emptying of the stomach contents into the small intestine, thereby improving absorption of certain nutrients in the small intestine. Arabinoxylans and galactoxylans are included within the mucilage gums found in flaxseeds. This combination of features—omega-3 fatty acids, high-lignan content, and mucilage gums—is a key factor in the unique health benefits of FLAXSEEDS.
