Sweetness Without Sugar

As we embark on the “season of sweetness,” some easy ideas for nutritive desserts may be helpful. You are likely already a believer in the importance of removing artificial sweeteners and refined sugar from your diet. Being a sweet lover myself, I like to have ingredients on hand that I can whip something up easily that satisfies and nourishes at the same time. Though sugar cravings can indicate blood sugar imbalance, dehydration, a need for more protein or an emotional response, sometimes we ARE balanced and just want something sweet. Pick and choose from the following list of ingredients for those times when a little something is needed and keep these staples on hand:

• Unrefined coconut oil
• Raw cacao (A.K.A chocolate)
• Nut and seed butters (e.g. Hemp seed butter, almond butter, macadamia nut butter, sunflower butter)
• Dates
• Liquid stevia; can use plain or choose flavored varieties from SweetLeaf® (e.g. Vanilla Crème) Note: Be sure to choose from brands containing only stevioside such as NuNaturals® or SweetLeaf®.
• Chia seeds
• Sun Warrior Protein® powder (available in Vanilla, Chocolate and Natural)
• Peaceful Planet® protein powder (Incan blend mixture)
• Hemp seeds
• Shredded, unsweetened and unsulphured coconut
• Dried, sulfite-free, fruit
• Wheatgrass powder (e.g. Amazing Grass® has individual packets for sale)

A category of easy desserts includes bon bons. Bon bons meet some important goals:

• They require few ingredients.
• All ingredients can be mixed together in one bowl.
• They are a little messy but fun for adults and kids of all ages.
• Easy clean up (especially if some “batter” is nibbled off of fingers while preparing).
• Easy to grab and go for a treat at home or “on the run.”
• To make easy combinations, choose 3-4 ingredients from the above list of ingredients to mix together for a serving of yum. Balancing healthy fat and protein along with the sweetness helps to balance blood sugar while providing you with your desired sweet taste.

Here is a recipe for “Nut Balls” from my book, Sweetness without Sugar: ½ cup ground almonds, walnuts, cashews or pecans (can use store-bought flours e.g. almond flour/meal) ½ cup unsweetened, unsulphured, shredded organic coconut ¾ cup Sun Warrior Protein or ¼ plus 1/8 cup Nutribiotic Rice Protein ½ cup unsalted and unsweetened almond, cashew or sesame butter (e.g. almond butter or tahini); I often use a combination such as ¼ cup almond butter plus ¼ cup tahini. ¼ cup unsweetened organic canned coconut milk (use more or less to suit your taste and consistency preferences) ½ cup dried blueberries (unsweetened, corn-syrup and sugar-free) 6-10 Tbsp brown rice syrup or yacon syrup or 5 drops liquid stevia (or to taste)

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Use a spoon to mix until the combination stays together. Add more coconut milk to suit your taste and texture preferences.
3. Scoop into balls using a heaping teaspoon. Optional: sprinkle with shredded coconut or raw cacao.

Note: If you are sensitive to nuts, use sunflower or pumpkin seed spreads. Makes: 32 balls Preparation time: 15 minutes Serving size: 2 balls Calories: 170; Total fat 10g; Saturated fat 3 g; Protein 7 g; cholesterol and trans-fat free. Wendy Vigdor-Hess, RD has been a lover of sweets since birth. As a nutritionist, educator, speaker and consultant for nearly 18 years, she passionately spreads the message that addressing challenges through diet is an important key to a healthy and happy life.