Healthy & Home Made ENERGY BAR
Desserts and sweet dishes are dream foods for persons with diabetes. Doctors will generally encourage people with diabetes to avoid sugars and carbohydrates.
However, by making some simple nutritional changes, it is possible to enjoy desserts even for diabetes people. Let us discuss a simple recipe of one such nutritional recipe – ENERGY BAR.
Ingredients
- Dates – 1 cup
- Hot water – 1 cup
- Cashew – 1 cup
- Almond – 1 cup
- Chopped Walnut – 1/2 cup
- Pistachios – 1/4th cup
- Peanuts – 1/4th cup
- Sesame – 1/4th cup
- Pumpkin seed – 1/4th cup
- Dry grated coconut – 1/2 cup
- Honey -1 cup
- Cardamom powder -1 tsp
- Salt -1/4th tsp
- Rolled oats – 1/2 cup
Preparation
- Take 1 cup of dates and soak it in 1cup of hot water for 2 hours, so it becomes soft.
- Take that soaked date and blend them to a very smooth paste into a blender.
- Take all Nuts, pumpkin seed, and sesame seed into the pan.
- Roast it on low flame till it becomes crispy and golden without burning it.
- Add half a cup of grated dry coconut, Saute on low flame till it becomes aromatic. Keep aside for 15 min and allow it to cool.
- Transfer dates paste in a pan and saute it on low flame till it becomes thick (should not be too thick or hard).
- Add roasted dry fruits into dates paste and mix it well, add 1tsp cardamom powder and 1/4th tsp salt and mix it well. Switch off gas and wait until the mixture turns to lukewarm.
- Add one cup of honey into it and mix well.
- Cover this mixture and let it completely cool down.
- Roast half cup of rolled oats on low flame till it turns aromatic.
- Keep aside for 10 minutes.
- Powder oats finely and add this oats powder into dates mixture and mix it properly until the moisture is completely absorbed by oats powder and wait until it attains a proper shape.
- Transfer it into one plate and spread uniformly and refrigerate it for 1 hour.
- Let it settle completely.
- After one hour, it can be cut into pieces and enjoy it!
ABOUT NUTS:
Almonds:
- Almonds manage the glucose level in a diabetic person. They reduce oxidative stress, which is a key factor responsible for diabetes and heart disease. One serving of almonds can fulfil your daily magnesium requirements.
- Almonds which contain a lot of vitamin E, also inhibit the development of plaque that can narrow and clog the arteries.
- 100g of almonds contains 576 calories, which is a lot for people with diabetes.
Cashew:
- Cashews contain a good amount of Arginine, an amino acid that can reduce blood pressure. They are also rich in copper, magnesium, zinc, nutrients that are considered as good antioxidants and help in improving the immune system and nervous system.
- Cashew is also rich in Oleic acid which is responsible for lowering bad fat in the blood. 75% of the fat in cashews is oleic acid, which is also termed as “heart-healthy monounsaturated fat”.
- This monounsaturated fat helps to reduce blood sugar levels as well.
- 28.35gms (1 ounce of raw cashews contains 157 calories, 12gm of fat, 3.4mg sodium, 8.6 gm of carbohydrate, 0.9 gms of fiber, 5.2gms of protein.
Walnuts:
- Walnut helps to build resistance for insulin, control blood glucose levels and lower the risk of developing Type-2 diabetes.
- They are rich in dietary fibers. Fibers take along to break down and digest, which ensures the slow release of sugar in the bloodstream.
- The glycemic index (GI) of walnuts is very low.
- 28.35gms (1 ounce) of raw walnuts contains 185 calories, 2.5 grams of monounsaturated fat, 1.7 grams of saturated fat,4.3 grams of protein, 3.9 grams of carbohydrates,1.9 grams of fiber.
Pistachio:
- Pistachios have glucose- and insulin-lowering effect, so it helps to lower blood sugar levels.
- It helps women in controlling gestational diabetes and blood sugar levels.
- Eating pistachios also improves some cardiometabolic risk factors in adults with well-controlled type 2 diabetes.
- 28.35gms (1 ounce) of raw pistachio contains 159 calories, 5.72 grams of protein,7.7 grams of carbs, 12.85 grams of fat.
Sesame seeds:
- Sesame seeds are rich in protein and fiber,
- 100 gm portion of white sesame seeds contains 12 gm of fiber and 18 gm of protein which means consuming these seeds may ensure a slow release of glucose in the blood, thus preventing any spikes in blood sugar.
- Sesame seeds are also rich in magnesium – 100 gm portion contains 351 mg magnesium.
- sesame seeds also contain good amounts of poly and monounsaturated fats.
- In 28 gms of sesame seeds contains 160 calories, monounsaturated fat 5.1gms, protein 4.8gms.
Pumpkin seeds:
- Pumpkin seeds are a great source of fiber.
- Diets high in fiber are associated with lower risks of diabetes and better-controlled blood sugar levels. Rich in omega-3 and omega 6 fatty acids.
- Pumpkin seeds provide healthy fats that may help prevent type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
- The high magnesium content of pumpkin seeds gives a positive effect on diabetes.
- 28gms of pumpkin seeds contains 1.7 grams of fiber,5 grams of carbs, 7 grams of protein,13 grams of fat.
Dates:
- Dates have a low GI, which means it is less likely to spike blood sugar levels.
- Dates boost an impressive nutrient profile as it is packed with fiber, which helps the body to absorb its sugar more slowly.
- 100 gram of date contains 277 calories,7 grams of fibers,2 grams of protein.
People with diabetes and the ones who don’t want to add dates to their diet can make this recipe with edible gum.
- Take 5 spoons of ghee, melt it into the pan, add 5 spoons of powered edible gum and saute it nicely.
- Use this melted gum as date paste which mentions in the above recipe
- Instead of date paste this melted gum can be used.
Tip:
1 spoon of Nimba Patra (leaves of neem) paste and
2 pinch of turmeric powder is good for diabetic patients. It is advised to take in the early morning.