Alex's Naturally Sweet Xmas Treats!! 

Hi there!
With the Christmas season ahead of us, it’s no surprise that all those festive added sugars sneak their way into our diets. The good news? You can still enjoy all your celebration treats and give your body a little extra love at the same time. What could be better than that?

Here are the health benefits of natural sugars compared to refined, processed sugars, plus why they’re a great choice for this indulgent time of year...

• Natural sugars, such as maple syrup, honey and fruit contain nutrients that are beneficial to your health. For example, honey contains B vitamins which support your energy levels, vitamin C which is a powerful antioxidant supporting your immune function, and magnesium which is essential for mood, sleep and blood sugar balancing.

• Raw honey can have a nootropic effect. This means it contains polyphenols which can improve brain function, memory, improve our response to external stresses and help us learn.

• Natural sugars found in fruit such as dates contain fibre. Fibre helps slow the absorption of sugar into the blood stream which reduces the sudden spike in blood sugar levels which is often found with processed sugars. These blood sugar spikes can increase symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety, cause energy fluctuations reducing the ability to sustain concentration and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes has increased by 72% among children in the last 4 years.

• Refined sugar, such as in shop bought baked goods, fizzy drinks and white castor sugar not only increases the risk of obesity but disrupts gut health causing inflammation which can lead to multiple health issues.

• It is also highly addictive!

Health benefits of dark chocolate compared to milk chocolate:

• Dark chocolate, compared with processed milk chocolate, has many health benefits. (In fact, Club chocolate biscuits now don’t actually contain any chocolate at all, it is a chemically derived equivalent with no nutritionally value at all!). The darker the chocolate the more cocoa which is full of nutrients like iron and magnesium.

• Dark chocolate also contains tryptophan which is needed to make serotonin, the ‘happy hormone’ which helps you feel better in your mood.

Now for the recipes... Enjoy!