My childhood was filled with cookies, from oatmeal to raisin and sometimes even chocolate, my mom loved serving us cookies. While we all love the classic oatmeal cookie, there are many reasons why we should give up store bought cookies that are made with dairy and gluten.
The main reason is that many of us are allergic to gluten and dairy and if we are not allergic there is a high chance that we have some sort of intolerance to them.
Most Humans are Lactose Intolerant
Lactose intolerance is simply when the body cannot break down lactose. Lactose is type of sugar found in many forms of dairy products. The enzyme that is responsible for breaking down lactose (lactase enzyme) is found on the walls of the intestine. If you are lactose intolerant, your body doesn’t produce enough lactase to properly digest lactose.
Approximately 75 % of humans are lactose intolerant. These statistics are gathered from various different countries and, to prove this further, in some Asian countries 90 % of the population is lactose intolerant.
What’s more, after we are breast fed, our bodies naturally produce less lactase as we no longer need as much. Human milk is also far different from milk that comes from cows, meaning we may have never been designed to consume dairy to begin with. With these kinds of facts and statistics it is clear that although our society makes it a norm to drink milk, it really is not healthy for humankind as a whole.
Symptoms of lactose intolerance include:
- diarrhea
- gas
- bloating
- nausea
Since many of us are completely unaware of the fact that we may be lactose intolerant, the safest bet would be to remove dairy from our diet altogether. You’d be saving yourself from many chronic illnesses associated with your gut and even saving yourself stomach discomfort.
Furthermore, gluten, another popular ingredient in baked goods has been tied a host of stomach issues. Learn more about humans and gluten in this article: Research Proves Wheat Can Cause Harm To Everyone’s Intestines
For all you cookie lovers out there, this recipe removes all the bad and replaces it with the good, leaving us with a cookie that is anti-inflammatory and gut-healing! It contains the deliciousness of a regular cookie while healing and saving our gut and intestines from dairy and gluten. Check out the recipe below and see how it transforms the classic oatmeal cookie into the type of cookie we can enjoy without the health risks.
This recipe is shared with permission from our friends at kneadtocook.com.
Sugar-free Banana Cookies. V. GF.
Serve: 3-4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 16-18 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup of almonds – or almond flour
- 3 ripe bananas
- 1.5 cups of gluten free rolled oats (I prefer Bob’s Redmill)
- 3 tablespoons of almond butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with a silpat liner.
- Into your food processor blend the almonds down to a flour. Then add your bananas, oats, almond butter, vanilla and salt. Blend or pulse in your food processor to blend down and make creamy. Stop the machine to scrape it down and blend.
- I made two different varieties of cookies. One plain without any added nuts or chocolate and one batch with mini chocolate chips that are vegan. If adding mix-ins, add to your processor and blend.
- Scoop out your cookie dough with a melon baller and place onto your baking sheet. I pressed the cookies down to flatten them a bit.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden. The dough will be looser so don’t panic.
- Remove from the cookie sheet and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool and enjoy!
Optional mix-in ideas:
- 1/4 cup – any of the following:
- Mini vegan chocolate chips
- Raw cacao nibs
- Chopped walnuts or almonds
- Chia seeds
- Sesame seeds
Banana slices on the top of each cookie would be cute as well.
Sources
http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/lactose-intolerance-14/diagnosing
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