Little Step No. 60
What to do:
Make these (5 min) ice lollies
Why this step works:
With temperatures soaring again this week, I had a go at making some healthy ice lollies. And if they were going to make the grade as a Little Step, I decided they had to be tasty, healthy, easy to make and contain minimal and readily available ingredients. These fruity-coconut popsicles ticked every box! Here's the recipe:
Fruity-coconut popsicles
(makes 12-15 popsicles)
You will need:
1 x 400ml can full fat coconut milk
400g frozen fruit of your choice (I used a selection of mixed berries)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Ice lolly tray
Method:
Place all ingredients in a high powered blender. Blend until smooth.
Pour into an ice lolly tray and freeze until set (8 hours or overnight)
What’s so good about these?
I firmly believe that weeding refined sugar out of the diet is one of the most important changes you can make to improve immediate and long term health. Reducing refined sugar sounds simple enough, but in reality can be a challenge. There are many reasons for this, one being that research now tells us that highly palatable foods containing refined sugar are able to affect the same pleasure and reward pathways in the brain as addictive substances such as nicotine and alcohol. This is why it's easy to overeat them and we're often left wanting more (and more, and more.....).
Getting refined sugar out of the diet is completely possible but takes a bit of thought and planning to get there. One strategy I've found that works really well when getting started is to get organised with convenient options to reach for as alternatives to sugary drinks and snacks.
That’s where these ice lollies come in very handy. They look and feel like a tasty treat but don’t contain any added refined sugar and are pretty low in natural (fruit) sugar too. The hero ingredient for me is the coconut milk base because it contains good amounts of fat which will help you to feel full and won’t leave you reaching for more.
Why not have a go at these this weekend? Keep a stash in the freezer and next time you fancy something sweet, try reaching for a fruity-coconut popsicle instead! Hope you enjoy x
References:
Avena NM, Rada P et al. Evidence for sugar addiction: Behavioural and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2008; 32(1): 20-39.