These Lime, Coconut and Date Christmas Balls are perfect for sensitive tummies on night-shift, and also make for a nice change to the regular “Cacao Protein Ball” recipes that we see flooded on the Internet, not to mention the caffeine in the cacao can keep us awake post night-shift!
What’s great about them?
- They are rich in vitamin C, which is important for shift workers fighting with depleted immune systems as a result of little sleep.
- When combined with foods containing non-heme iron (such as those found in plant based food sources such as the almonds), the vitamin C in the limes will help to increase the amount of iron that the body can absorb. Given low iron status can contribute to fatigue – this is something that shift workers definitely want to avoid!
- Gelatin contains an amino acid called glutamic acid, which is converted to glutamine in the body that has been shown to improve the integrity of the gut wall and help prevent intestinal permeability or “leaky gut”. Intestinal permeability (IP) is quite common in shift workers due to circadian descyncronisation, or a disruption to the normal sleep/wake cycle, which in turn, can contribute to gut disturbances.
- Citrus fruit such as limes can enhance cardiovascular health, as lime juice and peel was shown to reduce the build up of fatty deposits in the arteries, thereby lowering the risk of stroke.
Ingredients (makes 20)
- 1 cup of almond meal
- 1 cup of medjool dates, pitted
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 dessert spoon Changing Habits gelatin
- Juice and zest of 2 limes
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
How to make them!
Blitz all ingredients into your food processor until the mixture begins to clump. Transfer to a mixing bowl and roll into small little balls, then cover in desiccated coconut to create that Christmasy-snowflake look!
Store in airtight container in the fridge before taking into work, and sharing with your workmates on Christmas Day :-).
Audra x
References:
Boshtam, M, Asgary, S, Moshtaghian, J, Naderi, G and Jafari-Dinani, N 2013, ‘Impacts of Fresh Lime Juice and Peel on Atherosclerosis Progression in an Animal Model’, ARYA Atherosclerosis, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 357-362.
Rapin, J & Wiernsperger, N 2010, ‘Possible Links between Intestinal Permeablity and Food Processing: A Potential Therapeutic Niche for Glutamine’, Clinics (Sao Paulo), vol. 65, no. 6, pp. 635-643.
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