In 2009, as I was embarking on the amazing journey of saving my life, I discovered that I had a sensitivity to gluten. As I got healthier and more connected to my body, I also noticed a clear and unmistakable connection between not only gluten, but my cane sugar intake and the severity of my depression and digestive symptoms.
“Although serotonin is well known as a brain neurotransmitter, it is estimated that 90 percent of the body’s serotonin is made in the digestive tract. In fact, altered levels of this peripheral serotonin have been linked to diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis.”
– Source: California Institute of Technology
It’s no wonder so many people in this country suffer from depression…and a host of other health issues.
“While many think of their brain as the organ in charge, your gut actually sends far more information to your brain than your brain sends to your gut…To put this into more concrete terms, you’ve probably experienced the visceral sensation of butterflies in your stomach when you’re nervous, or had an upset stomach when you were very angry or stressed. The flip side is also true, in that problems in your gut can directly impact your mental health, leading to issues like anxiety and depression.
Just as you have neurons in your brain, you also have neurons in your gut — including neurons that produce neurotransmitters like serotonin, which is also found in your brain. In fact, the greatest concentration of serotonin, which is involved in mood control, depression and aggression, is found in your intestines, not your brain. It’s quite possible that this might be one reason why antidepressants, which raise serotonin levels in your brain, are often ineffective in treating depression, whereas proper dietary changes often help…”
– Source: New York Times best-selling author Dr. Joseph Mercola
I know this from personal experience: I changed my diet and I changed my life.
If there’s one thing I learned trying to lose weight over the years, it’s that any diet based on deprivation is destined for failure. So, as I was beginning this journey—trying to lose the 80 pounds I gained while on a dozen medications for a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder and addicted to pain killers and food—it became my mission to figure out how to re-make all of my favorite foods, but in a way that would lift me up and contribute to my health, rather than sending me further down the spiral of depression, anxiety and weight gain.
Add to this that my husband has issues with dairy, and the challenge to create these and other baked goods grew. More recently, we discovered that our one year old son is allergic to eggs. Back to the test kitchen I went, on a mission to figure out how to also bake egg-free (egg free alternative below). Over the years, I have developed this recipe and many others, which will be featured in a cookbook that I’m working on and will publish…someday.
I come across a lot of people that simply don’t understand the way that I eat. They especially don’t understand why. They also think that food must be some sort of prison for me. Nothing could be further from the truth!
I’ve lost—and kept off—that 80 pounds for over 6 years now. I’ve also enjoyed the most joy-filled 6 years of my life—which doctors told me would never be possible. After all of that, I can tell you this: for the first time in my life, I celebrate food. I love food. And make no mistake about it, the food we cook in my house is full of flavor and variety, and we indulge in it, guilt-free, every day of our lives.
After giving away these muffins at my Hartford yoga studio recently, I got a lot of requests for this recipe, so I wanted to write it down and share it with all of you.
These gluten free apple oat muffins also contain no dairy, soy, corn, processed sugar, or eggs (if you choose). In fact, they’re completely free of all the garbage that you’d probably expect to find in a muffin, but take a bite of one and you’d never know it. They’re “free” of a lot of things, but taste is not one of them. This is the way real food is meant to taste.
Here’s to your health. Happy baking. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups brown rice flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup gluten free oats
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp ground flax
- 2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 cage-free eggs (room temperature)
- egg free alternative: 2 tbsp ground flax mixed with 6 tbsp warm water. Let sit for 1-2 minutes before mixing)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tsp alcohol free vanilla extract
- 2 medium sized organic apples (1/4” cubes)
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with cupcake liners.
- Wash, peel and cube apples. Set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Whisk together wet ingredients in a separate medium-sized bowl (do not overbeat the eggs if you are using them, or the muffins will be very dense)
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix together.
- Add in apples and mix together.
- Spoon mixture into pan and top each with a sprinkle of oats.
- Bake 15-22 minutes (baking with a gas oven will need less time than an electric oven. Muffins are done when a toothpick comes out clean when tested. All ovens are different – the time will vary)
The post RECIPE: Delicious Gluten Free Apple Oat Muffins appeared first on Cyndi Roberts Yoga.
