"Almost Raw" Banana Split Mousse

Egg free, dairy free, gluten free, and no refined sugars!

Who doesn't like dessert??? Just because we're eating super healthy food doesn't mean we can't have some delicious desserts as well. This recipe is packed with nutrition you don't have to feel guilty about, and helps feed the body.

​Bananas are one of the best fruit sources of vitamin B6. ​Vitamin B6 from bananas is easily absorbed by your body and a medium-sized banana can provide about a quarter of your daily vitamin B6 needs.

Vitamin B6 helps your body produce red blood cells,metabolize carbohydrates and fats - turning them into energy, metabolize amino acids, remove unwanted chemicals from your liver and kidneys, AND maintain a healthy nervous system. Vitamin B6 is also good for pregnant women as it helps meet their baby’s development needs.

Bananas are good sources of vitamin C. You may not think bananas would have vitamin C, but a medium-sized banana will provide about 10% of your daily needs. Vitamin C helps protect your body against cell and tissue damage, helps your body absorb iron better, helps your body produce collage (the protein which holds your skin, bones and body together), and supports brain health by producing serotonin (a hormone that affects our sleep cycle, moods, and affects our responses to stress a​nd pain -in a good way!).

Manganese in bananas is good for your skin. One medium-sized banana provides approximately 13% of your daily manganese needs. Manganese helps your body make collagen and protects your skin and other cells against free radical damage.

Potassium in bananas is good for your heart health and blood pressure. A medium-sized banana will provide around 320-400 mg of potassium, which meets about 10% of your daily potassium needs. Potassium helps your body maintain a healthy heart and blood pressure.

In addition, bananas are low in sodium. The low sodium and high potassium combination helps to control high blood pressure.

Bananas can aid digestion and help beat gastrointestinal issues. A medium banana will provide about 10-12% of your daily fiber needs.

Its recommended that a daily dietary fiber intake of 20g for women and 26g for men.Soluble and insoluble fiber play an important role in your health. Soluble fiber helps your body control your blood sugar level and get rid of fatty substances such as cholesterol. This helps to keep your gut healthy and safe from harmful bacteria.

Bananas, especially newly-ripened ones, contain starch that does not digest (resistant starch) in your small intestine and is able to pass into the large intestine. This helps you manage your weight better as you stay fuller longer.

That said, bananas can help you beat gastrointestinal issues such as constipation,stomach ulcers, and heartburn. Bananas give you energy – minus the fats and cholesterol. ​They also contain three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose - giving you a fat and cholesterol-free source of energy.

Coconut milk also has many health benefits. Coconut milk contains MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides) which scientists have linking to weight loss. MCTs stimulate energy through a process called thermogenesis.

Coconut milk plays a role in helping to balance out the gut microbiome, and also helps to repair the gut - thus boosting the immune system.

Some people may not consider coconut milk to be heart-healthy due its high fat content and saturated fats- (its been argued both ways; good and bad.) Very little research has been done via coconut milk. However, coconut oil has been studied.

One study found that coconut oil did not significantly increase levels of "bad cholesterol," or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, but that it did increase levels of "good cholesterol," or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL).

However much more study is needed in this area.

Coconuts also contain a lipid called lauric acid, and many researchers believe that lauric acid can support the immune system. Some findings indicate that lauric acid has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.

In a study of the antimicrobial effects of lauric acid from coconuts, the researchers isolated various bacterial strains and exposed them to lauric acid in petri dishes.

They found that lauric acid effectively inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Other researchers found that lauric acid triggers apoptosis, cell death, in breast and endometrial cancer cells. The findings suggest that this acid inhibits cancer cell growth by stimulating certain receptor proteins that regulate the growth of cells.

Cacao powder is CHUCKED FULL of nutrients! (WHO KNEW!) This powder can pack a punch. First off, it contains more calcium than cows milk. Its densely packed with iron, magnesium, and antioxidants. Cacao can be used to help with depression, stress, blood pressure, and heart health.

Raw Cacao is one of the healthiest foods you can consume and contains the mood booster, anandamide — known as at the bliss molecule, which gives you a feeling of euphoria. (Huh, I guess chocolate really IS an aphrodisiac!)

Raw Cacao is an anti-inflammatory and heart protective antioxidant. Raw cacao in chocolate can reduce the risk of stroke and help improve blood circulation.

It seems counter productive, but Cacao can actually help you to shed fat. This is due to raw cacao’s MAO inhibitors, which reduce appetite. So bring on the hot chocolate...err cacao!

Many studies show that the benefits of raw cacao are found to be decreased blood pressure.

There are many more physical and mental health benefits of raw cacao chocolate: including better sleep, less fatigue, and stronger hair, skin and nails.

Maple Syrup is loaded with a whopping 24 different anti-oxidants!! The antioxidants found in maple syrup are mostly in the form of phenolic compounds. Phenolic compounds are found in a variety of plant foods — including berries, nuts and whole grains — and are considered to have significant benefits when it comes to the prevention of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.

They are capable of reducing free radical damage that can cause inflammation and contribute to the formation of various chronic diseases. Dark, grade B maple syrup typically contains more beneficial antioxidants than the lighter syrups.

Some of the primary antioxidants found in maple syrup include benzoic acid, gallic acid, cinnamic acid and various flavanols, like catechin, epicatechin, rutin and quercetin (helps stabilize those mast cells). While most are found at low concentrations, others are present in higher quantities.

Because maple syrup nutrition supplies inflammation-reducing polyphenol antioxidants, it can be considered part of a healthy diet that’s helpful in preventing certain diseases — such as neurodegenerative diseases, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease or heart disease.

Many studies have found that phenolic-containing natural products — including certain fruits, berries, spices, nuts, green tea, olive oil and syrup — have neuroprotective effects. Maple syrup’s plant-based compounds can help protect the brain by reducing oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is responsible for aging us at a quicker rate. Some research shows that phenolic-containing foods in the diet can down-regulate the production of inflammatory markers and reduce the risk for neurotoxicity, brain cell death and conditions including Alzheimer’s disease.

The presence of antioxidants in the syrup can protect cells and DNA damage or mutation. Some studies have even found that dark maple syrup can inhibit the effects on colorectal cancer cell growth.

Now, I've never tried this, but its been researched that maple syrup on the skin may help to lower skin inflammation, redness, dryness, and acne (much like Honey).

Maple syrup contains oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, organic acids, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. It also contains zinc and manganese in fairly high amounts, in addition to potassium and calcium. Zinc can help fight illness and improve immunity since it keeps your level of white blood cells up, while manganese plays a role a crucial role in fat and carbohydrate metabolism, calcium absorption, blood sugar regulation, brain and nerve function.

Its even been tested (preliminary) that maple syrup may have a strong antibiotic effect. It was compared with antibiotics ciprofloxacin and carbenicillin, Researchers observed the same antimicrobial effect as the antibiotics, effective upward to 90 percent. The maple syrup extract helped the antibiotics work better with much less. How? They found that the syrup increased the permeability of the bacteria, helping the antibiotics into the interior of bacterial cells.

So with a dessert that sounds this healthy - you NEVER have to feel guilty about eating it or skipping dessert again! So if you're trying to repair your gut, improve your health (stabilize mast cells) and reduce inflammation - I recommend 1 dessert and call me in the morning! (Little humor there) And, because its a mousse, you're gut won't have to work hard to digest it or pump massive amounts of histamine in order to do it. BONUS.

You could eat it for breakfast and it'd be healthier than most breakfast items out there. Hmm...dessert for breakfast...

BRING ON THE DESSERT!!

BANANA SPLIT MOUSSE

1 Can Organic Full Fat Coconut Milk -OR- 1 Can Coconut Cream (should be next to the cans of coconut milk)

1 Organic Banana

1-2 tbsp walnuts chopped - Omit if you can't have nuts. (Its still really good without it)

1-2 Cherries (or other tolerated fruit like strawberries etc)

1 TBSP organic raw cacao powder

1 TBSP pure maple syrup (be sure there's no corn syrup in it)

1 TBSP coconut oil

You'll need to do a little Pre-prep: Add a can of full-fat coconut milk to the refrigerator and chill approx 24 hours before making recipe. The fat will rise to the top of the can in the fridge. Remove coconut milk from fridge, and scoop out the hardened fat. (Save the milk in the bottom for a smoothy or other recipe.)

Take the coconut fat and banana to a blender and blend until turns into a fluffy mouse, but taking care not to over mix because you'll want to keep leave some small pieces of banana in mousse)

Prepare the cacao drizzle by adding the cacao powder, maple syrup and melted/liquid coconut oil to a small bowl and stir until well blended and smooth.

Transfer the banana mousse to a bowl, and drizzle the cacao mixture over the top and sprinkle with walnuts (optional) and your cherry on top (or other fruit).

VARIATION: If you take the banana out of the peel and freeze it the night before and follow the same directions - it'll be like banana split ice cream!!

This recipe makes one large bowl or two small servings.

ENJOY!!

Love and Light,

Happy Healing