Toasted Coconut Sunbutter

When you love nuts but you cannot have them, you have seed butter. In the process of removing grains and processed foods for snacks I slowly increased the amount of nuts I consumed either through nut flours, whole nuts in trail mix or nut butters on celery. After a while, every time I ate nuts I would get a heavy feeling in my stomach and feel bloated. Nuts are a high fat food and cannot be tolerated by all. They also contain phytic acid that blocks the absorption of nutrients and can damage the gut lining. Lastly, eating too much of one food can lead to a depletion of enzymes for that food and therefore, lead to incomplete digestion and bloating. In my case I believe it was that latter since I was eating nuts everyday and actually started craving them. When we are craving foods it can be because we are addicted to them and by eating them relieves the withdrawal symptoms we feel. This is why some people can get caught in a cycle of feeling terrible but not noticing it is from the food they are eating. Like me, I would crave nuts and eat them (many of them) and feel bloated and uncomfortable (because the lack of enzymes and incomplete digestion). Then the next day I would crave them again would do it all over again. This cycle lead to further enzyme depletion and more bloating with partially digested proteins. I was nuts!!

So I decided to leave my beloved fatty snacks to let my enzymes replenish before reintroducing nuts again. In this recipe I use coconut and sunflower seeds. Coconut is easy to digest and filled with healthy saturated fats (not the unhealthy ones from ice cream and pizza). Sunflower seeds are packed with b-vitamins for brain health, selenium for thyroid health, vitamin E for anti oxidation and anti-inflammation, and omega 6 fatty acids for luscious hair, skin and nails . They are also school friendly so this is a butter recipe that is okay to eat on the bus or at a field trip without sending someone into anaphylaxis. They do contain phytic acid since they are a seed so the best option would be to soak, rinse and dry these before using.

Toasted Coconut Sunbutter

Ingredients:

3 cups sunflower seeds - hulled

1 cup flaked coconut

2 tbsp coconut oil

¼ tsp Himalayan sea salt

Directions:

1. Rinse sunflower seeds and allow to dry completely or use use dehydrator

2. Bake coconut and sunflower seeds at 325F for about 15 minutes or until slightly browed to release the oils

3. Let cool then place in food processor for about 5 minutes as the nuts break down.

4. Add the coconut oil and salt and continue to blend until smooth.