I have been looking for easy swaps to decrease our carbohydrate intake and increase our protein and good fats. Muffins are an easy grab on those busy days and require no icepack when we are on the go. I recognize that a hard boil egg or a handful of almonds would give us a higher protein kick but sometimes you just want that carb hit.
Banana Bread Muffins are often made in our house to use up the brown bananas and the nearly expired milk. Our household recipe had the sugar cut in half a decade ago; the overripe bananas are sweet so it was easy to decrease the granulated stuff. So if I wanted to decrease the carbohydrate further, I needed to look beyond sugar and tackle the flour I was using.
In order to be school safe, almond flour (or any nut flour) could not be used. I have tried coconut flour but always noticed a change in flavor. Thankfully, I have now found that Hemp Hearts can easily replace ¼ of the flour in our recipe. [Good time to mention that this is not a sponsored post and I am in no way affiliated with these products.]
What does this mean nutrition wise? Let’s compare 30g of each product:
Robin Hood Nutri Blend Flour:
100 calories
1.5 grams of fat
21 grams of carbohydrate (4 grams from fibre)
4 grams of protein
Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts:
170 calories
13 grams of fat
3 grams of carbohydrate (all fibre!)
10 grams of protein
If you are used to having a fat-free diet, you are probably freaking out now. Our body needs good fat to work properly. We get essential fatty acids from our food, which our bodies need for brain development and controlling inflammation. Fat also helps us to absorb some vitamins (e.g. A, D, E).
I also find that I stay fuller for longer if I incorporate good fat and protein into my diet. And the hemp hearts provide 2.5 times the protein of the same weight of flour, so there’s the extra boost of protein I needed! Of course, I can’t forget the carbohydrate difference, 7 times more in the flour versus the hemp hearts. Wow.
I’m not leaving you with a recipe today but I am leaving you with a challenge…
Make a healthy change to your favourite recipe. Try cutting the sugar and experimenting with non-wheat flour options. Don’t be afraid to play with your food!
In the comments, please share which recipe you hope to play with and what change you are going to make.
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