Lunch: Zucchini Bread, Lightened Up

I get a bit nervous when it comes to “lightening up” recipes since I’ve had both successes and (massive) failures in doing so. Most memorably, there was the time I substituted in whole wheat flour for all-purpose when I was making doughnut holes. The resu

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Lemon, Nuts, Walnuts

Health and fertility benefits of Zucchini Bread, Lightened Up

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). Lemons can help to prevent oxidative damage to the body, which women with PCOS are often susceptible to. Nuts are a natural source of Inositol, a derivative of Vitamin B (which is often prescribed in the form of supplements for women with PCOS). Inositol can effectively control the symptoms of PCOS by reducing insulin resistance and improving insulin sensitivity. Walnuts are low on the glycemic index. What’s more, they also lower the glycemic index of other foods that you eat in conjunction with these nuts. Any kind of nuts provide a healthy source of fat and a great way to encourage PCOS weight loss.

Ingredients

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups Splenda sugar substitute
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup water
2 cups grated zucchini
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 ºF.
Combine the flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and Splenda in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine the apple sauce, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry then fold in the nuts (optional).
Pour the batter into 2 standard loaf pans (or five mini-loaf pans) that have been greased with cooking spray.
Bake the standard-sized loaves for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean (alternately, bake the mini-loaves for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean).

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