If you have not made plans for this weekend, there is a festival and a recipe you may want to try. Apricot Walnut Date Power Bars, shared by Dr. Aparna Mele, is a clever way to avoid the sugar in store-bought snack bars.
Dr. Mele is a local gastroenterologist, and she’s been my doctor for several years. She is passionate about wellness in Berks County. Her enthusiasm inspired her to create My Gut Instinct, a wellness resource for Berks residents.
She often uses natural sugars instead of refined sugars. “Eating too much added sugar can actually increase cardiovascular mortality. Excess sugar is linked to weight gain and cavities. Sugar also delivers ‘empty calories’ — calories unaccompanied by fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients — and too much added sugar can crowd healthier foods from a person’s diet,” she says.
Dr. Mele’s recipe calls for "dates and apricots and other dried fruits as a healthful sugar substitute that is good for kids and it tastes great. Date sugar is not processed or refined and it is loaded with fiber, vitamins and minerals (like calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc). They are packed with fiber, protein and carbs which stretch out your meals and make you feel full much longer. This can help to curb hunger and help prevent weigh gain.”
Need inspiration for midday snacks and more? Stop by the Guts & Glory festival and bring the whole family for games, cooking demos, expert lectures and a farmer’s market. You can even enjoy some dancing! Details can be found at mygutinstinct.org.
2017 Guts & Glory Digestive & Wellness Expo
Saturday, Oct. 7 (rain date Oct. 8)
11am-4pm
FirstEnergy Stadium, Reading
Apricot Walnut Date Power Bars
Recipe provided by Dr. Aparna Mele, Founder & President of My Gut Instinct
Yields 10-12 servings
Ingredients
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- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
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- 1 1/2 cup walnut halves
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- 1 cup (5 ounces) dried California apricots, coarsely chopped
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- 1 cup (8 ounces) pitted Medjool dates
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- 1 cup toasted, unsweetened flaked coconut
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- 1/4 cup flax seeds
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- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
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- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
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- Spread the oats and walnuts on 2 separate baking sheets. Toast until golden, about 8 minutes for the walnuts and 15 minutes for the oats. If your coconut is untasted, toast coconut for 1-3 minutes.
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- Let cool, then finely chop the nuts.
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- In a food processor, puree the apricots and dates into a paste. Scrape into a medium bowl and stir in the oats, walnuts, coconut, flax seeds and salt. Press the mixture into a 9x9-inch metal pan lined with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
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- Cut into 12 bars and serve. The bars can be refrigerated for one week or frozen for one month.
