How to Make Nature's Fudge (Almond Butter Stuffed Dates)

SERVINGS: 2

PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 5 MINUTES

MEAL: SNACK-DESSERT

STYLE: WESTERN

EAT IN: AUTUMN-WINTER

FOR OCCASION: ROMANTIC, TRAVEL-FRIENDLY, MOVIE-NIGHT, KID-FRIENDLY

How Does This Ayurvedic Recipe Improve Wellness?

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

Smooth almond butter and sweet dates combine in "Nature's Fudge" to satisfy your belly and your soul. Rich & creamy, almond butter adds heartiness and satisfaction to this simple snack. Cinnamon's warmth is sprinkled in to delight you with the flavors of the middle east. This bite sized and dainty confection is ready in seconds and sure to bring a smile. Enjoy your life!

On-The-Go

Ever dive into a bag of potato chips only to feel slightly nauseous a half hour later? Live it up with Nature's Fudge instead! These hearty treats are an ideal healthy dessert and nourishing snack for that 4pm lull in your day. Potato chips are a highly processed food. The oils are often rancid even before you pop open the bag, making you feel sick. However, the quick prep time of Nature's Fudge is ideal when you have the munchies. High in protein and complex natural sugars, Nature's Fudge is a whole food that appeases your sweet tooth without spiking blood sugar.

With minimal planning, this healthy snack is always available, always delicious. For easy access, stash some dates and a jar of almond butter in a drawer at work, and make this snack on the fly. Or, make them as soon as you hear your kids get off the bus for an exciting after school snack. Friends coming over? This nutritionally balanced snack will be a hit at your next party!

Calm Your Mind

Are you feeling a little frazzled these days? We live demanding lives, we're on the go, and many of us struggle with an over-stimulated nervous system. Almonds are a snack that restores your sense of calm by nourishing your frazzled nerves. Here's how: Every nerve in your body is coated by a protective layer of fats, called the myelin sheath. This natural barrier insulates, protects, and guides the electric impulses of your neurons. Without this protective layer, your nerve signals go haywire and scatter causing nervousness, anxiety, racing thoughts, muscle twitching, and even pain. Nourishing this fatty layer of the nervous system is the key to settling your mind. Almond also contains minerals like magnesium that support muscle relaxation. You'll experience immediately relief as your body absorbs readily available sugars from dates, and your nervous system will benefit in the long run. Dates are also oxytocic, the 'tend and befriend' hormone that makes you more affectionate.

Strengthen Your Body

Both dates and almonds are natural ways to build ojas, (immunity and a strong healthy glow), contributing to your happiness, productivity, and enthusiasm. Almonds are rich in natural oils and fatty acids, from 36 to 60% by weight. The sweet temptation of Almond Butter Stuffed Dates should not go unsatisfied, so dig in!

Digestive Health

Cinnamon's digestive stimulating qualities improve your ability to absorb the hearty nutrition available in Almond Butter Stuffed Dates. Yet, these rich treats can be a bit too decadent for you if your digestive system is weak. Dried fruits can make you gasey when under chewed. As with all dense, dried fruits, sip water when consuming so these morsels won't dry out your GI. Chew thoroughly to thin this dense mixture for easy penetration by stomach acids.

Title inspired by Emily at www.thisrawesomeveganlife.com.

WHY EAT AN AYURVEDIC DIET?

Eating Ayurvedically makes you feel nourished and energized. An Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body type and the specific imbalances you are working with at any given time. Ayurveda shows you your specific body type’s needs and what should be favored in your Ayurvedic menu. Watch as you eat less but feel more satisfied because what you are eating truly nourishes you. Since Ayurveda believes all disease begins in the digestive tract, food is your first medicine. By eating a healthy diet that’s ideal for your body, you experience optimal health.

LEARN MORE

Is Nature's Fudge (Almond Butter Stuffed Dates) Good for My Ayurvedic Diet?

Find out by taking this free, easy quiz. You'll learn your body type, and whether Nature's Fudge (Almond Butter Stuffed Dates) is a good fit for your body type. Time to complete: approximately 1 minute. What is the biocharacteristic theory of medicine?

INCREASES Increases These Biocharacteristics (Gunas) Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics (gunas). Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which characteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick. Every characteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite characteristic. Learn More	HEAVY ABOUT HEAVY BIOCHARACTERISTIC Heavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight. LEARN MORE ABOUT HEAVY
TASTES The 6 Tastes Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food. Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body. Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food. Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods. Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion. Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste. One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below? Learn More	SWEET ABOUT SWEET BIOCHARACTERISTIC Sweet refers to anything builds tissue, including macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. LEARN MORE ABOUT SWEET
DOSHAS The Three Doshas / Body Types According to the biocharacteristic theory of medicine, people tend to get sick, over and over again, due to habitual causes and imbalances that are unique to the person. Your body type summarizes this tendency, showing you the 'type' of conditions and imbalances that frequently challenge your health & wellness. Using body type, you can also identify remedies likely to improve your strength and resiliency. Your body type identifies physical and mental characteristics as well as your personal strengths and weaknesses. The calculation of your body type is based on your medical history. The 3 functional body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha). Catabolic individuals tend to break down body mass into energy. Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy. Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass. Catabolic people tend to be easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry. Metabolic people tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed. Anabolic people are heavy, stable and grounded, but if they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion. Learn More	PACIFIES AGGRAVATES
HAS THE FOLLOWING	Moves Energy: Downward DOWNWARD Downward-moving (Adho Gati Marga) substances move food downward in the GI tract, settle the nervous system, and relax muscles. SEE ALL 'DOWNWARD' FOODS / HERBS Tissue (dhatu): Nerves NERVES Marrow tissue (Majja Dhatu) includes bone marrow and nervous tissue. SEE ALL 'NERVES' FOODS / HERBS , Fat FAT Fat tissue (Meda Dhatu) includes adipose tissue and sebum (skin oil). SEE ALL 'FAT' FOODS / HERBS

Joyful Belly is a recognized school of biocharacteristics medicine.