One thing we always seem to have at home (and even more so now living in hot and humid Vietnam) are over-ripe bananas. They’re a bit like avocados, one day they’re just right to eat, then the next they have black spots all over them. Not such a bad thing as they are considered GAPS friendly with black spots since the most of the starches have converted to sugars and they are great baked into my Chocolate Banana BreadΒ recipeΒ or peeled and stored in the freezer for banana ice cream (nana ‘nice cream) or smoothies.
Banana ice cream is a one ingredient delicious ice cream alternative being dairy and added sugar free, it’s simply frozen bananas placed in the food processor until smooth and creamy. I have super boosted this Nana Ice Cream with some guy healing collagen and slippery elm. You can leave them out and still enjoy the guilt free creamy pleasure all day round!
Β Β Nana Ice Cream With Gut Healing Collagen and Slippery Elm – GAPS, Paleo
This recipe takes less than five minutes for this fast real food treat (as long as you already have frozen bananas in the freezer).
I use Great LakesΒ Hydrolysed Collagen, the green can (not red) which you can buy onΒ iHerbΒ orΒ Amazon. It’s full of amino acids and contains 90% protein which is easily absorbed by the body to help regulate the body’s metabolism. It supports the body’s own healing and can help with joint, tissue and skin repair.
Slippery elmΒ is another wonderful gut healing supplement, but my 8 yo dislikes it on its own in water as it contains mucilage and quickly becomes slimy, however this mucilage is highly beneficial as it coats Β and soothes the mouth, throat and gut. So adding it to nana ice cream makes it much more pleasant as you don’t notice it at all. Upon reading more about slippery elm, I also learnt Β in addition to all the gut benefits it can help with:
weight loss as it can improve digestion
lower stress and anxiety due to it’s phenolic compounds
may help with breast cancer although more research is needed, it has shown to help with depression, stress, anxiety and fatigue. It has immune boosting and anti-inflammatory properties that can also assist with pain associated with breast cancer
has shown to assist with psoriasis
it is also great for diarrhea (mixed with hot water to make a tea), very handy to have especially if you live in a developing country like Vietnam where tummy bugs can be a frequent occurrence
You can buy organic slippery elm fromΒ iHerbΒ orΒ Amazon.
L-GlutamineΒ is the main amino acid in the body that supports many metabolic functions and is a building block of protein. While its quite popular in the fitness industry as it aids in weight loss with fat burning qualities and helps build muscle, it is also healing for the gut being a source of fuel for enterocytes which are the cells of your gut lining (I first learnt about this in Dr Natasha Campbell McBrideΒ GAPS bookΒ and well worth reading if you are healing your gut). It is also known to:
improve diabetes and blood sugar
helps cravings for sugar and alcohol
improves diarrhea and IBS symptoms by increasing mucus production
helps with metabolism and cellular detoxification
helps with memory, focus and concentration as it is an essential neurotransmitter
helps heal ulcers and leaky gut
improves gut health being an important nutrient for the gut to heal and repair
Nana Ice Cream With Gut Healing Collagen and Slippery Elm – GAPS, Paleo
What I also really like about this super healing nana ice cream is once you whip it up in the food processor it isn’t so so cold which can be a shock for you digestive system if it’s sensitive. It has a light airy texture from the collagen. You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer then allow to thaw slightly before serving.
Serve with any of your favourite toppings and add frozen mango or strawberry to change up the flavour, the variations are only limited to your imagination!
Nana Ice Cream With Gut Healing Collagen and Slippery Elm – GAPS, Paleo, AIP
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