This Guilt-Free Sweetener Will Help Curb Cravings, Boost Immunity, and Balance Blood Sugar
Having your cake and eating it too is the dream, especially when you’re trying to lose weight and sugar cravings hit. You might think you need to avoid sweet snacks, but it turns out you can still enjoy them with baobab fruit powder! Packed with nutrients and antioxidants, it also provides numerous health benefits while it tames your sweet tooth throughout the day.
Baobab is a fruit that’s typically grown in Africa and has a distinct oval-ish shape. The fruit’s pulp can be eaten fresh but it’s hard to come by in the produce section of your local grocery store. Luckily, it’s readily available in powdered form, which involves dehydrating the fruit pulp first then pulverizing it into a fine powder.
Curious about how it tastes? Think grapefruit meets vanilla. The sweet yet slightly tart flavor is perfect for sneaking a spoonful into pancake batter, smoothies, and baked treats. Be sure to check the label first, though, because you’ll lose out on these nutritional benefits if you buy a brand that contains any added sugars. A variety like Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Baobab Fruit Powder (Buy on Amazon, $13.49) only contains baobab, so you’re getting 100 percent of the pure fruit.
With that in mind, here are three benefits you can get by adding baobab fruit powder to your diet.
Curbs Cravings
Trying to figure out why you’re still craving certain foods even when you’re not hungry can be an endless guessing game. But adding baobab fruit powder into your diet will help solve all of that.
A study published in Nutrition and Health looked at the effects the fruit had on 20 adults through a “smoothie test.” Some participants were given a smoothie to drink with 15 grams of baobab extract added and others were given one that didn’t have any at all.
The results showed that those who drank a smoothie with the extract weren’t hungry afterwards compared to those with a plain smoothie. Researchers also linked baobab’s ability to cure hunger pains to its potential to help with weight loss. Say goodbye to excess snacking!
Supports Immune System
Maintaining a strong immune system is the key to fighting off infections, viruses, and signs of aging all year round. If you’re not a fan of drinking orange juice or taking supplements to boost your immunity, then baobab fruit powder is here to do just that and more.
Healthline reports that two tablespoons of it provides about 58 percent of the your daily intake of vitamin C. This is all thanks to the fruit’s pulp, which is also full of other key minerals like potassium, magnesium, and iron.
Controls Blood Sugar
Not sure whether baobab fruit powder is diabetic friendly? You can breathe a sigh of relief as it’s been shown to help control blood sugar in adults.
A study published in Nutrition Research put this to the test by giving participants a slice of white bread to eat with some of the fruit’s extract added to it. Within 3 hours, researchers found that the fruit was having positive effects on keeping the participants’ insulin levels stable. It also reduced the amount of insulin needed to start a blood glucose response — helping to control blood sugar levels.
Although baobab on bread doesn’t sound bad, you don’t have to eat that way to still get the health benefits. Try sprinkling some of the fruit powder on top of your granola to start your morning off right. It even works as a gluten-free thickening agent for sauces and soups. Don’t worry about the sweetness if you put it in a savory dish, it balances out the flavors similar to how a tiny pinch of sugar tames the acidity from tomatoes in a pasta sauce.
However you choose to cook with it, baobab fruit powder is sure to become a go-to ingredient in your pantry!
This article originally appeared on our sister site, Woman’s World.
