Chocolate cookies on white linen napkin on wooden table. Chocolate chip cookies shot on coffee colored cloth,

Okay…I’m going to tell you something that’s going to change your life.  Cookies CAN be healthy!!!  Yes.  There are cookies out there that you can enjoy without feeling guilty, AND are actually packed with nutritional benefits.  And the best part is…you can fool your kids with them!!  Who says that cookies have to be bad for you? They don’t have to include bleached white flour, sugar, or high fructose corn syrup to be tasty.

Difference Between Healthy and Unhealthy Cookies:

  1. Healthy cookies don’t use refined carbohydrates, such as refined white sugar and white flour, both of which have been known to cause inflammation. In addition, white sugar causes blood sugar instability, and if used over a long period of time, type 2 diabetes. Also, it contains no nutrients, enzymes, healthy fats or protein…just empty calories.  White sugar has been known to cause inflammation, food cravings, food allergies, GI issues, and metabolic slowdown.
  2. Healthy cookies don’t use hydrogenated/partially hydrogenated oils that are damaging to our health. These oils are healthy in their natural state, but through manufacturing and processing, they become poisons…becoming one molecule away from becoming plastic. Hydrogenated oils contribute to high blood pressure due to the thickness of the oil that flows through your arteries, building up arterial plaque, and causing unnecessary strain on your heart.
  3. Healthy cookies don’t contain trans fats, which raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower your HDL (good) cholesterol, and this combination increases your risk of heart disease. Trans fats have also been known to cause inflammation, insulin resistance, arthritis, elevated blood sugar levels, and are believed to cause damage to the inner lining of the blood vessels.

What Do Healthy Cookies Contain?

  1. Healthy cookies contain whole grain flour, which provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber, all of which are nutritional in value. Dietary fiber has many health benefits including preventing constipation, helping in weight loss, and lowering blood cholesterol. As opposed to white flour that removes nutrients from its “enriched” process, whole grain flour contains a higher vitamin content such as riboflavin, folate, and vitamins B-1, B-3, and B-5.
  2. Healthy cookies contain natural sweeteners, such as raw honey, agave syrup, and fruit purees, all of which contain nutritional benefits. All of these sweeteners are low in calories, low in fructose, taste sweet, and provide rich flavors…the perfect combination when making healthy cookies!
  3. Healthy cookies contain more healthy baking oils, such as olive oil or grape seed oil, and less butter. These healthy substitutes help you to cut back on saturated fats, but still allow you to maintain the flavor in your baking. Butter has long been known to clog arteries and raise LDL (bad) cholesterol, which of course contributes to heat disease.

So, this season skip the unhealthy ingredients in your baking, and bake with healthy and nutritional items.  Your family will never know the difference!!