Scrumptious Scones

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GALL BLADDER FACTS

Are you or someone you know part of the increasing population having gall bladder surgery? It is becoming a very common operation. Is there something changing in our current diets that is causing this? Could it be the gluten over-load in our diets? Gall bladder disease or malfunction is often associated with celiac disease. CCK (cholecystokinin) is the hormone responsible for gall bladder contraction. The bulk of this hormone is produced in the duodenum. People with celiac, or sensitive to gluten, will have a reduction or of duodenal production of CCK; which will cause gall stones.

In the past few recent decades, we have been mis-informed that fat-free diets and healthy "whole grains" are the healthy way to eat. Even the medical profession is telling parents to have their kids drink skim milk! Don't get me wrong, there are some fat to totally avoid, such as vegetable oils and trans-fats. But going on low fat diets is more harmful than you realize. This is why I always use full fat (and tasty) foods! High protein and grain-free diets alone are not the way to go. High fat is.

Galls are released by dietary fat. If you go on a little-to-no fat diet, the gall bladder starts to atrophy because it doesn't need to work; just as when you don't use your muscles, they atrophy and you are no longer as strong as you once were. Once the damage is done, and the gall bladder is removed, patients mistakenly believe that they can no longer eat fats without discomfort. This is not true, the bile to break down fat is made in the liver, then stored in the gall bladder. Even without a gall bladder, you produce bile and can (and should) consume healthy dietary fats.

After surgery (any surgery) you lose most of your beneficial bacteria; such as bifido bacteria, that keeps your intestines strong and healthy. Adding in probiotics and digestive enzymes are the first step to healing. Your body is smart, after years of low-fat dieting, it no longer produces lipase like it once did; lipase is the enzyme to break down fat (just as when a vegetarian adds in more protein after years of low protein, they feel sick... they no longer produce Protase, the enzyme to break down protein).

After a few days of increasing enzymes and good bacteria, adding in quality fats is essential for your body and cellular health; our brain and cells are composed of over 60% fat people! It is important! I suggest starting with coconut oil. Coconut oil is a medium chained triglyceride (MCT) which is an awesome fat because it doesn't require bile for digestion! I use this in place of butter for all my baked goods. It gives them an AWESOME and naturally sweet flavor.

Foods high in cholesterol are also essential! You NEED cholesterol to produce bile. Start to add in quality eggs (yes, the yolks...whites don't count, the cholesterol is in the yolks), organic cream and butter, grass-fed meats, lobster and other shellfish. I am not talking about "oxidized cholesterol"... which is damaged cholesterol found in skim milk and many processed foods; which triggers heart disease). If you keep avoiding fats and cholesterol, your body will keep on pace with no lipase excretion or bile production...causing a vicious cycle.

A low carb, high fiber diet with LOTS of liquids will help keep this painful condition away! So using coconut flour and psyllium husks, which are in tons of my recipes, will really help too! Just make sure you increase your water consumption when increasing fiber. 

Also using Just Like Sugar which uses chicory root as a sweetener, helps decrease gall bladder issues. Chicory root builds your body's resistance to gallstones and liver stones by increasing the flow of bile, it assists the body in digesting foods and liquids. The extra bile also helps break down fats in the body. Chicory root has a mild laxative effect, increases bile from the gallbladder, and decreases swelling. Click HERE to find it. 

With these tips, along with not eating processed foods and wheat, your body will start to heal and you will feel and enjoy foods like you once did. Happy Eating!

When I was in high school, I worked at a coffee shop...maybe that is where my love of baking came along. We had amazing scones. There are 2 types of scones you will run across; the traditional English scones are a very light, dry, not too sweet scone that is awesome dipped in espresso. This scone recipe is more "Americanized" that is sweeter and denser...more of a "drop" scone. I hope you enjoy!

"HEALTHIFIED" SCONES
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 cup Swerve (or erythritol)
1 tsp stevia glycerite
1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
6 TBS butter, frozen
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or heavy cream
1 egg
OPTIONAL: 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, baking soda and salt. CUT butter with a knife into 1 cm squares; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should still have chunks of butter).

In a small bowl, whisk almond milk and egg until smooth. Using a fork, stir egg mixture into almond flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into 8 balls. Place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden, about 13 to 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 8 servings.

With cinnamon and vanilla

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per scone):
Traditional Scone (with white flour, sugar and sour cream) = 319 calories, 10g fat, 4g protein. 41.1 carbs, 1.2 fiber
"Healthified" Scones (using almond flour, Swerve and almond milk) = 253 calories, 22g fat, 7g protein, 6 carbs, 3g fiber