3 Ingredient Healthy and Easy “Candied” Coconut Chips

Remember roasted “candied” coconut from carnivals or the stands in the city? Ahhh that aroma… It just entices your senses and makes your mouth water.

I remember when I lived in –Nu Yawrk City {with my best accent}–my family and I had a tradition almost every year. We’d go see the Rocketts or the Christmas show, and then grab some dinner from any of the awesome restaurants in the area . From time to time we would plan to get “dessert”. Yep, I am talking about roasted nuts and candied coconut from the stands. The best ever– well until now.

There is nothing better than memories with loved ones.   We’d always make it a whole night affair that culminated with a nice walk around the city before heading home.

Fortunately, those days are over.  No I am not talking about watching the Christmas shows- those I still go see on occasion.   I am talking about the roasted nuts and candied coconut from the street vendors… Yep, those days are over.  Why you ask?

Well, on my quest to a healthier lifestyle and that of my family, I realized the original version isn’t healthy despite the fact that the ingredients are considered “healthy snacks”– nuts and coconuts.

See, what we forget is that the delicious roasted nuts and candied coconut are made  most likely with canola, peanut or worse yet; GMO soy bean oil.   As if that isn’t bad enough, what is it that gives that caramel color and flavor? You guessed it– sugar.

That combination may seem harmless but it is quite the opposite.  Here is why:

•  Sugar and processed oils develop chronic inflammation leading to diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, joint pain, eczema, coronary artery disease and Cancer.
• Fried foods keeps your sugar levels very high for over 24 hours. That is specially bad for Diabetics
• Chronic Inflammation + sugar + cholesterol = Plaque
• GMO products have been linked to organ damage and even cancer
• This study links heated vegetable oils with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and vascular inflammation.

[note note_color=”#eef5e3″ text_color=”#432723″ radius=”9″]The quality of dietary oils and fats has been widely recognized to be inextricably linked to the pathogenesis of CVD. Vegetable oil is one of the essential dietary components in daily food consumption. However, the benefits of vegetable oil can be deteriorated by repeated heating that leads to lipid oxidation.

The practice of using repeatedly heated cooking oil is not uncommon as it will reduce the cost of food preparation. Thermal oxidation yields new functional groups which may be potentially hazardous to cardiovascular health. Prolonged consumption of the repeatedly heated oil has been shown to increase blood pressure and total cholesterol, cause vascular inflammation as well as vascular changes which predispose to atherosclerosis. The harmful effect of heated oils is attributed to products generated from lipid oxidation during heating process.[/note]

Now the good news.

You no longer have to wait to go to a special place to get these copycat “candied” coconut chips.  They are decadent, crunchy, sweet, but with much healthier ingredients.

This version will  satiates your need for a for a sweet snack without compromising your health goals.

Have you tried coconut chips? Are there any memories attached to them? Do share with in the comments below. I’d love to hear your experiences.

To your best health,

 

 

 

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