I have many family and friends who face daily health battles, most of which come with strict dietary restrictions, in order to help control, slow down or halt their painful and debilitating conditions.

I call them the ‘silent sufferers’.

To most people, their symptoms and daily struggles cannot be seen. It’s not like a broken arm with a cast or condition that will heal in a few months. Auto-immune diseases such as Arthritis and Lupus, Coeliac Disease, Digestive disorders, Diabetes, Thyroid problems. These are just a few of the conditions that impact many around us each day, probably more than we know. These conditions do not have a ‘cure’ and sufferers will live with them and their effects forever.

Then there are all those who can’t pin point exactly what their health issue may be, but find themselves ‘intolerant’ to so many foods.

It is wonderful that relief from pain and the slowing down of a diseases’s progress can be achieved through making dietary changes.  But for those people already struggling, another challenge arises in relation to their food and eating.

Celebrations, entertaining, just stopping off somewhere for a quick lunch can be a problem. Going out to dinner becomes difficult, often a phone call to a restaurant ahead of time is needed to ensure there will be something suitable for them to eat. The people I know who suffer, hate a fuss to be made and don’t like the extra attention it brings, so they often miss out, go without or even don’t attend functions if it’s all going to be too hard.

I don’t think those of us who eat what we want, when we want always realise how hard it can be.

So to my family and friends suffering; you are AMAZING. You are strong, determined, disciplined, BRAVE, courageous and you care about your health so much you will do whatever you can to improve or maintain it.

And to those of us who don’t suffer, we can work at being a little more understanding and sympathetic. If you have a loved one on a restricted diet, find out about it, take an interest. Maybe it means you need to learn a new recipe, that’s okay. Try and remember to cater for their needs if you are cooking for them. Ask ahead of time and show that you’ve gone to a little extra effort to make sure there is something for them to eat at the next family get together or dinner party.

So, onto the recipe….this is a yummy, moist ‘brownie’ style slice that is gluten, dairy and refined sugar free.

It has even received the tick of approval from the men and women in my husbands office who thought it was a ‘normal’ brownie!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 cup rice malt syrup
200gm dried pitted dates, chopped
1/4 cup chia seeds
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
100gm good quality 70% dark chocolate (milk free)
50gm coconut oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut flour

Method

Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius.

Grease and line with baking paper, a slice tin (approx 25cm x 15cm).

Place water, cocoa and rice malt syrup in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until a smooth paste.

Remove from the heat and add dates and chia seeds and set aside for 30 minutes to cool and thicken (the chia seeds will act as a thickening agent and the mixture will thicken as it cools).

Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in the microwave, approximately 50 seconds on high. Remove from microwave and stir until melted and combined.

Lightly whisk eggs and vanilla extract and add to date mixture.

Add the coconut flour and cinnamon to the date mixture.

Add the slightly cooled melted chocolate mixture to the date mixture.

Mix thoroughly and spoon into the tin.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes until firm when lightly pressed.

Leave to cool in tin then remove and cut into squares.

Dust with cocoa powder or icing sugar to serve.