Amal Al-Sibai

 

Eid-al-fitr is a joyous occasion for all Muslims, and it is a very sweet one too. In almost every culture across the globe, it is tradition to serve sweets and desserts to family and guests for the three days of Eid.



From one country to another, the sweets vary, but the one component that is the same in every household in every culture is the amount of sugar in the Eid sweets.



During Eid, children and adults consume an alarmingly high amount of sugar. For better health and disease prevention, having an overload of added sugar should not be part of our Eid celebrations every year anymore.



The excessive intake of sugar depletes certain minerals and vitamins that are needed to metabolize it. Excess sugar intake increases the risk for dental caries, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and even cancer.



Research is also pointing to the toxic effect that sugar has on the liver because excess glucose in the body is turned into fat, which gets lodged into the liver and over time leads to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.



The brain is affected by sugar too, as a 2012 study found that excess sugar consumption was linked to deficiencies in memory and overall cognitive health.



When some people eat too much sugar, it can cause resistance to the hormone insulin, which can contribute to diabetes.



Eating sweets makes us feel good, and our fondest childhood memories of Eid are probably eating sweets in the morning and being served something sweet when we visited our relatives.



We can still hold on to the tradition of celebrating a sweet Eid, but in the form of the naturally occurring sugars found in fruits, some vegetables, and milk.



What is damaging to our health is the added sugar in processed foods. The sugars found naturally in wholesome foods can be enjoyed without increasing our risk for disease.



Fruits are high in sugar, namely fructose. However, eating fruits is a great booster for your health, whereas eating a piece of baklava is deleterious to your health.



Why the difference? Fructose and glucose are harmful in large amounts, but it is almost impossible to overload on fructose by eating fruit. Could you possibly eat six oranges?



Also, fruits are loaded with fiber and water. Most fruits take a while to eat and digest, meaning that the sugars reach the liver more slowly and gradually than it would by downing a can of coke.



Unlike the slice of cheesecake or the piece of basbusa drizzled with sugary syrup, a piece of fruit contains fiber, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, and pectin – in addition to the natural sugar.  



One review of nine studies found that the risk of heart disease is reduced by 7% for each daily portion of fruit. You can still have a sweet Eid, but make it a health Eid too.



Replace the traditional Eid desserts with fresh fruit salad or a beautifully decorated fresh fruit platter. Include an assortment of delicious fruits: grapes, nectarines, tangerines, strawberries, kiwi, apples, mango, pears, peaches, strawberries, pineapples, watermelon.



You can create your own sweets using fruit, using the ideas below. We have also included some homemade recipes for desserts that are lower in sugar than the traditional sweets.  

 

Banana Yogurt Freeze



4 large bananas



1 cup low-fat, vanilla flavored yogurt



Peel the bananas, cut in chunks, and freeze in plastic bags. They take 24 hours to freeze solid. Place the yogurt and banana chunks in a food processor.



Pulse for several seconds until the mixture is smooth. Serve in ice cream bowls and garnish with blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries, or ground almonds.



Mixed Berry Muffins



2 and one-fourth cups whole wheat flour



4 tsp baking powder



¼ cup ground flaxseed



½ tsp salt



• c fresh blueberries



• c fresh raspberries



1 c low-fat milk



2 eggs



• c sugar



• c canola oil



1 tsp almond extract



Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Combine the flour, baking powder, flaxseed, and salt in a large bowl.



Whisk to mix. Add the berries and stir to coat. Combine the milk, eggs, sugar, oil, and almond extract in another bowl. With a fork, beat until smooth.



Pour the egg mixture into the berry mixture and gently mix with a fork to moisten the dry ingredients. Do not overmix. Drop the batter into the prepared muffin cups.



Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.



Chocolate Banana Grahams



Graham crackers, or tea biscuits Bananas, sliced



Nutella



Shredded coconut



Spread each graham cracker piece or biscuit with one-fourth teaspoon Nutella and top with a slice of banana and a sprinkling of coconut.



Fruit Sorbet



4 cups fresh orange juice



3 tablespoons honey



2 tablespoons grated orange rind



2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries

 

Blend the ingredients in a food processor blender. Transfer to individual bowls and freeze for 2 to 3 hours.



Banana Loaf



1 and half cups whole wheat flour



1 and half tsp baking powder



Half tsp baking soda and a pinch of salt



Half cup sugar



One-fourth cup ground flaxseed



2 large eggs, beaten



3 mashed, ripe bananas



One-fourth cup canola oil



One-fourth cup skimmed milk



Three-fourth tsp vanilla



Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9”x 5”x 3” loaf pan with cooking spray. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a fork to mix.



Combine the sugar, flaxseed, and eggs in another bowl. Stir to mix. Add the bananas, oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir to mix. Add the flour mixture.



Stir just until all the flour mixture is absorbed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 50 minutes.

 

Cocoa Coconut Bananas



8 teaspoons cocoa powder



8 teaspoons toasted unsweetened coconut



4 bananas, sliced

 

Place cocoa and coconut on separate plates. Roll each banana slice in the cocoa, shake off the excess, then dip in the coconut.