Wrinkle-Fighting Recipe: Raw 2-Bite Brownies

Refined sugar is a major cause of wrinkles, so here is a recipe that will give you your fix and actually help protect your skin’s cells from aging.

Time:

• 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup raw dates
• 1 tbsp raw chocolate powder (this is expensive, so I will look the other way if you use regular cocoa powder)
• 2 tbsp cold-pressed coconut oil/butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp bee pollen
• Pinch Celtic sea salt
• Couple squeezes of raw agave nectar or raw honey

Tools:

• Food processor

Directions:

• Pour the seeds, chocolate powder, and salt into the food processor. Blend until coarse.
• Keep blending and add the dates in one at a time, to avoid clumping.
• Add the agave nectar, coconut oil/butter, and vanilla last. Blend again.
• Form into small balls, or into bars to wrap up and keep in your car, purse, or desk.

Wrinkle-Fighting Details:

• Pumpkin seeds contain zinc, which promotes cell repair and growth, and is a key member of a group of enzymes that helps to maintain skin’s collagen supply. Without zinc, the enzymes that rebuild new collagen do not function properly. In addition to preventing wrinkles, Zinc also prevents and aids in the healing of stretch marks, cellulite, and other outward signs of aging.
• Bee pollen is a sulfur-residue food, which contains enzymes that keep the skin flexible and the collagen strong by rebuilding cells and protecting them from damage. It’s also nature’s natural multi-vitamin.
• Coconut oil contains tocotrienols, which are type of vitamin E that protects the skin from wrinkling caused by the sun.

Disclaimer:

Cocoa, even the raw kind, is not “healthy” for you. In fact, it can be toxic. Although there is only a small amount in this recipe, this doesn’t mean that you can eat as much as you want. With any dessert, moderation is important.

Sources:

• Paul Nison, 18-year raw vegan
  
• David Wolfe, Eating for Beauty