Banana Snacking Bread (No Added Sugar)

This week, for the first time in years, I ate gluten on purpose. (Spoiler: it wasn’t this Banana Snacking Bread…that came later.) If you’ve been following along with my journey over on instagram, you’ll know that I haven’t strayed from my Paleo-based way of eating because I missed all of the gluten-y goodies, but rather because of the advice of my doctor.

Even though I feel more well than I have in YEARS, I’m still battling some digestive issues that aren’t normal. And so my husband and I decided we needed to pursue some further testing – one of which is for Celiac’s Disease. The rough thing about being tested for Celiac’s is that you actually have to have gluten in your system for the diagnostic tests to work. In layman’s terms, the lab will test my blood for antibodies, which are the body’s auto-immune response to gluten. These antibodies attack your small intestine and cause all sorts of lovely symptoms like muscle pain, fatigue, headaches + tummy trouble.

But, because I’ve been living gluten-free for the last 8 years and won’t have a high enough level of antibodies for the test, I’ve had to sign up for what’s called The Gluten Challenge. During the next six weeks, I’m required to eat 4 slices of bread, or an equivalent serving of something else gluten-filled, every day for 6 weeks. That’s a lot of bread.

For someone who has purposely avoided the stuff for nearly a decade, jumping back into eating so much wheat has been pretty scary. It feels hugely counterintuitive to continue eating something I believe is making me ill – almost like purposefully poisoning myself. But both my face-to-face and online community have been absolutely amazing in encouraging me through. And despite my fears, I’m actually so interested to see how my body responds during the 6 weeks and the recovery period afterwards. I’m claiming it as my own little health experiment. There’s always value to be found!

And so, during the next 6 weeks, I’m going to do my best to apply “Jessica Eats Real Food” rules to this temporary way of eating. That means that I’m not jumping into ordering pizza, cinnamon rolls + McDonalds, but rather that I’m still aiming to be as intentional as possible in what I’m eating. I want to be able to pronounce all of the ingredients in my food, even the wheat based ones. I want to be as close to whole food ingredients as possible. You feel me?

Enter this Banana Snacking Bread. This baby was really born out of necessity. Because when you haven’t eaten gluten for 8 years and then suddenly have to eat it all of the time, you quickly get bored of whole wheat avocado toast. I knew that I wanted a snack type something made with whole grains + that was also low in added sugar. And so, I got to mixing.

This Banana Snacking Bread is not your typical dessert style banana bread. The only sweetness in this loaf comes from the bananas themselves. It turned out perfectly for my taste buds, but my husband preferred his with some honey on top. I think if you’re prepared for a mildly sweet bread, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. If you’re expecting cake, this bread might not be the right one!

Having a baked good that’s lower in sugar won’t spike your blood sugar quite so much, which is helpful in avoiding those midday energy crashes. Plus, I feel much better about having it as part of breakfast or as a snack when I know it isn’t the nutritional equivalent of a candy bar.

For flours, I had to choose wheat based options to optimise their gluten-ness, but you could absolutely make this gluten-free by using a gluten-free flour blend. Most traditional banana breads are made with all purpose flour. It gives them their light, moist texture. However, I wanted to up our nutritional value here, and so I’ve split it with whole wheat flour. It does make the texture a bit more dense, but it also adds TONS of fibre. Honestly, I prefer a heartier loaf anyway.

This bread is the perfect thing to make if you’ve got a busy week ahead. It’ll keep in a container on your counter all week long and is such a great option for quick grabbed breakfasts and snacks. It would be a lovely gift to a neighbour, a new momma, or to your own stomach.

I prefer to eat mine slathered in some nut butter to up the healthy fats + satiety of the snack, but a pat of melted butter would be divine if you’re eating dairy. I haven’t tried it yet, but I imagine this would make a KILLER French toast too. For breakfast, serve it alongside some eggs or Chai + Chili Paleo Sausage for some added protein. Add some berries on the side and you’re good to go!

Once my loaf was was cool, I cut it into 12 thick-ish slices. I’ve stored half of them at room temperature for snacking this week + threw the rest into the freezer to thaw as desired over the course of the next 6 weeks. I might even just throw them into the toaster! Easy peasy.

As much as I wouldn’t choose to reintroduce wheat into my diet based on my own eating history + my own body’s reaction to it, I am excited about the opportunity to try out some recipes that fit a broader style of eating. I’m really hoping that you guys will love some of the real food options that I come up with. If you have any ideas of things you’d like to see, please let me know in the comments below.

If you or your loved ones are wheat eaters, I highly encourage you to give this No Added Sugar Banana Snacking Bread a try. It’s so comforting + yet so healthy. After you’ve tried it, I’d love to know your favourite way to enjoy a piece. Let me know what you think in the comments below or tag me in your photos on  Instagram!

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