Getting prebiotic fibres into the diet can be tough for kids and adults, especially for those that don’t enjoy eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains. So these prebiotic bliss balls are a great starting point for getting more prebiotic fibres into the diet. They taste great so kids will enjoy them and the natural sugars that come from the raisins are balanced with healthy fats, protein and fibre so your little ones won’t be tearing the house apart on a sugar high.

As a nut loving mum with nut loving kids, I find it challenging to steer clear of nuts in cooking and baking. But also knowing a couple of kids with nut allergies, I know the importance of sticking to the nut free lunchbox. So these prebiotic bliss balls contain no nuts making them lunchbox friendly. While they may lack nuts, the chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, oats, white beans, cacao and flaxseed oil all pack a nutritional punch providing decent amounts of prebiotic fibre, omega-3 fatty acids and magnesium.

Dietary Suitability of Prebiotic Bliss Balls

Prebiotic Bliss Balls Food As Medicine

✓ Prebiotics

Prebiotics are important to include in our diet as they have the ability to feed our beneficial microbes that live in our gut. These microbes can ferment the prebiotic fibres and produce beneficial compounds called short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). SCFAs can reduce inflammation, maintain appetite regulation and feed our colonic cells to maintain a healthy gut barrier. So pretty important for healthy and happy adults and kids.

The white beans, chia seeds, oats and pumpkin seeds are all good sources of prebiotic fibre as they resist digestion in the upper digestive system and arrive to our lower intestine to be fermented by our beneficial gut microbes.

✓ Flaxseed oil

Flaxseeds are one of the richest plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids, α-linolenic acid (ALA). There are three omega-3 fatty acids. The ALA that comes from plant sources and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that comes from oily fish. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to get through the foods you are eating as they cannot be made by the body. Omega-3 fatty acids also have a role in brain function as they are involved in neurite growth, membrane fluidity, blood–brain barrier integrity and inflammation. (1)

A key consideration for using flaxseed oil to help meet your omega-3 needs is to remember the challenge our body has in converting ALA into our most useful bioactive forms of omega-3 EPA and DHA. Our body requires enzymes to convert the ALA into EPA and DHA and through this conversion process we probably only end up with an estimated 10-15% of EPA and DHA. This means flaxseed oil shouldn’t be a replacement for getting your omega-3s through two to three serves of oily fish each week. But rather a healthy oil to include in baking, salad dressings and smoothies to increase your omega-3 intake.

✓ Partially hydrolysed guar gum

The preference is to get your prebiotic fibres from a variety of prebiotic rich food sources like whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds and nuts. Although I do find supplementing with the prebiotic fibre partially hydrolysed guar gum (PHGG) can sometimes be useful, especially for kids with tummy troubles.

PHGG is a water-soluble dietary fibre that can be used as a functional food. It has been shown to boost beneficial gut microbes such as Bifidobacteria. (2) This makes it a useful functional food for adults and kids struggling with dysbiosis where there is an imbalance in the balance of gut microbes.

Research has shown PHGG can be used for both adults and kids with functional gastrointestinal disorders especially when chronic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome is of concern. (3)

There is also some interesting early research showing that children with autism spectrum disorder struggling with constipation may benefit from PHGG supplementation. Children supplementing with 6g of PHGG daily for 2 months had improved gut dysbiosis and constipation symptoms and also showed reduced inflammation and behavioural irritability. (4)

So while I would always suggest to get prebiotics from whole foods first, PHGG can be useful for providing a prebiotic boost for fussy kids and adults or for those working through digestive symptoms.

Prebiotic Bliss Balls

Author: alanakrahe
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 16 balls 1x

Print Recipe

Description

These prebiotic bliss balls are a great starting point for getting more prebiotic fibres into the diet. They taste great so kids will enjoy them and the natural sugars that come from the raisins are balanced with healthy fats, protein and fibre so your little ones won’t be tearing the house apart on a sugar high.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup raisins, soaked in warm water for about ten minutes
400g can of white beans, rinsed
1 cup of oats
1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup cacao
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/3 cup flaxseed oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup partially hydrolysed guar gum or prebiotic fibre (optional)
1/4 cup of shredded coconut (optional for rolling)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Soak the raisins in warm water for about ten minutes. Then discard the water and place the raisins into a food processor with the white beans, oats, pumpkin seeds, cacao, prebiotic fibre, chia seeds, flaxseed oil and cinnamon.
Blitz the ingredients until combined. You want a thick paste consistency.
Roll a desert spoon of mixture into balls and roll in coconut if you like.
Place on a tray in the fridge for a few hours before eating.

Notes

Depending on your family’s taste, you can play around with the textures and flavours added to this base prebiotic bliss balls recipe.

If you are looking for a more crunchy texture you can lightly toast the oats and add to the mixture at the end so the balls have some crunch to them.
If you want a more chewy texture you can add half the raisins in the food processor and then mix the other half through the bliss ball paste just before rolling paste into balls.
You can place these in the freezer instead of the fridge for a cold treat.
Or if you are like me and love dark chocolate, these prebiotic bliss balls also taste great with some 85% or 90% Lindt dark chocolate broken up into small pieces and mixed through the mixture before rolling into balls. It’s for the polyphenols from the dark chocolate – promise. 😉

Prep Time: 30 minutes