Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

These granola-style bars are my favourite. Hands down. They are easy to make and store great in the freezer. 

Personally, I find having quick grab and go snacks super handy.  I started to keep snacks like this on hand when I was constantly travelling to doctor’s appointments because they make healthy, Lyme-friendly food packing easy. These bars are also great because they don’t need to be refrigerated and they pass international air travel food rules. 

These blueberry bars are gluten free, and you can substitute the egg for a “flax seed egg” to make it vegan.  For anyone with nut allergies or intolerances you can sub out the walnuts for more ground flax seeds, or add some pepitas for a bit of a crunch. 

Why else are these good Lyme-Friendly snacks?

The antioxidant properties in blueberries help to fight free-radicals that are floating through our bodies and stopping them from causing cellular damage. 

Blueberries are a source of flavonoids – think of flavonoids as just one of the many kinds, or categories of antioxidants.  Aside from protecting against cellular damage, the antioxidants in blueberries can also have an anti-inflammatory effect.  For many people with Lyme Disease, chronic, systemic inflammation is a concern. 

Next, let’s talk about omega 3 fatty acids

There are three kinds of omega 3’s: ALA, EPA, DHA.  Of these three ALA is really important because our body cannot make it on its own.  What does that mean? You need to ingest food sources of ALA.  As for the EPA and DHA, our body can use small amounts of ALA to make them – so the thing to remember is to include sources of ALA in your diet.

Omega 3 fatty acids play a big and very important role in our bodies; and this is also super important for those Lymies out there reading this.  Long term effects from an untreated infection can lead to neurological damage.  Omega 3’s play an important role in nerve and membrane development. Aside from neurological damage, one common symptom that a lot of us have experienced is joint pain.  It is one of the early signs and symptoms of the Disease.  Omega 3 fatty acids may also help reduce joint pain. 

These blueberry bars contain sources of ALA, both from walnuts and flax seed.  Bringing it all together these bars pack an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory punch that can help repair and maintain nerve membranes and help alleviate joint pains. 

Curious to know how much ALA you need in a day? Scroll to the bottom after the recipe!

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Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

Snack bars high in anti-inflammatories and antioxidants

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup shredded coconut
• ½ cup walnuts chopped
• 2 cups oats
• 2/3 unsweetened corn flakes
• ¾ cup cooked lentils pureed (red lentils work well)
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup pumpkin pureed
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
• ¼ cup whole flax seed
• ¼ cup ground flax seed
• 1/3 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
• ½ cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg

Instructions

1. heat the oven to 350F and in a large mixing bowl combine the coconut, walnuts and oats
2. add the corn flakes, flax, cranberries, blueberries, cinnamon and nutmeg
3. mix in the lentils, egg, oil, pumpkin and applesauce and combine until the mixture is sticky
4. lightly spray a 10x15 inch cookie sheet with cooking oil and spread the mixture evenly onto the cookie sheet and lightly cut into desired size for bars
5. bake for about 30 minutes or until lightly golden, once done wait until they’ve cooled for 15-20 minutes before completely cutting into bars

Daily ALA requirements range from 1.1 grams per day for women to 1.6 grams per day for men. 

Food Sources include:

Edamame/baby soybeans, cooked (1⁄2 cup)                         0.29 to 0.34 grams

Winter squash, cooked (1/2 cup)                                           0.18 grams

Soy milk (1 cup)                                                                      0.19 grams

Salmon, Atlantic (2 ½ oz.)                                                      0.26 to 0.28 grams

Beans, navy/pinto (3/4 cup)                                                   0.17 to 0.24 grams

Tofu (3/4 cup)                                                                         0.27 to 0.48 grams

Almonds (1/4 cup)                                                                  0.15 grams

Chia seeds (1 tablespoon)                                                      1.9 grams

Flaxseed, ground (1 tablespoon)                                           2.43 grams

Hemp seeds (1 tablespoon)                                                   0.19 grams

Pecans (1/4 cup)                                                                     0.25 to 0.29 grams

Soy nuts (1/4 cup)                                                                  0.42 grams

Walnuts, black (1/4 cup)                                                        0.85 grams

Walnuts, English, Persian (1/4 cup)                                       2.30 grams

Flaxseed oil (1 teaspoon)                                                       2.46 grams

Walnut oil (1 teaspoon)                                                         0.48 grams