For those of you who are cheesecake lovers and want a low carb, gluten free alternative to the traditional version of cheesecake, this is for you.

Your traditional cheesecake would normally contain a biscuit base which would be full of processed flour, gluten, sugar and butter. The filling would be made of cream cheese, sour cream and heavy whipping cream also with added sugar. In fact I’ve come across some cheesecake recipes that are over 600 calories per slice and over 60g of sugar per slice.

What makes this a healthy recipe for weight loss is there is no added sugar, low carb content, plenty of healthy fats and no gluten. The base is made from sunflower seeds which contains healthy fats along with coconut and flaxseed meal. The cheesecake also contains good sources of protein from the yoghurt and eggs.

What also makes this a healthy recipe for weight loss is the way your body responds to the ingredients during the digestion process. The high sugar content of a traditional cheesecake would be absorbed rapidly into the blood stream resulting in a high blood sugar and insulin spike which would the lead to fat storage. Not to mention you’d be inhaling 600 calories in one minute.

With this healthy recipe for weight loss version, the ingredients would be released a lot slower into the blood stream resulting in lower blood sugar and insulin spikes which is essential for fat loss. The high amount of protein and good fats would make you feel fuller for longer as opposed to the processed ingredients of a traditional cheesecake.

Most importantly, the taste of this cheesecake is just as good as the traditional one.

Make sure you prepare this cheesecake well in advance to allow for refrigerating before serving.

Ingredients:
2 cups of sunflower seeds, blended into sunflower flour
3 tbs coconut oil
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
3 eggs
2 tbs flaxseed meal
2 tsp vanilla essence
7 stevia tabs
2 tsp cinnamon
10 dates
4 squares of dark chocolate (70% or better)
500g of organic whole milk yoghurt
1 tsp corn flour

Note: You can substitute sunflower seeds for almond meal.

Method
Crust:
– Pre-heat oven to 160dg
– Blend 2 cups of sunflower seeds into flour and place in a large bowl
– Melt 3 tbs of coconut oil in a pan and add to bowl
– Chop dates and then blend until they are blended into small pieces
– Add 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut to bowl along with flaxseed meal, 2 stevia tabs and cinnamon
– Crack two eggs into a separate bowl and whisk
– Add eggs to dry ingredients and stir well until it forms a doughy type consistency.
– Take a medium sized round baking tray, line with baking paper and add mixture
– Flatten out the mixture in the base of the pan and push up onto the side of the pan. Make sure the mixture is pushed well up onto the sides.
– Place in oven for 10 minutes or until mixture has turned into a crust then remove from oven.

Filling:
This can be completed while the crust is baking in the oven.
– Add 500g of yoghurt to a bowl
– Separate one egg, whisk white until it is fluffy then fold through the yoghurt. Then whisk the yolk separately and add to yoghurt
– Add 1/4 cup of desiccated coconut
– Grate or finely chop 4 squares of dark chocolate and add to mixture
– Add 1 tsp of vanilla essence
– Add 5 stevia tabs and 1 tsp of corn flour
– Stir all ingredients really well
– Add extra cinnamon or stevia to taste if not sweet enough

Once complete you can then pour the mixture into the crust. Increase heat to 180 and bake for roughly 45 minutes or until cheesecake mixture has hardened

Test by sticking a knife into the mixture, it should come out clean. You can then remove from oven, cover with the cake tin and place in the fridge for a few hours until it has cooled and the mixture has hardened.

Keep refrigerated for an hour or two before eating.

You can serve with cinnamon or grated dark chocolate.

To find out how you can include more foods like this and lose weight at the same time click here.