These bars are great for anyone with gut issues and also pre or post workout plus they’re way better quality than most protein bars on the market. I used a hydrolysed collagen based protein powder here (not suitable for vegetarians) as it can have a number of benefits for different areas of the body such as joints, skin and gut. (See the link further on down for more info).
Tip: Collagen protein can be hard to find in the UK so I get mine from amazon.

Lemon coconut & baobab gut healing protein bars Desserts energy balls Grainfree snack

Gut help
Collagen powder may sound strange but it’s a great protein and supplement to add to your diet if you’re trying to heal any gut issues due to its high content of glutamine, glycine and proline which help your mucosal lining “heal and seal” i.e. helps gut cell repair. Your gut lining renews itself frequently so any help it can get is good.

This recipe is also grain and refined sugar free which are big irritants to the gut, instead I’ve used baobab and lemon for flavour, lots of the goodness from the lemon is in the oils that come from the zest which also gives lots of flavour.
Baobab is a low sugar fruit powder that has a citrus like flavour and is filled with antioxidants and good vitamin C content, plus it tastes great when combined with tropical coconut. In addition, it also acts as a prebiotic which means it’s fuel for the good bugs in your gut. If you’ve never tried it before and have gut issues, try a small amount first to see how you tolerate it then make this recipe.

Lemon coconut & baobab gut healing protein bars Desserts energy balls Grainfree snack
Honey helper
I’ve also added just a touch of raw local honey which is some of the best kind (and quite affordable), this is because when you consume raw local honey you also get pollen and microbes from your area which help you to digest food better, it can also help over the long term with seasonal allergies such as hay-fever by slowly allowing your body to build up a tolerance/defence to the local pollen and allergens. Get as local as you can and use it raw whenever you can (don’t plunge it straight into boiling tea).

Benefits:
-vit C in baobab helps reduce muscle soreness & provides antioxidant protection
-good fats (MCT’s) from coconut used quickly as energy and digested easily
-collagen protein for workout recovery and great for your joints + gut
-low in sugar & grain free

Lemon coconut & baobab gut healing protein bars Desserts energy balls Grainfree snack

Although more studies need to be done, the combination of vitamin C and collagen protein may be helpful for ageing skin as vitamin C acts as an antioxidant to protect skin but also boosts collagen production by your own body, plus, getting collagen through your diet can be helpful as it depletes as we get older and it is one of the substances that keeps skin looking tight, young and with less wrinkles.
For a deeper understanding of collagen benefits see here where Dr Axe explains it further.

Recipe (makes 4 bars)
-1/3 cup (30g) plain collagen protein powder*
-2/3 cup (60g) shredded coconut
-1/3 cup (30g) baobab powder
-zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
-80ml milk of choice or water
-20g coconut oil
-2 tsp fresh lemon juice (or use more and reduce the water, adjust to your taste)
-1 Tbsp honey or 4 drops liquid stevia for sugar free
Note: collagen isn’t very absorbent so if you sub it for something else I cannot guarantee the outcome!

Lemon coconut & baobab gut healing protein bars Desserts energy balls Grainfree snack

Directions
1- Gently melt the coconut oil, lemon juice and milk/water together in a pot over a low heat
2- While this melts, mix together the dry ingredients, add in the sweetener then add in the melted liquid mixture and stir well before putting the mixture into a small lined baking dish. Press down firmly then place into the fridge for 1 hour to set before slicing.