Guilt-Free Cookies   

Dessert isn’t always great for diets, but…

…this recipe for sweet and salty peanut butter fudge cookies from Rachel Sokolewicz of Bradenton’s Retrobaked satisfies your sweet tooth in the healthiest way possible. “They aren’t kale chips-healthy, but they are healthier than most cookies,” says Sokolewicz. “They’re gluten-free, vegan, soy-free and refined sugar-free.” They’re also packed with great, high-fiber nutrition in the form of flaxseed and whole grain oat flour, plus antioxidant-rich dark chocolate and natural peanut butter.

Sweet ’n’ Salty Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

 Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
3 tablespoons water
1 cup gluten-free whole grain oat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup organic sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Topping:

1/2 cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips, melted
Fleur de sel sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, whisk together ground flaxseed and water. Set aside until thickened (about 10 minutes).
• Sift together oat flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
• In a separate bowl, beat peanut butter and sugar until combined. Add flaxseed.
• Gradually beat dry ingredients into wet (dough will be crumbly). Add almond milk and vanilla and beat just until combined.
• Scoop out 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough, roll into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, placing cookies three inches apart. Use a fork to gently flatten cookies with a crisscross pattern.
• Bake at 350 degrees for nine or 10 minutes.
• Drizzle chocolate over each cookie. Sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Weight-Loss Genetics

The rapid exploration of the human genome has allowed scientists to unlock the secrets of which genes do what—and how they do it. Among the advances: A simple cheek swab can reveal how your body responds to certain foods and types of exercise—information you can use to adjust your diet, lose weight and maximize your fitness.

ARCPoint Labs recently began offering the test at its Sarasota location. After the initial cheek swab, it takes about three weeks for the results to come back. The report itself will be more than 40 pages long, but as part of the service, an adviser helps break it all down. Among the things the test can reveal: how your body metabolizes nutrients like carbohydrates, glucose, folates and certain proteins, as well as how your body responds to various levels of cardio exercise and weight training.

“Up to this point, [personal weight-loss management] has been like throwing darts,” says ARCPoint CEO Felix Mirando. “What’s unique about this test is that you do it once, and then you’ve got that baseline information for life.”

Overheard

“Ladies, do your breast self-exams, know your breast, so you’ll know when something is wrong. And you start those mammograms at age 40, as far as I’m concerned.”—former Good Morning America host Joan Lunden, who spoke at Tidewell Hospice’s Compassion in Caring luncheon