Kristen Bentson, DC, MS, IFMCP, learned to cook by watching her grandmother in the kitchen. The combination of seeing her follow recipes but also whip up healthy meals on her own was inspiring. It wasn’t until Bentson was in college that she began considering a career based around food. While she was in school, she started to have some significant medical issues and was burnt out by the procedures and pills to help her condition and decided to use food as medicine. “Change your meals, change your life,” she says with a smile. The drastic difference she saw in her own life made her switch her major to pre-med and go after her dream of being a doctor so that she could help others with this knowledge. “I love helping people, and if you want a lifestyle approach, it is where I shine!”
Bentson is the author of The Cool Girl’s Guide to the FODMAP Diet: Everything You Need to Get Savvy About (and Beat!) Digestive Issues—For Life. “I had so many dietary restrictions and I hated feeling restricted. So, I knew my recipes had to be delicious while being therapeutic,” says Bentson. “All of my recipes are dairy-free and gluten-free and follow the FODMAP diet.” FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols) are certain sugars that may be difficult for the small intestine to digest.
“A tenet of functional medicine/health is that conditions are conditional,” says Bentson, “and no matter what condition a person is facing, they can have an impact on their body and their healing process with a targeted approach to food and lifestyle. The right dietary match—one that’s individualized, combined with stress transformation strategies, a solid approach to sleep, restorative movement and an effort to reduce the body’s toxic burden—is very impactful for every person’s overall health.”
Bentson says from a foundational perspective, a “food approach” that includes limiting ingredients like refined sugars, dyes and chemicals while emphasizing naturally colored foods that don’t have labels is a great place for anyone to start. “From there, some individuals might also need a therapeutic diet like gluten-free, dairy-free, low FODMAP, low histamine, Paleo AIP, low glycemic, anti-inflammatory, etc., to best manage their health. That’s where working with a practitioner who is Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) trained and certified can really be of help.”
Here, Bentson is sharing three of her favorite fall recipes just in time for the season—pumpkin bread, orange pecan granola and creamy butternut squash soup—which vary from being low FODMAP, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and vegetarian. All three are favorites of her two young boys and are so delicious that she can’t walk into any family function without at least the pumpkin bread in hand.
Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups coconut sugar
- ½ cup raw honey
- 1 cup organic, expeller-pressed or cold-pressed canola oil
- 4 organic eggs
- 3 ⅓ cups Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- ⅔ cup water
- 15 oz. can organic pumpkin
- 2 loaf pans (9x5x3-inch)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Take an electric mixer and beat coconut sugar, raw honey, oil and organic eggs in a large mixing bowl.
- Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl (gluten-free flour, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg).
- Add the dry mix and water to the wet mix (alternate) and beat at a slow speed. Then, beat in pumpkin.
- Prepare the loaf pans by brushing them with organic canola oil.
- Fill each loaf pan with half of the batter.
- Place bread in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour (start checking at the 45-minute mark).
- Check that it’s done baking with a sharp and long knife down the center; if it’s all set, the knife will come out clean.
- Transfer the bread to a wire rack and let cool for about 5–10 minutes.
- Remove from the pans and let fully cool. If you’re going to eat the bread later, store it wrapped and uncut to keep it moist.
Special Diet Info:
- Gluten-, Dairy- and Nut-Free, Vegetarian (Celiac Friendly)
- 270 Calories, 4 g Protein, 38 g Carbs, 12 g Fat
- Note: Coconut sugar is a better option than refined cane/beet sugar, and it can be used 1:1. While it’s still a sweetener (and should ideally be used only occasionally), it’s lower on the glycemic index and less refined. Unlike refined table sugar, there’s also some nutrient value in the form of minerals, antioxidants and fiber.
Serves 20 (10 slices per loaf)
Orange Pecan Low-Fodmap Granola
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp. gluten-free vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups gluten-free rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans
- ¼ cup hulled pumpkin or sunflower seeds
- 1 tsp. sesame seeds (optional)
- Zest of one orange
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
- Whisk together the coconut oil (in liquid form*), maple syrup and vanilla extract in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Combine the oats, pecans, seeds, orange zest and sea salt in a large bowl.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry. Combine all ingredients by stirring well with a wooden spoon.
- Line a baking sheet and add the granola mix. Spread the ingredients evenly across the baking sheet.
- Bake for about 25–28 minutes until golden. Stir the mix about halfway through baking (13–15 minutes).
- Remove from heat, but leave on the baking sheet until cool. The granola will crisp as it cools.
- Granola can be stored for up to two weeks in an airtight container.
*Coconut oil is in a solid form at room temperature. To liquify, simply place it in a saucepan over low heat.
Special Diet Info:
- Low Fodmap, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan (Celiac Friendly)
- 361 Calories, 6 g Protein, 29 g Carbs, 26 G Fat
- Note: The granola pictured here is topped with yogurt. Traditional Greek or dairy-based yogurt is high FODMAP, so a person looking to follow a low-FODMAP diet should use a lactose-free option (ideally organic and unsweetened) or a low-FODMAP plant-based yogurt alternative, such as coconut. Bentson recommends the brands Green Valley Creamery and So Delicious.
Serves 8–10
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
(without any cream!)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds (24 ounces) cleaned and cut butternut squash
- 3 organic apples, sliced (Fuji are best)
- 1 Bartlett pear, sliced
- ½ small sweet onion, sliced
- Drizzle or spray of oil*
- Dash of onion salt
- Dash or two of cinnamon
- Dash of nutmeg
- Dash or two of sea salt
- 2 cups organic free-range chicken broth or vegetable broth
*Best neutral oils for roasting at temperatures above 400 degrees: organic and expeller-pressed or cold-pressed canola oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400–425 degrees. Prepare a large roasting pan (or two smaller pans) by coating them with oil.
- Add squash, apple, pear and onion to the pan in a single layer. Lightly drizzle with oil.
- Sprinkle with onion salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sea salt to taste, and roast for about 10–20 minutes (or until butternut squash is tender—a fork should easily slide into the squash).
- Transfer the roasted mix to a large stovetop pot. Add organic chicken stock so that it covers fruit and veggies, and bring to a rolling boil. Once boiling, lower the heat, cover and simmer for about five minutes.
- Blend the fruit and veggies with a traditional or immersion blender. Liquefy ingredients. To get a creamy texture limit the time in the blender and test often. Bentson’s family enjoys it thick and creamy, so she only blends the ingredients for a few seconds.
- Ladle the soup into your favorite bowls and top with spiced pumpkin seeds.
Spiced Pumpkin Seed Topping
For the spiced pumpkin seeds (to top the soup or eat on their own!)
Ingredients
- ½–1 Tbsp. of your favorite healthy oil
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds (sprouted preferred for added nutrient benefits)
- 3 dashes cinnamon
- 2 dashes nutmeg
- 1 dash ginger
- ½–1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the pumpkin seeds to the skillet. Add dashes of spices and stir in maple syrup (to taste).
- Toast for about three minutes or until aromatic.
- Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Spread the seeds out on the prepared baking sheet and place the sheet in the oven.
- Bake until crispy (about 15–20 minutes).
- Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Special Diet Info:
- Soup: Gluten- and Dairy-Free (Celiac Friendly)
- Spiced Pumpkin Seeds (alone): Low Fodmap, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan
- Without the Pumpkin Seeds: 150 Calories, 3 g Protein, 35 g Carbs, 2 g Fat
- With ¼ ounce Pumpkin Seeds: 190 Calories, 5 g Protein, 36 g Carbs, 5 g Fat
Serves 4–6
Published as "Beyond the Menu" in the October 2022 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
Tag @lvstylemag and #livelvstyle when you make it at home!
