Chocolate Almond Butter Adaptogen Shake
INGREDIENTS
Chocolate Almond Butter Adaptogen Shake
Serves 1
1 c cashew milk or water
1 tbs raw cacao powder
1 tbs almond butter
1 tbs hemp seeds
1/2 tsp maca
1/2 tsp ashwaganda
1/2 frozen banana
1 frozen yellow squash (slice before freezing) or more banana or ice.
1/2 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla (optional)
2 scoops collagen or non denatured whey (or 1 of each!)
METHOD
Add all ingredients to a blender, and blend until smooth!
NUTRITION NOTES
Ashwagandha: This is an adaptogen, which means it helps our bodies adapt to stress. It’s nourishing to the the nervous system and endocrine system (including thyroid support!) and is thought to be calming, grounding, and restorative. I think of this as a beginner adaptogen, as most people benefit from it, and do well with this herb. As always however, herbs are very individual and caution should be taken.
Maca: This is a special adaptogen that not only improves mood, but has been know for it’s ability to boost energy, cognitive function and memory. It’s even a favorite amongst athletes because of it’s energizing properties boost performance. As I am a lover of movement, feeling calm, and productive, maca is another favorite of mine.
Whey: Protein powders can get a bad rap because many are so highly processed and full of fillers and sugars. In my opinion, adding more harm than benefit. But whey in it’s purest form — organic, grass fed and non-denatured — is a superfood. It’s one of the most bio-available form of protein, meaning it’s rate of digestibility, absorption and ability to be utilized is very high. Whey is also a complete protein and is very supportive of our neurotransmitters, including serotonin which makes us calm and happy. Lastly, I love whey for it’s ability to promote the production of glutathione, our master antioxidant. When I was at rock bottom of my health, my glutathione levels were alarmingly low putting me at risk for serious diseases like cancer. One of the reasons it was so low, was because stress creates free radicals, which antioxidants like glutathione are needed to combat.
Collagen: There are so many reason to love collagen, but as it pertains to stress, one area that it really stand out is benefits to our digestion. It helps strengthen out intestinal lining, which is damaged from stress, and can lead to what is know as leaky gut. Leaky gut leads to many health issues, among them includes anxiety and poor resilience to stress. Collagen is also great for aiding in digestion of muscle meat, and balances our amino acid profile.
Raw Cacao: I adore raw cacao because it’s beneficial to our bodies on so many levels, but especially with stress. It not only contains serotonin, the calm and happy neurotransmitter, but it boosts the body’s natural production of serotonin. This helps improve our mood, and fight stress and anxiety. Cacao also contains magnesium, a mineral that helps us feel calm, and is also involved in approximately 400 processes in the body - meaning when there is a deficiency, which is so common, theres 400 things that can’t happen optimally in the body. Magnesium is also one of the nutrients that is depleted by stress!
Ceylon Cinnamon: This sweet and warming spice does wonders for balancing our blood sugar by making us more insulin sensitive. A lot of people will find that when they have chronic stress they also have high blood sugar and trouble keeping it balanced, leading to crashes which makes us feel fatigued, irritable, brain foggy and spikes cravings food cravings like sugar and refined carbs. This is because cortisol, a stress hormone, raises blood sugar to help us get energy to run from a threat like a tiger, problem is our bodies don’t realize the difference between a true threat, and perceived threats (i.e. a stressful email, having to do taxes, etc.) and it responds exactly the same. Thus, raising blood sugar whenever we’re stressed. <<< that’s how I became pre-diabetic for a period of time.
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So those are why I love cacao for stress, but it has many other benefits like reducing inflammation and mental fatigue. It’s one of the superfoods that highest in polyphenols, more so that blueberries, wine, pomegranates and goji berries combined! So much to love about this little bean.
*Note that raw cacao powder is different from cocoa powder, which is highly processed, has additives and sugars and is devoid of many of the benefits of the cacao bean.
