This smoothie not only tastes like a blended cinnamon cookie but it's also a hormone balancing smoothie! With maca, cinnamon and almond for great taste and nutrition combined.
It is so delicious, regardless of any health benefits, so I make this quite often. But I am definitely nutritionally conscious when it comes to hormones too.
This would be a great recipe to add to your seed-cycling regime, if that's something you're trying.
Please bear in mind that I am not a health professional and this is just a recipe based on what tastes good + some information I have collected from elsewhere. It might not be for you though, so consult with a professional if you're unsure.
Hormone-Balancing Smoothie Ingredients
This smoothie contains ingredients that are known to help balance hormones, such as:
- Maca - Maca root is a herbal adaptogen that can provide nutritional support to help our bodies balance hormones and protect us from stress. It also happens to taste SO GOOD. It has a slight malted milk flavour.
- Flaxseed - Flaxseed are rich in lignans (which function as phytoestrogens), omega 3 and fibre.
- Almond butter - Almonds can help regulate your hormone-producing glands and balance blood sugar levels. The almond butter tastes amazing in this smoothie, plus adds a rich texture.
- Ground cinnamon - Cinnamon is known to decrease insulin resistance in women with PCOS, lowers inflammation and will give this smoothie an incredible flavour!
Other ingredients you'll need:
- (Optional) Raw vegan protein powder - I sometimes use pure hemp protein powder here, but it's totally optional and I often have it without. It's just if you want to get some extra protein into your breakfast.
- Vanilla extract - To add more of that cookie flavour
- Unsweetened dairy-free milk - Of your choice. I love almond milk but oat and coconut will work well too.
- Ice cubes - To give it a frosty shake texture!
- Medjool dates - For natural sweetness. You can use other kinds of dates but Medjool gives a slight caramel taste too, which I adore.
And that's it! Find the full recipe below.
More healthy vegan smoothies
📖 Recipe
Hormone Balancing Smoothie with Almond, Maca & Cinnamon
A delicious, comforting smoothie that has a sweet cookie flavour but contains lot's of hormone-balancing nutritional goodness, including almond, maca and cinnamon.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 1 - 2 tsp maca powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- (Optional) 1 tbsp raw protein powder, (I used hemp)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 360 ml / 1 ½ cups unsweetened dairy-free milk
- Approx 10 ice cubes
- 2 medjool dates, pitted
Instructions
- Simply add everything to a blender and mix until smooth.
- Taste and adjust flavours, if necessary.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Yield 2 Serving Size gAmount Per Serving Calories 280Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 11mgSodium 82mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 6gSugar 23gProtein 16g
Eela says
Hey Aimée, thank you for you openness and sharing your advice ! Quick question about the smoothie : can I use chia seed instead of ground flaxseed ?
Hope things are gonna get better for you :)
Aimee says
Thank you, Eela :-) Yes, chia seeds will work well too - I love using chia seeds in smoothies. Let me know how you get on with it!
Eela says
Tried it this morning, it was a very good mix if I may say so ;)
Aimee says
So happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know, Eela :-)
Sarah | Well and Full says
I've never had hormone imbalance issues, but I do know what it's like to have lingering health issues that won't go away. But it sounds like you're taking the right steps towards better health, Aimee, and I wish you the very best in that endeavor <3
Aimee says
Thank you, Sarah <3 I've actually started seeing a nutritionist since I wrote this post. It's too difficult and stressful to figure it out by myself, I seem to be so sensitive to food lately. I hope you're in a good place with your health too :-)
Kate says
Thank you for sharing this recipe and your personal story. I, too, have dealt with hormonal imbalances and have been on hormonal medication for 12 years. It's frustrating at 29 to still have the same issues and still be on the meds, but I agree with you that a plant-based diet and some of the other things on the list are soooooo much help. I have to try evening primrose oil as that is the one thing I haven't tried yet. Thank you! (maca in oatmeal is thaaaa best)
Aimee says
Thanks for sharing your story too, Kate. It's always reassuring to hear you're not the only one. I remember my mum giving me spoonfuls of evening primrose oil every morning when I was a young teenager (to help with the endo problems) and it was revolting BUT it did help to a degree, I believe. I still had problems but it sort of balanced them out a bit more. Now I'm taking it again, I just take the veggie caps which are much less gross :-) And thank you for the idea about maca oatmeal! That sounds AMAZING. I might try it with overnight oats...
Tessa Rae says
I tried this with overnight oats, and it fermented it! Maca is a powerful prebiotic and so adding it helps certain bacteria to multiply faster; it makes the oats more digestible by breaking down phytic acid further (though, with overnight oats, this isn't really a huge problem to begin with, as it is soaked). I think one reason why Maca tastes so good with nut butters is because it helps with the digestibility... it causes the good bacteria to thrive, which then helps break down the phytic acid in the nut butters, which then makes it more bioavailable to your body!
I actually am making this recipe because I didn't eat the oats after all, but was still craving Maca!
Amy Gerber says
Any idea how or what to add veggies to this? I try to get some with every meal...
Aimee says
Oh not sure about that, Amy... Not tried it but wonder if carrot would be nice?
Hana | Nirvana Cakery says
This is fantastic post Aimee, one I can definitely relate too. I've been on the same journey for the past 3 years and balancing hormones can be so tricky. I somehow made it to my late thirties without any issues and I hate to see girls so young with so many health problems, it's not good! But knowing that healing is possible and taking small steps towards it everyday is going to take you there no matter how long it takes!!! Love H
Aimee says
Thank you so much, Hana! For me, it's hereditary. My mum and her sisters have had the same problems so it was almost inevitable I was going to have them to a degree also. And what I've written here isn't even the half of it. Unbalanced hormones really do mess things up! I would love to hear more about how you manage hormones. You mentioned you might do a post on it too and I think you definitely should! Hugs x
Hana | Nirvana Cakery says
Hi Aimee, same for me, my mum had the same issues as me. But now the latest research shows that genes can be actually changed with lifestyle choices, so we don't have to suffer with our parent's issues anymore knowing that. To what I understood, the basics of hormonal balance is in gut healing, liver detoxing and blood sugar balancing. But diet is just part of it, you also have to address your emotions that play huge part in healing. For sure time for me to write my story too:) xx
Koko says
I'm sorry you have had to deal with all of that, girl!! That sounds like a rough time to say the least. Your new strategies sound great though. I feel that when it comes to dealing with hormones, a more natural approach is always best. Pills sometimes just mask problems to make things seem 'regular' when really we can be focusing on fixing the issue that is causing the irregularities. Of course, it's not always that simple, and sometimes we have just gotta do what we gotta do! I hope these new changes help you. My hormones were super out of whack after using the pill for years and then going off it. It's been over a year and some things are still not "normal". Whatever that is anymore...!!
Aimee says
Thank you so much, Koko <3 Yeah, it's hard to tell what normal is afterwards, isnt' it? Well, I've had a lot of conventional treatment and I've only ended up in a worse place so even though I'm not one to shun from doctor's orders, in this case, I think I can do a better job through other means. Hugs x