The ONE Green Smoothie You Need to Support Your Hormones

Hormonal imbalance can manifest in everything from mood swings and cravings to PMS, cramps, and even infertility. From the annoying to the devastating, the truth is that hormonal imbalance doesn’t have to be part of your reality. Wouldn't it be great if there was something quick, easy, and delicious that could help support your hormones?

Something refreshing and packed with beneficial nutrients. I'm going to share one of my favorite green smoothie recipes that every woman needs for hormonal health and balance.

Before we jump into the recipe, let's take a moment to chat about the WHY behind this choice. Why is my green smoothie the perfect choice to help balance your hormones?

Green Smoothies are super popular (and rightly so)! Dark leafy greens are among the most nutrient-dense and nutritious foods out there. If you're like a lot of people, the idea of eating more greens may make you roll your eyes. There's a fear factor with greens. Many people just think think they’ll taste gross.

Enter MY green smoothie. It's the secret weapon you've been waiting for and the one you're going to blend for years to come (promise!)

Blending is part of the magic. Blending breaks down all the ingredients, which is especially helpful with those greens! A high-powered, high-speed blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec can be extremely helpful here because the texture is key to making a green smoothie that everyone will love.

We want smooth and creamy smoothies. Gritty and grainy green smoothies have a special place in my home….which is in the trash can. So, try to make sure that you start with the right equipment.

Balance is the other key to this green smoothie’s success as a hormone helper. Fat, fiber, and protein are a powerhouse combo that helps stabilize blood sugar, remove toxins and excess hormones, and supply the building blocks for hormones.

*Blending retains the fiber (juicing does not). Fiber acts as a mop in the intestines and helps bind to toxins and waste-products cast off by the liver and the digestive process so they can be excreted. When excess hormones are in the body, they can wreak havoc, so fiber becomes an ally that helps get them out.

*The base greens are great for vitamins and minerals

*The bitter greens help stimulate the liver (which is our main detox organ and the organ largely responsible for cholesterol production). Our liver is responsible for metabolizing excess hormones to be sent to the intestines for excretion in our bowels. The liver also produces almost 80% of the cholesterol in the body. Cholesterol is the precursor to steroid hormones and is critical for hormone balance.

The Ingredients for Your Hormone-Balancing Smoothie

· 1 cup baby spinach, baby kale or Swiss chard OR a combination

· 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley

· One peeled fresh or frozen banana

· 1 Tablespoon organic dandelion greens

· 1/3 cup chia seeds

· 1/3 cup hemp seeds

· ½ cup of frozen strawberries/cherries or pineapple

· ½ cup of filtered water

· Liquid stevia, if needed, to sweeten

Benefits of this Hormone-balancing Smoothie

1. The Base Greens

-Kale – Kale is a superfood that contains indole 3 carbinol and calcium D glucarate. Both help to detoxify and metabolize estrogen.

-Spinach – Spinach is rich in iron, magnesium, and micronutrients.

-Swiss chard – is rich in antioxidants like beta-carotene and lutein. Antioxidants help the liver produce glutathione, which is a powerful detoxifier.

2. Herbs and their Benefits

This green smoothie includes dandelion greens and parsley – both known to support the liver. Both herbs are considered bitter, and bitter stimulates the liver in a good way.

3. Fruits and their Benefits

Fruits help balance out the earthy, bitter taste of the greens. Cherries and strawberries are lovely, but if you need to mask the green flavor, opt for pineapple! All are rich in fiber, vitamin C, antioxidants and flavonoids which support healthy hormones.

4. Chia and Hemp Seeds

Both of these seeds are great sources of fiber, omega-3 fats, and protein. Balanced blood sugar relies on all three. Balanced hormones do too! Hemp seeds also contain an especially beneficial type of omega-6 fat called gamma linolenic acid or GLA for short. GLA is a direct building block of good anti-inflammatory hormones.

Get your smoothie on by blending all the ingredients in your high-powered blender until super smooth and creamy. Colder seems to be better from a flavor standpoint, but you can make a big batch, store it in the fridge and sip throughout the day.

Are you looking for something simpler?

Here’s a bonus! Combine one teaspoon of maca powder, two Tablespoons of hemp seeds, one peeled banana (fresh or frozen), ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon and one cup of coconut milk. Blend in your high powered blender. Sweeten with a few drops of liquid stevia, if needed.

This smoothie is sweet and mild with a bit less on the phytonutrient side, but it has hormone-balancing ingredients that are super helpful. If you find that your energy needs a boost, take this from a snickerdoodle cookie flavor to a chocolate bombshell by adding 1 teaspoon of raw cacao. Raw cacao is known to help stabilize cortisol levels, balance blood sugar, improve mood, and help with hormone balance.[1]

Comment down below and let me know which smoothie ingredients you use in your hormone balancing smoothies! Bonus points if you snap pics of your smoothie creations and tag me on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #smoothieswithbrooke

[1] https://begoodorganics.com/cacao-5-little-known-benefits-of-this-amazonian-superfood/