What's becoming increasingly common in the modern world are women who are experiencing hormonal imbalances – often this manifests as too much oestrogen and too little progesterone. There are many different lifestyle factors that we can adopt to support hormonal harmony. The food we eat, in particular, talks directly and immediately to the hormone producers in the body, thus having a very quick and strong link. Food affects our hormones, our hormones affect how we feel, and how we feel affects how we live and experience our lives.
Food affects our hormones, our hormones affect how we feel, and how we feel affects how we live and experience our lives.
Oestrogen plays a role in regulating the menstrual cycle, dictates fat distribution, and pregnancy. Progesterone is our anti-anxiety, anti-depressant hormone. It acts as a diuretic and it is responsible for our body being able to effectively utilise our fat stores, rather than relying on burning our sugar or breaking down our muscles.
It can be quite a challenge to find recipes that are made from whole, real foods that everyone will enjoy. This cacao mousse is so full of nutrients as it contains two ingredients that are typically used in savoury dishes. Even the biggest critic won't be able to taste these ingredients but they make the mousse deliciously rich and creamy.
Avocados are in abundance right now and they really are one of nature's superfoods. They are rich in monounsaturated fats which help to create our sex hormones, an integral part of fertility, our overall happiness and for glowing skin.
The addition of kumara in this cacao mousse provides a whole-food source of carbohydrate that can be really nourishing for those with low progesterone. Often, low progesterone is due to the 'pregnenolone steal' where your body prioritises survival over reproduction. This means that your body prefers to use the precursor for progesterone (pregnenolone) to make cortisol, our long-term stress hormone.
Activating your parasympathetic nervous system is a powerful way to combat this hormonal imbalance, something that we can tap into by simply deep belly breathing.
Cacao Avocado Smoothie Bowl
Serves 2-4 | GF, RSF, DF
Ingredients
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1 ripe avocado, stoned and flesh scooped out
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½ large orange kumara, flesh roasted or steamed
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1 tsp cinnamon
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2 Tbsp almond or coconut milk, or to reach the desired consistency
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4 Tbsp raw cacao powder
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Pinch sea salt
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2 tsp maple syrup or honey
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Nutrient-dense and delicious toppings of your choice. We used chopped almonds, chia seeds, freeze-dried raspberries, shredded coconut, goji berries and sunflower seeds.
Directions
1. Simply place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Keep chilled in the fridge until you’re ready to serve and then sprinkle with your desired toppings.
