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A smoothie like this one, filled with vibrant herbs, increases dopamine production and helps the heart and mind synchronize to create a balanced and happy life.
Photo by Jennifer Harter
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Author Adriana Ayales grew up near the rainforest in Costa Rica, and her passion for plants and healing shine through the pages of “Healing Tonics,” educating people on herbalism and providing them with recipes for a healthy lifestyle.
Cover courtesy Sterling Ethos
1 to 2 servings SERVINGS
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 date
- 1 teaspoon St. John’s wort extract
- 1/2 teaspoon albizzia extract
- 1 teaspoon rhodiola powder or extract
- Ice as needed for consistency
- 1 teaspoon cacao nibs
Directions
- Blend all ingredients except the cacao nibs together until creamy.
- Add the nibs, and pulse briefly to mix, to keep nice crunchy bites in your smoothie.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
An essential component to shaking off a bout of depression is to drink your omega-3 fatty acids. The brain is nearly 60 percent fat by weight, and much of that fat consists of omega-3 fatty acids, which serve as structural components of the brain’s cells and tissues. My favorite plant-based sources are flax seed oil, chia seed oil, walnut oil, and radish seed oil.
Reprinted with permission from Healing Tonics by Adriana Ayales and published by Sterling Ethos, 2016.
Healing Tonics (Sterling Ethos, 2016) by Adriana Ayales blends rainforest herbal traditions into recipes that teach and promote a healthy life and spiritual well-being. Learn a new way to help boost your dopamine levels with this almond milk-based smoothie recipe.
Dopamine Booster
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, one of those chemicals that is responsible for transmitting signals between the nerve cells (neurons) of the brain. Very few neurons actually make dopamine.
This holy chemical is responsible for our “Aha” moments, and generally insightful moments in which we connect the dots on what seemed vague before.
