This recipe is dedicated to those midlife women who are in a committed relationship with coffee!
I work with many women who come into my practice swearing that they cannot give up the daily caffeine hit that is keeping them going.
I get it! I used to be a caffeine addict myself and at one point in my burn-out, I felt like my daily trip to Starbucks was the only thing keeping me going!
It is tough when we get the energy crutch kicked out from underneath us, when we learn how caffeine triggers the fight-or-flight response in our brains, causing our adrenal glands to flood the bloodstream with cortisol and glucose. Cortisol is our stress hormone and is detrimental to our cardiovascular and brain health. It makes us feel jittery in the day and steals our sleep at night. We feel that caffeine buzz and are all prepared to fight a bear or run from a lion, but in reality we are probably sat in traffic, sat at our desk or driving the kids to a swim meet!
Remember: It is the role of our adrenal glands to drip feed our midlife bodies with estrogen once our ovaries have reached their well deserved rest. When we are strung out on caffeine and spiking our bloodstream with cortisol and glucose daily, our adrenal glands do not have the capacity to take on this additional task. They are over-extended and burnt-out. Sounds familiar right?!?
What this looks like in your body, is going off a cliff into menopausal symptoms in peri-menopause with no back-up or relief from your adrenal glands. Think crashed libido, exhaustion, uncontrollable hot flashes and weight gain around the middle.
When we draw down our ‘stress-load’, that is, ALL of the foods and lifestyle choices that trigger us into a stressful state, we are going to have an easier experience of menopause because our adrenal glands will be available to support us through this transition.
All of this being said, wouldn’t it be nice to have a little taste of coffee now and again.
This recipe is designed to give you that caffeine hug you love, but with other deeply nutritious ingredients that help you body manage stress and cope with the cortisol and glucose hit that caffeine brings.
If adding goodness and nutrition to your coffee fix appeals to you, you might like my recipe for Pumpkin Spiced Latte!
I used my Homemade Hemp milk to make this recipe and you can find the recipe here.
By making a 1/2 cup of coffee using an adaptogenic coffee mix from Four Sigmatic containing the adaptogen Ashwagandha, you are able to support your adrenal health as you enjoy caffeine.
Adaptogens are safe plants and mushrooms with thousands of years of use in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. They help the body to manage stress and bring the body back to homeostasis or balance. They support and boost the bodies natural processes for handling stress and they aid in recovery from exercise and mental stress. There are thousands of years of use and a comprehensive body of research carried out on adaptogens, much recent research in the field of elite athletics. As this research has been carried out overseas, in countries such as Russia, India and China, it has not been recognized by organizations such as the FDA, but the solid clinical trials are extensive.
Chia seeds are packed with our relaxation mineral, magnesium which is depleted when we drink coffee, and also provides anti-inflammatory nutrition for our brain in the form of omega 3 fatty acids, which help to reduce anxiety. The fibre in chia seeds also helps us to manage the excess hormone spikes of peri-menopause, by clearing excess estrogen from the body, which in turn reduces the severity of our symptoms. I cannot stress how important it is for women in hormonal change to keep our basic daily detox pathway open (I’m talking a daily poop here ladies!) because it is so effective in reducing our symptoms of menopause. Chia seeds will help you to poop everyday.
Raw cacao has been shown in clinical trials to boost serotonin, our happy neurotransmitter, in the brain. This helps to combat the anxious, jittery buzz of caffeine with a boost to our happiness. Cacao is also packed with our relaxation mineral, magnesium, as well as energizing iron and the B group of vitamins which protect our nervous system.
I used dates as a natural sugar for this pudding as they too, provide the body with iron and the B group of vitamins.
My goal with this recipe was to create an indulgent breakfast recipe that gives you the coffee flavour you love in the morning coupled with all of the nutrition the body needs to feel supported through the fight or flight response that gets triggered by this molecule.
A have your pudding and eat it situation!
Ingredients
1 sachet of Four Sigmatic Ashwagandha Coffee mix in 1/2 cup boiling filtered water
1/2 cup raw cacao
4 dates pitted
1/3 cup chia seeds
3 cups Homemade Hemp Milk or other plant based milk
A pinch of salt to taste if you desire
Instructions
Take the coffee mix and make into a coffee shot with 1/2 cup boiling filtered water.
Add to a blender with the raw cacao, hemp milk, dates and a pinch of salt if desired.
Blend to form a rich and sweet mocha milk
Add to the chia seeds in a bowl and stir
Put into a glass container, seal and leave overnight in the refrigerator to set
By morning the mix should be a solid pudding and ready to serve.
Add nuts and seeds for more protein and healthy fats and frozen fruit for anti-oxidants and more fibre.
N.B. If you would like a smooth pudding texture, add the seeds to the blender with the other ingredients and allow to set in the refrigerator overnight as above.