The Best PB&J Hormone Balance Smoothie

Do you love PB&J sandwiches? Does it bring you back to your youth perhaps? Let’s transform that love of PB&J into a smoothie with this creative high protein PB&J Hormone Balance Smoothie! Not only do you get your craving of the creamy peanut butter and sweet berries, but you also get a NUTRIENT DENSE packed meal to fuel your body’s metabolism and balance your hormones.

What Is Special About A Hormone Balance Smoothie?

A hormone balance smoothie should include nutrients and foods that support hormonal balance within the body. Hormone balance can absolutely mean balancing your reproductive hormones- estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. But other hormones in need of balance include insulin, thyroid hormones, and stress hormones such as cortisol.

In my functional nutrition coaching practice, I always prioritize blood sugar balance when working with my clients. Learning how to eat to balance blood sugar can help improve metabolism and lead to weight loss. If you’d like, you could change the name of this recipe to “PB&J Smoothie for Weight Loss”.

Key Point: Blood sugar balance happens to be a key factor at the heart of ALL hormone balance.

It’s important to know that you don’t have to have diabetes to consider tending to your blood sugar. Blood sugar regulation is crucial to a healthy metabolism since it helps you regulate the hormone, insulin. You can read more about “Blood Sugar and Weight Loss” to learn more about this vital connection between blood sugar and metabolism.

Balancing blood sugar helps keep the hormone insulin in balance. When insulin is high, several things can happen:

• weight gain
• reproductive hormones get thrown off balance because the ovaries are highly sensitive to insulin
• thyroid hormone production and signaling (since hormones signal the cells of our body to do something) gets thrown off, which can further lead to weight gain and a number of symptoms of hypothyroidism.

What Foods Should I Eat to Balance My Hormones?

1. Protein: Protein is essential for hormone production. Be sure to include sources of protein in every meal such as meat, poultry, and fish, as well as legumes, nuts, and dairy. In this PB&J Hormone Balance Smoothie, the protein is sourced from the protein powder and peanut butter bringing in 36 grams of protein in this little drink. I work with my clients to work on getting at least 30 grams of protein for every meal.
2. Healthy Fats: Incorporating healthy fats like avocados, olive oil, nuts, and seeds are vital for hormone synthesis and overall hormone balance. In this smoothie, the healthy fats are derived from flax seed, pumpkin seeds, and peanut butter.
3. Fiber-Rich Foods: Foods high in fiber, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, support digestive health and can also help regulate hormones via blood sugar balance and favorably impacting the gut microbiome. Drinking this Hormone Balance Smoothie gives you a whopping 13 grams of fiber derived from those tasty berries, seeds, and greens. I recommend aiming for at getting at least 8-10 grams of fiber in each of your meals each day.

There are more things a person can do to balance hormones. But these three are the critical components I want to share for balancing blood sugar. By balancing your blood sugar, you can also balance your hormones. You can learn more about the importance of protein, fat, and fiber (PFF) by downloading my free PFF Guide.

Special Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie

The PB&J Hormone Balance Smoothie includes a special nutrient that has anti-inflammatory effects on the body. Turmeric is a vibrant yellow spice that has been used for centuries. It contains a compound called curcumin. Curcumin has potent anti-inflammatory effects that help in reducing inflammation in the body.

Both blood sugar imbalances and inflammation are often at the heart of most hormone imbalance issues, including PCOS and weight loss resistance.

It is also a powerful antioxidant being able to neutralize free radicals that damage our cells. A 1 teaspoon dose is a more therapeutic dose than the typical small amounts for simple culinary use. Be sure to pair with black pepper and/or a fat like coconut oil to support better absorption. You will see that I have black pepper added as part of the recipe already. So you can get as much benefit from this smoothie as possible!

Other Ingredients In This Hormone Balance Smoothie

• Protein Powder: You can use a plain or flavored powder, plant-based of whey protein or collagen, as desired. Brand that I recommend: Levels brand Whey, Orgain Collagen, Orgain plant-based protein.
• Maca Powder: An adaptogen that helps the body better respond to stress and promotes vitality. It supports the HPA axis and can therefore boost thyroid, adrenal, and ovarian function. Maca powder is rich in vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Top nutrients are vitamin B, C, E, calcium, potassium, and iron. Maca powder has a distinct earthy & nutty flavor, which makes it such a perfect addition to the flavor in this smoothie!
• Flaxseed: Fiber found in flaxseed supports estrogen and progesterone balance. It is also a good source of healthy essential fats.
• Pumpkin seeds: This little seed is an excellent source of magnesium as well as zinc, both needed for hormone balance.
• This is a PFF balanced smoothie, which makes it suitable as a full meal!

If you love smoothie recipes be sure to check out my Mineral Rich Chocolate Avocado Smoothie too!

Find more of my healthy and easy meal recipes here!
Follow me on Instagram @wonderfullymade.rd where you can find tons of tips for healthy eating to heal your metabolism!

Recipe blog written by Jennifer Franzen, RDN | edited & reviewed by Victoria Peck-Gray, RDN