Wild chocolate & cherry matcha – Appetite destroyer

Written by Michael Mantz, M.D.

Flavor Structure

The matcha flavor is faint in this recipe. This is a good first course for those of you whose palate is not yet use to green tea flavor.

The deep sweetness of cherries combined with the creamy fats from the avocado and coconut powder harmonize the bitter and astringent tastes in the cacao. The fats also round out the spiciness from the red chili and cinnamon.

The wonderful aromas of cinnamon and chocolate pair well together and accentuate the overall sweetness flavor. A pinch of red chili adds a touch of heat to add an interesting accent at the back end.

Interestingly, scientific evidence suggests that the methylxanthines found in cacao, caffeine and theobromine, act as flavor enhancers and elevate all the different tastes and flavors in this smoothie.

Ingredients:

1 tsp matcha green tea powder

1.5 tbsp unsweetened cacao Powder

1.5 tbsp dry coconut milk

1/3 avocado

1 cup of cherries (frozen or fresh)

1-2 tsp of Ceylon cinnamon

Pinch of red chili spice

Add the amount of unsweetened cashew milk to the desired level of thickness. You can make a pudding with less and a smoothie with more

Optional sweetness boosters: Dates, red or black grapes and or low-glycemic natural sweeteners: xylitol/stevia to taste

Optional brain booster: Caprylic acid 1-2 tsp.

Instructions: Add ½ cup of cashew milk with 50% of the avocado and everything else except the cherries. Blend for 30 seconds. Add cherries, the rest of the avocado, and desired amount of nutmilk blend for another 30 seconds.

Nutritional Design:

Balanced – Alert and Calm

The matcha tea powder and cacao provide a balanced blend of stimulating methylxanthines, caffeine and theobromine, combined with the calm-alerting effects of L-theanine. These compounds may increase cerebral oxygenation and improve lung function by promoting bronchodilation and diaphragmatic contraction.

L-theanine and theobromine may both improve sleep. L-theanine may improve sleep quality by increasing deep sleep and theobromine may lengthen total sleep time. Improving your sleep is one of the best ways to improve adaptive restructuring of your brain.

The L-theanine and the healthy fats in avocado and coconut smooth out the stimulating effects of the methylxanthines. This creates a well-rounded and long-lasting alerting effect.

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Brain-Boosting Polyphenols

This recipe weaves in three powerful waves of brain-boosting polyphenols from the matcha green tea powder, cacao powder, and sweet cherries. They bathe your brain with broad-spectrum beneficial compounds that have scientific data demonstrating their ability to cool down inflammation, protect neurons from oxidative damage, and enhance memory.

The flavanol polyphenols in chocolate have been found to have interesting properties. They may improve your gut flora / microbiome which has important effects on both your immune and nervous systems. They may also improve insulin sensitivity and reduce insulin resistance which enables your brain to efficiently create energy with less production of toxic metabolites.

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Healthy Fats – Maximize Nutritional Extraction

The bioavailability of these polyphenols is increased by the inclusion of the healthy fats of avocado and coconut. The fats slow down the digestion process – allowing more time for the polyphenols to be absorbed and help with the absorption of lipophilic phytonutrients.

Appetite Suppressing Effects

The combination of stimulating methylxanthines and broad-spectrum polyphenols create a powerful appetite suppression effect that I have observed for myself and the clients that I treat. Scientific data gives support to these observations.

There are several studies that demonstrate that capsaicin (phytochemical found in hot chili peppers) combined with green tea suppresses hunger and sustains satiety especially when you’re in a negative energy balance state (burning off more calories than you are consuming, i.e. dieting).

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The smooth-alerting, brain-boosting, and appetite-reducing effects of this recipe have made this one of my quick go-to meals. If you are a client of mine and seeing me around noon, you might see this powerful smoothie on my desk.

Tips:

-It is important to blend this drink for at least 30 seconds. The cacao powder and matcha powder need to be blended with the fats at high speeds to help reduce the chalky consistency that may occur if you don’t blend it long enough. As a rule, if you want a smoother consistency add more fat and blend it longer.

-If you have more time and want a smoother smoothie, you can warm up ½ the cashew milk and put it into the blender add ½ the avocado and powdered ingredients and blend for 30 seconds. The heat will help incorporate the powder better creating a silkier product.