A few years before my migraines began, my husband ordered a book called Superfood Smoothies by Julie Morris claiming it was a good way to use the Vitamix we received from our wedding registry. The book contained lots of ingredients with weird names like lucuma, maca, and goji (this was before goji berries became the hot new thing). To convince me this was a good idea he started making us smoothies everyday before work. The first one was some sort of terrible spinach/banana concoction that tasted incredibly green. We quickly scribbled "do not make again" next to that recipe. However as we made our way through the book, we discovered many new blends that were delicious and way more inventive than your typical berry + yogurt blends and we saw some of the health benefits of incorporating superfoods daily. In fact, my mother started recommending the book to her patients at the Cancer Treatment Center to help them build immunity while going through chemo.
When I started the Heal Your Headache diet, I could no longer make many of the smoothies I loved because I had to eliminate nuts, bananas, avocado, etc. I quickly started experimenting with substitutions and now this is one of my favorites to make in the morning. Most of the ingredients like lucuma, goji berries, dried mulberries can be found on Amazon or in grocery stores like Whole Foods or Sprouts. Sunbutter can be found at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. My favorite is this one without added salt or sugar. The alcohol free vanilla can be found at Trader Joe's.
Maca powder, considered a superfood, is a Peruvian root crop that has been known to increase fertility, improve menstrual issues, clear acne, regulate hormone balance, and remedy fatigue. It also boosts mental clarity and performance, something all migraine sufferers need. It should be taken in small quantities so I usually add ½ tsp of the powder to all my smoothies. You can read more about how it's helped me in this post.
Sunbutter Smoothie
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Dried mulberries
- 2 tbsp Dried goji berries
- 1 tbsp Lucuma powder
- ½ tsp Maca powder
- 3 tbsp Sunflower seed butter Aka Sunbutter
- 2 tsp Vanilla Alcohol free
- ¾ cup Hemp Milk I use Tempt Original Hemp Milk, but you could also use regular milk if dairy is not an issue for you. Update - I started making my own hemp milk and it's super easy. Visit @thedizzycook on Insta and FB for the recipe.
- ¼-1/2 cup Water (more or less to get proper consistency)
- 2 cups ice
- ⅓ cup OPTIONAL: Fresh spinach
- 2 tbsp OPTIONAL: Shelled hemp seeds
Instructions
- Add all dry ingredients to the blender.
- Then add hemp milk and ¼ cup of water. Blend until smooth. If too thick, add ¼ cup more of water or hemp milk.
- Once a smooth consistency, add the ice and blend again till smooth. If you're having trouble with the ice, try blending ½ cup at a time.
- Your smoothie should be smooth and rich! Enjoy!
I don't understand why use an expensive ingredient like lucuma. It has potassium, and sugar. A little Vit C and Iron. No Protein and no fiber. What's the benefit?
Arent the dried berries u use have sulphates in them? I was told to stay away from dried berries cause they can cause migraines
Hi Maxi, No - I do not buy any dried fruits with added sulfites or sulfur dioxide. They are possible to find, especially with organic fruits. Trader Joe's has some unsulphered dried fruits. Also some dried fruits can contain more naturally occurring sulfites than others too. Prunes, raisins, and apricots are on the high side so I avoid those.
Alicia,
It is Aunt Joan here. I tried your Sunbutter Smoothie this morning. It was really good. Joey and Grandma told me about your site and I found it very well put together and interesting. I told several of my doctors about it for their patients. It is great that you are trying to help others.
After six years of suffering with pain myself, I finally found out that I have fibromyalgia. I even felt better after the diagnosis because I finally knew what it was. I had thought it was polymyalgia like my dad had, however, after a course of Prednisone, I knew it was not that so looked for a doctor and found one in Dallas who diagnosed me. Of course with my EDS, it does complicate the condition, but I guess we just have to deal with what we have been dealt the best we can.
Keep up the great work and God Bless.
Aunt Joan
Hi!! I've been trying to get grandma on the diet as migraines are genetic and we have similar symptoms. Not sure I can convince her to give up her bananas and canned goods though. 🙂 I'm so glad you're enjoying it.
That's really interesting. The more involved I become in this world the more I realize fibromyalgia is also common with chronic migraineurs too. I'm glad you were finally diagnosed, that's sometimes half the battle. I will have you give you guys a call soon to catch up.