Barbecues. Beach Days. Best friend hang-outs. Our socially distant summer days may be on their way out but there's still time to enjoy our twist on a classic - a paleo and vegan chocolatey frosty treat! What’s not so enjoyable is the brain fog, sugar-induced haze and stomach bloat that can sometimes come afterward. Well, we at Real Mushrooms fully believe in finding delicious, indulgent alternatives to love and celebrate life in healthy, happy ways. So we give you not just any chocolate frosty, but a paleo and vegan Mint Chocolate healthy frosty recipe that’s boosted with Lion’s Mane extract not only to support your brain but your second brain too — your gut!

Lion’s Mane for Your Brain and Your Gut

Many have already heard about the amazing benefits of Lion’s Mane for your brain and central nervous system. If you haven’t, you can catch some highlights in this article. But, did you know it’s also great for your second brain: your gut? Not only are you getting the support of the beta-glucans to help nurture and grow your good gut bacteria, but you’re also getting a healthy dose of anti-inflammation support. With inflammation being part of the cause of a vast number of gut health issues (like stomach ulcers and IBS), Lion’s Mane has been found to be a great gut ally.¹

And as you know, your gut doesn’t work in isolation. As with everything in your body, what goes on in your gut affects every part of you. But, there’s a special relationship between your gut and your brain. In fact, they are in communication all the time via the vagus nerve - the gut-brain superhighway. All of those neurotransmitters made in your gut that influence your mood are suppressed and unable to reach your brain when you have inflammation and intense gut issues going on. When that happens, you can be left feeling anxious or depressed.² That’s definitely not the summer mood you want.

All that to say, your gut health may be integral to your mental health. And with Lion’s Mane, you’re not only getting the brain and cognition support, but you’re getting that gut support too, making it the ultimate supporter for both brains. With the aid of this mushroom, you can be feeling and thinking at your best.

Better memory. Better focus. Better mood.

Lion’s Mane has been given a lot of love, but the other ingredients in this healthy frosty recipe are definitely helping you in the gut and mood departments too. For example, not only does mint taste delicious, but it’s also soothing and gentle to your digestion and gut, making it a great aid for indigestion and inflammation. And while the frozen banana makes this frosty treat nice and creamy, it’s also high in tryptophan (which converts to serotonin - the “happy neurotransmitter”), thereby uplifting your mood. And of course, in order to absorb all the nutrients in these ingredients, you need your gut working properly, this is where Lion’s Mane again shines. Just as the body is not a sum of its parts, each ingredient works synergistically with each other, making this Mint Chocolate Mushroom Frosty recipe a healthy alternative to the classic Wendy’s treat.

Bottom line: Protect your brain and protect your gut to optimize your life and make the most of your summer days - all in a delicious, healthy chocolate frosty treat.

Mint Chocolate Healthy Frosty Recipe:

Tools You’ll Need

• Blender

Frosty Recipe Substitutions

In the video, we used a banana. But you can easily substitute with frozen cauliflower, frozen squash, or frozen avocado and add your favorite sweetener.

Depending on how big and ripe your frozen banana is, you might want to add a little bit of extra sweetness. Just taste and adjust.

Servings: 1 frosty
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Healthy Frosty Recipe Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup favorite milk alternative (we used coconut milk)
• 1 TB cashew butter
• 2 TB cacao powder
• 1 TB fresh chopped mint
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon Real Mushroom’s Lion’s Mane
• A pinch of salt
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 heaping cup frozen ice cubes

Instructions

1. The night before, slice up a banana and pop it in the freezer. Also, make sure you have a heaping cup of ice ready to go.
2. To make the frosty, place the milk, cashew butter, mint, vanilla, Lion’s Mane, and salt into the blender and blend.
3. Throw the frozen banana and ice into the blender and blend again.
4. Taste and adjust for sweetness.

Enjoy Your Mushroom Frosty in Good Health

All those gut and mood benefits listed above make Lion’s Mane a great addition to your diet. But those benefits can easily be buried if another huge root cause of many health issues is not tackled: stress. There are so many different forms of stress being hurled at us: what’s going on in the world, what we’re eating, the microbiome in our gut, perceived or imagined stress (all the what-if scenarios), etc. With all that going on, a small habit of mindfulness can leave a big, beneficial impact. Pair that mindful habit with small daily doses of Lion’s Mane, and you have a great recipe for experiencing mental and physical health and happiness.

When you’re feeling better both mentally and physically, you’re able to more easily see the perspective of others; to be nicer, kinder, and more generous - both to yourself and to others. You’re able to enjoy life more. And that’s why it’ll always be our goal to provide you with empowering knowledge and products that don’t subtract from your life, but rather add to it - allowing you to think more clearly, suffer less from gut issues, and keep on thriving and enjoying life.

So make a chocolate frosty treat and cheers to a happy, healthy life!

Easily Give Your Other Recipes a Power Boost

We at Real Mushrooms would love to see what you’re creating in your kitchen. If you don’t want to use Lion’s Mane, perhaps try out another functional mushroom. The intense flavor of Reishi pairs well with chocolate. But there’s other wonderful options too, each with their own unique profiles and benefits. To learn more, you can read our article that highlights the top 7 benefits of the main medicinal mushrooms. Bottom line, just have fun, get creative, and show off your work!

Join the mushroom recipe challenge! Get creative in the kitchen with different ways to get more mushrooms in your diet. Invent your own recipe and share via insta @realmushrooms. We will feature the winner’s recipe on the blog & give you a coupon for any Real Mushroom product of your choice!

References

1. Diling, C., Xin, Y., Chaoqun, Z., Jian, Y., Xiaocui, T., Jun, C., Ou, S., & Yizhen, X. (2017). Extracts from Hericium erinaceus relieve inflammatory bowel disease by regulating immunity and gut microbiota. Oncotarget, 8(49), 85838–85857. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.20689
2. Foster, Jane. McVey Neufeld, Karen-Anne. Gut-Brain Axis: how the microbiome influences anxiety and depression. <https://www.researchednutritionals.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/gut-brain-axis-how-the-microbiome-influences-anxiety-and-depression.pdf>