Maca racket over Maca.

So, I’m very fortunate to have some very insightful friends & I’m going to make it my mission to share what I’ve been learning with you all! We all know knowledge is power & health is wealth – so I’ll be sharing some blog posts that I completely back, other than just my own with you too!

Below is a post from Vivo Life Director Josh Balding on the benefits of Maca & what to look out for! So after reading it myself I’m making it a mission to be more consistent with its inclusion in my diet. I’m going to be exploring some recipes using this – RESULTS COMING SOON!

“A few weekends ago I was at a trade show in Manchester sampling our products.

It was a fun weekend and a great opportunity to talk about all the benefits that our products have to offer. But for some reason on this weekend, there was one product that people were extra curious about.

Maca.

Almost everyone I spoke to had heard of maca, but very few people knew why they should be using it.

And almost no one knew about the difference between traditionally prepared (gelatinised) maca and the mass produced maca powder they could pick up at their local supermarket!

As much as this surprised me, it gave me the PERFECT opportunity to talk about one of the most powerful (and scientifically studied) herbs on the planet.

So I reeled off all my favourite facts about maca; including how it can help improve physical endurance, increase energy, boost libido, balance hormones and much more.

But when the weekend was over, it got me thinking…

How many people out there STILL haven’t felt the benefits of maca for themselves?

After all, with such a wide range of uses maca is one of the few supplements that almost everyone can benefit from. I’ve seen so many friends, family members and Vivo customers get amazing results with maca, which is one of the main reasons I talk about it to anyone who will listen!

If you’ve never tried maca yourself, here are just some of the things that make it so special…

Maca is a powerful energy booster

Since the days of the ancient Incan warriors, maca has been used as a natural performance booster. Many people who use it talk of its energising (but non stimulating) effect, which is one of the reasons it works so well in a pre-workout smoothie.

Studies have shown that maca helps to boost energy levels and may even improve mood ¹. And interestingly, in a study on male cyclists, subjects who consumed maca every day for two weeks improved their time trial results faster than those who did not consume it ².

Maca helps to balance hormones

As an adaptogen, maca helps to restore balance to the endocrine (hormone producing) system. Maca is often recommended to people with adrenal fatigue or thyroid problems, and has been shown in a pilot study to be an effective natural alternative to HRT (hormone replacement therapy) ³. Maca has also been shown to be beneficial for symptoms of the menopause ⁴.

Maca enhances libido and improves fertility

Traditionally, maca was given to couples that were trying for a baby. And in numerous studies on both men and women, maca has been shown to improve libido and sexual function ⁵⁶. There is also evidence to suggest that consuming maca may improve fertility in women and sperm count in men ⁷.

Maca may improve memory and learning ability

Further human research on this one is needed, but in studies on mice, maca consumption was shown to increase their ability to learn new skills, and improve short and long term memory and recall ⁸.

But not all maca is created equal!

Due to the explosion in popularity, many companies are now bagging up and selling raw maca root powder in an attempt to make a quick buck. I saw quite a few of them myself at the trade show the other weekend!

But there is a serious problem with most maca powders on the market these days…

Maca should never be consumed raw!

If we look at the traditional use of maca, it has ALWAYS been cooked before eating. It would be baked whole in fire pits, or boiled for hours and mashed into balls that would be served as part of a meal.

Children in the maca growing regions of Peru enjoy the smaller maca roots, which are boiled and then combined with sugar and quinoa in a form of porridge. They are served this meal three times per week in order to help with brain development, stamina and healthy growth.

And for medicinal purposes, maca root would be boiled heavily before being ground into a powder. This powder would then be combined with water and taken at meal times.

However they used it, locals would never dream of eating raw maca. And you shouldn’t either!

This is because the raw maca root is made of a structure of complex starches which are almost impossible for our digestive systems to break down.

It also contains a high concentration of enzymes that inhibit the breakdown and assimilation of food, which can cause intestinal distress and interfere with the absorption of nutrients from the food we eat.

Raw maca root also has a high water content, which dilutes the concentration of nutrients in comparison to cooked maca. Worse still, this moisture content also acts as a breeding ground for bacterial and fungal overgrowth, which makes raw maca powder highly susceptible to contamination by the time it reaches your kitchen cupboard.

If you wouldn’t eat a raw potato, a raw onion or a raw head of cauliflower… then you certainly shouldn’t be eating raw maca.

Which is why here at Vivo we only use certified organic gelatinised maca powder.

Don’t panic – gelatinised maca doesn’t contain any gelatine! ‘Gelatinisation’ simply refers to a cooking process that helps make maca much healthier and safer to consume.

In fact, gelatinisation allows us to access the full benefits of the maca root, just like they have been enjoyed in the Andes mountains for thousands of years!

During gelatinisation, the maca roots are heated and pressurised to break down the starch content and neutralise the troublesome enzymes. The leftover pulp is then ground down into a powder before being dried to create gelatinised maca powder.

Due to the removal of the starch, the resulting maca powder contains a much higher concentration of nutrients. Gelatinised maca contains over 4 times the zinc, iron, and calcium content of raw maca powder!

And the lack of water content in gelatinised maca means it is much less susceptible to the mould and yeast overgrowth that are a big problem with raw maca powder.

Last but not least, gelatinised maca also has a smoother and sweeter taste with less bitterness. Many people who use regular maca powder complain about a bitter aftertaste, however this is usually the sign of a poor quality maca powder that is high in the troublesome enzymes we spoke about earlier. This bitter taste is actually a warning sign that we shouldn’t be consuming it!

Bottom line: if you want to enjoy the true health benefits of maca, make sure you are buying a certified organic gelatinised maca powder.”

I hope that helps!

If you have any questions about maca you know where to find me.

T.x

ps. Feel free to use the code TORI for discount

pps. 30 day Money back guarantee cos I’m that confident