It's no secret here at Marvellous HQ that I LOVE Maca!
It wasn’t long after I joined the Marvellous team back in 2015 that I learnt about the amazing ways that Maca can support the endocrine (hormone) systems for men and women.
Up until discovering Maca my monthly hormones took me on a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. I couldn’t quite believe what I was reading about this humble Peruvian root vegetable but sure enough, after about 2 weeks of adding it to my morning smoothie I started to feel the benefits. You can learn more about Maca in our dedicated blog - Maca a wonder food.
For me personally, these are the effects that Maca has;
- Hormone balancing. Quite quickly after starting to take Maca I felt more level headed. Less PMS, mood swings and pain. That was over 7 years ago and I can confidently say that it is now helping to elevate most of my perimenopausal symptoms. How do I know, I hear you say, well if I stop taking it for 2 weeks then I quickly slide back on the rollercoaster of moods, irregular, heavy periods and sleepless nights.
- Increased libido!! It really works - enough said 😉
- Energy boosting. It's a great way to get a caffeine free energy boost. I love adding it to my smoothies or making a warm comforting Maca-cino. A good boost without the jitters!
- Boosting nutritional intake. Maca contains high levels of vitamins and minerals and is rich in essential fatty acids and amino acids.
So when Perly told me that we were having supply issues with our individual Maca powders, I was a bit concerned but also knew that I had to trail our new blend as I was our most dedicated Maca user.
Trailing the new blend.
Up until recently I have been alternating between our Red and Yellow individual Maca powders. The supply of these individual powders has been effected and now our main supplier is providing a ‘blend’ of 4 maca root powders. This new blend includes organic, raw, red, yellow, black and purple maca.
After waiting a good 2 to 3 weeks of taking No Maca I started to trail our new blend. At the same time my eldest daughter had been experiencing acne breakouts and was desperate to get help so I suggested she try it as well to see if the hormone balancing properties would work for her.
As with all new superfoods we always recommend starting slowly, so I started by adding 1 tsp of the new maca root blend to our daily smoothies. After a week, we evaluated to see if we had any upset stomach issues or anything else out of the ordinary. We were fine so I increased our dose to 1 tbsp each.
Results
Within 2 weeks of taking the new blend I felt my hormones were evening out and I felt as good as I did on the individual maca powder. My daughter was feeling stronger and her skin, while not miraculously clear, was more balanced and acne more manageable.
It felt like a win for the 4 root blend!
Want to give it a go?
View our new 4 root Maca blend here.
A word of advice, as with all superfoods, the effects they have can be varied and very individual to the person. I highly advise that you trail a new powder starting with 1 tsp a day and slowly increase your portion once you are happy that you are not experiencing any negative effects.
Here's some of my favourite ways to take Maca.
1. In a smoothie or smoothie bowl - try our No blender smoothie bowl recipe
2. Energy bites - Check out our recipe here
3. A Maca-cino - Add a teaspoon of Maca to your fave coffee alternative ( I use Barley cup) top with hot water and frothy milk. You could even add a teaspoon of cacao powder for a Maca-mocha-cino!
I hope that you experience the same amazing effects that I do when using our Maca. Please feel free to ask any questions and should you have a favourite way of taking Maca why not come and share it with us on socials @superfoodwales.
