- Maca is a biennial herbaceous plant cultivated predominantly in the central Andes of Peru (1).
- Traditionally, maca was utilised for its medicinal benefits and as a source for energy, stamina and endurance. It has also been used as an aphrodisiac for post-menopausal issues that some women encounter (2).
- Maca has been shown to possess greater levels of calcium, iron and amino acids than the white potato (2).
- Dehydrated powdered maca root contains (1)
- 8.87–11.6% protein,
- 1.09–2.2% lipid,
- 54.6–60.0% carbohydrate
- 8.23–9.08% fibre
- and an energy content of 663 kJ/100 g
- Here is a great link to Maca studies that have been carried out in the past with specific references to the original studies on PubMed (2).
- http://www.nutrihealers.com/data-base/maca.pdf
Easy recipes: How I incorporate it into my diet (small doses of 1 tsp/day)
- Smoothie
- 1 medium-sized banana
- 200mL almond milk
- 1 tsp maca powder
- Add all ingredients to a blender, blend 'til smooth
- Banana, almond and cinnamon porridge (adapted from Jamie Oliver) (3)
- 2 ripe bananas
- 30 g flaked almonds
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp maca powder
- 1. Peel, then slice the bananas on a chopping board
2. Add the almonds to a small non-stick frying pan over a medium heat (there’s no need for oil) for 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly golden, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir the cinnamon, poppy seeds through the porridge.
4. Serve with the bananas and toasted almonds on top and stir all of the maca powder through the porridge.
1. Wang Y, Wang Y, McNeil B, Harvey LM. Maca: An Andean crop with multi-pharmacological functions. Food Res Intern, 2007;40(7), 783-792.
2. Balick M, Lee R. Maca: from traditional food crop to energy and libido stimulant. Alt therapies in health and med. 2002; 8(2), 96-98.
3. Oliver J. Porridge lots of ways [Internet]. Retrieved on Sept 29, 2015 from http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/porridge-lots-of-ways/#ryUoiVaPpSYwXkz0.97
