This is a great post for post-pregnancy moms as well as those of us with PMS (I guess that means all of us?).
Maca is a superfood shown to help women (and men) with hormone imbalance. Maca comes from Peru and for centuries has been used for fertility enhancement, menopause, stamina, endurance, and hormone related problems in both men and women (although many of us are only familiar with it lately).
Acccording to Rebecca Prescott, "Maca Root works so effectively for both men's and women's hormonal imbalances because instead of supplying plant hormones (like phytoestrogens), it acts on the hypothalamus-pituitary gland. This hormonal pathway produces precursers to male and female hormones, as well as affecting the adrenal glands. Maca does not necessarily stimlulate it, but acts in a regulatory manner, so whether your body is producing too much or too little of a particular hormone, consuming Maca will balance your system."
Remember, Maca does not CONTAIN hormones, like say the soybean which contains estrogen, but instead works the pituitary into producing the precursor hormones which ultimately end up raising estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels, as well as helping to balance the adrenal glands, the thyroid and the pancreas.
VERY INTERESTING!! No wonder I've been feeling so great lately!
note: please ask your doctor or midwife before adding any such supplement to your diet. i talk about new products and share recipes, but am not playing the role of a doctor. thanks.
Try my Maca Smoothie.
Melissa
I have gotten into making smoothies everyday since I started reading your site. I remembered reading about maca powder and recently bought a bag of the powder. I was not able to see your maca smoothie recipe for some reason so I was unsure how much I should put in it. I tried reading up on maca powder on the internet but found it confusing (probably a mistake as there is a lot of wacky information out there.) I was interested in using it because it said it gives you energy but I saw some people saying that there could be side effects and to not take too much.
I value your opinion so I was wondering if you could let me know what is a good amount to use in a smoothie. Thanks! 🙂
Juli Novotny
Maca is GREAT as a superfood supplement. It has amazing benefits but I would not use it in every meal or every smoothie. Nothing is wrong with drinking it once a day or every few days.
Add it to your milk chocolate smoothies. But no need to add it every time. It makes things creamy and very caramel-ish.
If you are taking hormones or have hormones issues, you might want to be careful.
Thanks for asking. Don't worry at all about using it. Unless you have medical issues.
Sorry for any confusion.
Juli