Thursday, May 28, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Maca Powder - Quick and Easy Recipes
Maca Powder has this sweet taste similar to butterscotch, chocolate or vanilla. Maca powder is quite popular in combination with fruit juices, yoghurt and milk.
The recommended daily dose of Maca is 4000 to 5000 mg. It is recommended to use one tablespoon of Maca powder per person in your recipes or preparations with Maca.
Maca Banana milkshake
Put the Maca powder and milk in the blender and mix with 1 or more of the following ingredients:
- banana
- sesame paste
- honey
- peanut butter/almond or macadamia paste.
Maca Courgette bread
Delicious for breakfast, lunch, a snack or with soup!
½ cup Maca powder
2 eggs
2½ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup milk
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins or currants
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup pecan nuts, walnuts or almonds
2 cup grated courgette (3-4 small)
N.B: for vegans, replace eggs with 1 tablespoon egg substitute, mixed with 4 tablespoons water.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Put the dry ingredients, fruit and nuts in a large bowl, and make a dimple in the middle.
Beat the eggs in another bowl, and stir the rest into it (the courgette last).
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones until they form a nice mixture.
Put everything in a greased tin (size: 23 x 30 cm) and bake for 30-40 minutes...until you can stick a knitting needle in and it comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes; take the bread out of the pan
Enjoy!
Maca Mocha
1 1/2 cup of coconut milk tonic
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon Macafe
1 heaping tablespoon honey (or to taste)
Use a hand blender to blend ingredients together and heat until hot and steaming in a pot on the stove.
Special Banana Flip
This special banana "smoothie" has a delicious nutty flavor and is incredibly nutritious. It has a high calcium content and is ideal for those of us who are looking after our bones!
Ingredients:
1 banana
1 tablespoon of linseed
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
2 teaspoons of Maca Powder
1 glass of evaporated milk
1 glass of chilled water
Put all the above ingredients in the liquidizer goblet and blend until the seeds are well broken and a homogenous mixture is obtained. Serve immediately.
Apple pancakes with Maca
Ingredients:
1¾ cup (1 can) of evaporated milk
1 apple, peeled, seeded and cut in small pieces
1 whole egg
3 teaspoons of white sugar (more sugar may be added if necessary )
2 teaspoons of melted butter or margarine
¾ cup of sifted flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
Cinnamon powder to taste
6 teaspoons of Maca Powder
Blend the milk, apple, egg, sugar, melted butter and cinnamon until smooth. Add the flour and the baking powder and mix. Heat oil in a medium size skillet and pour ½ cup of mixture for each pancake. Fry each until it is brown on both sides. Serve with butterscotch, jam or your favorite syrup.
A Super Morning Smoothie
Ingredients
1 cup of your favorite fruit or fruit in season
1 cup of berrie juice, or pineapple juice, or apple juice, or just water
4 ice cubes
2 teaspoon of Sentia Gelatinized Maca Powder
1 teaspoon of Sentia Yacon Syrup
Put all the ingredients in a liquidizer and blend for about 1 minute. Serve immediately.
Maca Sponge
Ingredients
½ cup of Maca Powder
1 ½ cups of self raising flour
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of water
2 eggs
1/2 cup of cooking oil
5 tablespoons of chocolate powder
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 tablespoon of vinegar
1 teaspoon of vainilla
A pinch of salt
Put the water and sugar in a bowl and mix well. Add the eggs one by one, then the sieved flour, baking powder, chocolate powder and salt. Mix well. Add the cooking oil, vinegar and finally the vanilla. Beat until smooth.
Transfer to a lightly greased cake tin and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenhight for 25 minutes or until firm and golden. Leave to stand for a few minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack. Decorate with sifted icing sugar.
Quick Recipes
*****
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 frozen banana
2 cup Tropicana light n' healthy weight watchers orange juice
2 Tbs Maca powder
I blend all the fruit and juice first until well blended, then add the maca at the very end and blend for another minute or so. If you drink it right away it's usually not detectable.
*****
1 cup frozen mixed berries
1 banana
1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt (low fat is not good for ttc)
1 cup orange juice
1 T maca powder
Blend for blender about 2 minutes - nice, cold & tasty!
*****
One banana
5-6 frozen strawberries
handful of frozen wild blueberries
2 tablespoons maca
a splash of OJ
*****
Cookies: add ½ teaspoon of 100% Certified Organic Maca Power per cookie - since people are likely to eat more than one cookie, and the serving suggestion is one teaspoon of Maca root powder per day. Substitute 1 teaspoon of Maca powder for 1 teaspoon of flour.
Cakes & Breads: add 1 teaspoon of 100% Certified Organic Maca Power per slice of cake/bread. Substitute 1 teaspoon of Maca powder for 1 teaspoon of flour.
*****
1 cup fruit on the bottom yogurt (I use raspberry)
1 banana
1 box silken tofu (soft)
OJ to taste
Frozen raspberries or blackberries
*****
6 oz. Simply Orange 1 TB. maca
then I added:
1 banana
1/4 c. frozen Welch's white grape/raspberry juice concentrate
1/4 cup mango puree
1/2 6 oz. cup of Stonyfield chocolate yogurt
6 ice cubes
*****2tbs of Maca, milk (a little less than 1 cup) a banana, 3 frozen strawberries and 3 icecubes and some chocolate syryp
****
11 cup Simply Orange
1 cup grapefruit juice
1.5 cups of frozen mango
2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon maca
*****I take two tablespoons of Maca and place in Blender. I pour at least two cups of water, and one or two packets of Swiss Miss Cocoa Mix-Milk Chocolate.pour into a cup with Land O Lakes Half and Half..lots of Half and Half
*****
try 1/2 cup Simply Ornage, some banana, a few frozen strawberries and 2 or 3 ice cubes and the maca
*****
milk, banana, chocolate syryp and ice
*****
1 small bag of frozen mixed berries
1 cup simply orange
1 medium banana
2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon Maca*****
1 container mixed berries yogurt
4-5 frozen strawberries
1 banana
Simply Orange, however much you need to add to mask the taste
2 tablespoons of Maca
*****
Maca Smoothie
2 bananas
8oz orange/pineapple juice
2 cups ice
2TB maca
2 scoops in Chocolate Soy Milk
Megan's Favorite
2 Tablespoons of Maca
1/2 Cup - Milk [Rice, Almond, Soy or Cows']
1 Tbsp. - Almond or Peanut Butter
4 Dates
4 Ounces - Plain or Vanilla Yogurt
1 Tsp. - Bee Pollen
1/2 Tsp. - Cinnamon
Banana Basic
2 Rounded Tablespoons of Maca
8 oz of fruit juice
8 oz of pure water
2 bananas
*****
The Hot Tomato
2 Rounded Tablespoons of Maca
1 1/2 Cups - Tomato Juice
Fresh Cucumber Slices
1 to 2 Stalks of Celery
Green, Red and/or Yellow Peppers
1 Tsp. - Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp. - Sour Cream
Dash of Tabasco Sauce
Season to Taste (Salt, Pepper, etc.)
*****
Island Holiday
1/2 Cup Papaya Juice
2 Rounded Tablespoons of Maca
1/2 Cup Pineapple Juice
1/2 Cup Guava Juice
1/2 Cup Orange Juice
*****
Fruit - Chocolate Delight
BLEND:
2 Rounded Tablespoons of Maca
8 oz Milk (Soy, Almond, Rice or Cows')
8 oz of pure water
Fruit of your choice (1 cup)
Maple Syrup, Honey or other sweetener - to taste
Add carob or chocolate powder - to taste
*****
Evacu-Maca
1/2 Cup Prune Juice
3/4 Cup Apricot Juice
2 Rounded Tablespoons of Maca
1/2 Cup Orange Juice
****
Summer Lunch
2 Rounded Tablespoons of Maca
1 Banana
1 Tbsp. - Sesame Seed (Tahini), Peanut or Almond Butter
2 Cups - Milk [Rice, Soy, Almond or Cows']
1 Tbsp. - Maple Syrup
****
Crazy About Cocoa
2 Cups - Rice, Almond, Soy or Whole Milk
1 Tbsp. - Carob or Cocoa Powder
1 Tbsp. - Honey
2 Rounded Tablespoons of Maca
*****
Winter Energizer
1 1/2 Cups - Rice, Soy, Almond or Whole Milk
1/2 Cup - Black Cherry Juice
2 Rounded Tablespoons of Maca
1 Banana
****
Too Healthy To Be True
2 Rounded Tablespoons of Maca
2 Cups - Carrot Juice
2 to 3 - Sprigs of Parsley
1 Apple (Sliced)
****
Jinn's Formula
2 Cups - Goat's or Whole Milk
1 Tbsp. - Vanilla Protein Powder
2 Rounded Tablespoons of Maca
2 Tbsp. - Flax or Sunflower Oil
****
Lee's Exotica
1 Banana
1 Cup - Orange Juice
1/2 Cup - Pineapple Chunks
1/2 Cup - Papaya Chunks
1/2 Cup - Mango Chunks
2 Rounded Tablespoons of Maca
1/2 Cup - Sliced Strawberries
1/2 Cup - Sliced Kiwi
1/2 Cup - Crushed Ice
Buy Macca Now for Only $9.57a pound.
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Friday, May 15, 2009
Why Chia Seeds Win In The Battle Between Omega-3 And Omega-6
You've heard of Omega-3, but what about Omega-6?g
That compound of fatty acids is just as important to the success of Chia seeds in your diet as its more famous counterpart in the Omega family. The reason why is balance.
Omega-6 acids are much more prevalent than Omega-3 in most foods consumed in Western diets. Nutrition experts say a healthy ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 in a diet ranges between 1:1 and 4:1, but the typical North American diet has a ratio of up to 30 times the amount of Omea-6 than Omega-3.
A food such as corn oil can be as skewed as 50:1 in favor of Omega-6 and even the soybean, used in tofu and as a staple in diets of the Far East, has a disproportionately high amount of Omega-6 with a 7:1 ratio.
The Chia seed, on the other hand, has three times the amount of Omega-3 than Omega-6 in its makeup. Therefore, by consuming more Chia in your diet you will balance out the ratio of fatty-acid intake in your daily nutrition. A correct balance of Omega-6 and Omega-3 leaves you with healthier brain function and allows for normal development of the body.
While Omega-3 is available in products such as fish oil and eggs, the purity of its concentration in those non-grain forms is questionable. For example, eggs from organic chickens fed with greens rather than corn have a greater amount of Omega-3, but knowing what kind of eggs you're buying isn't easy when they're already boxed in your grocery store. Meanwhile, fish oil is a processed food, a fact that diminishes its nutritional value.
By contrast, the Chia seed can be eaten unprocessed and without any chemical spray necessary, making it the most reliable form of Omega-3 we know.
Chia Seeds Health News provides insightful information on the Superfood that has a rare compound mix that benefits the human body. Learn why eating Chia Seeds will help you fight diabetes, prevent cancer and elude heart disease.
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Chia Seed - The Nutritionally Dense Food of the Future
As a researcher in the field of nutrition I have tried frequently to find the most simple and inexpensive way to provide our bodies with foods that are dense in nutrition and have the ability to sustain us in the smallest quantities.
My motto is not "you are what you eat" but "we are what we absorb and assimilate".
Our bodies are equipped to combat the onset of illness and disease. It only needs our cooperation in supplying proper hydration and the needed nutrients to effectively maintain an environment of well-being.
Because the question of what might be the optimum diet can, at times, be emotionally challenging and confusing, I truly believe we must keep it simple and direct from nature as best as we can.
Yes, this is challenging, especially for those living in urban areas. It is
very difficult to get access to whole foods and optimum quality. I, for one, have this challenge and have decided to consume the best of the best in super foods that are simple to work with and taste good.
In my journey, I have come across many super foods but one, for me, is the leader of them all because of its density in nutrition, low cost, and flexibility when using it in our daily lifestyle.
I would like to introduce you to a "super" food that I strongly feel is a food that will be here to stay for a long time. Today I will introduce the history of this amazing food in part one of my 5 part series:
It is the Salvia Hispanica L. seed, known as Chia Seed, valued by the Native Americans and aborigine peoples of Central and South America. Once valued so much that it was used as currency, this unique little seed has exceptional nutritive and structural benefits.
Chia, familiar to most of us as a seed used for the novelty of the Chia Pet TM, clay animals with sprouted Chia seeds covering their bodies. Little is known, however, of the seed's tremendous nutritional value and medicinal properties. For centuries this tiny little seed was used as a staple food by the Indians of the south west, central, and South America. Known as the running food, it's use as a high energy endurance food has been recorded as far back as the ancient Aztecs. It was said the Aztec warriors subsisted on the Chia seed during their conquests. The Indians of the south west would eat as little as a teaspoon full when going on a twenty-four hour forced March. Indians running from the Colorado River to the California coast to trade turquoise for sea shells would bring only the Chia seed for their nourishment.
When I first heard of this, I was truly amazed and needed to hear more about this amazing seed because I was in search for something that the body can utilize in small quantities and give us the greatest benefit.
I was able to interview one of the top researchers of Chia seed, William Anderson, and here is some of the information and data he shared with me about the usage of Chia.
If you try mixing a spoonful of Chia in a glass of water and leaving it for approximately 20 minutes or so, when you return the glass will appear holding, not seeds or water, but an almost solid gelatin. This gel-forming reaction is due to the soluble fiber of the seeds. Researchers believe this same gel-forming phenomenon takes place in the stomach when food containing these gummy fibers, known as mucilage, are eaten. The gel that is formed in the stomach creates a physical barrier between carbohydrates and the digestive enzymes that break them down, thus slowing the conversion of carbohydrates into sugar. In addition to the obvious benefits for diabetics, as it stabilizes blood sugar, this slowing in the conversion of carbohydrates into sugar offers the ability for creating endurance. Carbohydrates are the fuel for energy in our bodies. Prolonging their conversion into sugar stabilizes metabolic changes, diminishing the surges of highs and lows, creating a longer duration in their fueling effects.
One of the exceptional qualities of the Chia seed is its hydrophilic properties, having the ability to absorb more than 12 times its weight in water. It's ability to hold on to water offers the ability to prolong hydration. Fluids and electrolytes provide the environment that supports the life of all the body's cells. Their concentration and composition are regulated to remain as constant as possible.
With Chia seeds, you retain moisture, regulating more efficiently, the body's absorption of nutrients and body fluids. Because there is a greater efficiency in the utilization of body fluids, the electrolyte balance is maintained.
Example: Fluid and electrolyte imbalances occur when large amounts of fluids are lost resulting from vomiting, diarrhea, high fever, or more commonly from sweating! The loss of extra cellular fluid occurs in these conditions. Intercellular fluid then shifts out of cells to compensate, causing abnormal distribution of electrolytes across cell membranes resulting in cellular malfunction. So, retaining and efficiently utilizing body fluids maintains the integrity of extra-cellular fluids, protecting intercellular fluid balance. The results of which ensure normal electrolyte dispersion across cell membranes (electrolyte balance), maintaining fluid balances, resulting in normal cellular function.
As you can see, Chia has a very interesting history and has tremendous potential and benefits. Stay tuned next time for part two of a part five series.
Paul E is writer and researcher in the many areas of Nutrition, organization and efficient lifestyles. He has over 20 years experience in Pharmaceuticals, Nutraceuticals and Efficiency management. He is also an author of several books and articles and the founder of Carlyle Collection Publishing.
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