As we're weeding out all of the foods that are on the big fat NO list, we needed to replace them with new, healthier foods. In doing this, we started visiting juice bars more often. Organic Avenue and Juice Generation are my personal favorites. I sampled a juice called Matcha Chia Glo at Organic Avenue that was absolutely amazing. I bought one, and noticed after I drank my 14 oz of heaven that I had a ton of energy, was full for hours, and in a great mood the rest of the day. I did a little research on matcha to see what exactly it was and why it was giving me this wonderful reaction, and what I found has made me decide that matcha is going to be my new replacement for coffee.
Think of matcha as a super green tea. It's a powder version of green tea from Japan that has a ton of health benefits.
1 - Energy. Matcha has much less caffeine than a cup of coffee, but provides an energy boost up to 6 hours of clean energy without jitters, and no crash afterwards.
2 - Antioxidants. In terms of antioxidants, one glass of matcha is equal to 10 glasses of regular green tea in terms of antioxidants & nutrients.
3 - EGCG. Matcha contains 137x more of the antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) than other types of green tea. EGCG has been proven to help fight cancer, heart disease, and HIV.
4 - Fat burning. Matcha contains unique thermogenic properties that quadruple fat burning. What that equates to is burning 40% more calories a day just by drinking this amazing powder. That alone makes it better than coffee.
5 - Relaxation. Matcha contains an amino acid called L-Theanine, which promotes relaxation and well-being in the brain. Buddhist monks take matcha to help them meditate.
6 - Detoxing. Matcha contains chlorophyll, which is supposed to detox the body and help clear out toxins, heavy metals, and poisons.
It's still really hard to find matcha in regular grocery stores or cafes. You can get some at some Whole Foods and organic stores. I ordered my matcha on Amazon, and the company 'Kiss Me Organics' sent me a 71 page PDF filled with recipes for different drinks and baked goods. I'll gladly share the PDF with anyone interested, or you can buy a bag here: Matcha Tea on Amazon. You can make a matcha latte for breakfast in place of your coffee and have more energy than taking that morning trip to Starbucks. The places in NY that I've found matcha on the menu is currently limited to Macaron Cafe and Argo Tea. I just learned that Starbucks' green tea latte is made with matcha, but they add a ton of sugar which defeats the purpose. I also found one at the Coffee Beanery in the Atlanta airport, but I'm fairly certain that one also was pumped up with sugar because I couldn't sit still for my entire flight back home.
And now on to MACA, Back in Peru in 2009, when heading to do the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, my friend and I learned that to cope with the 3,000 meter elevation (around 10,000 feet for those not on the metric system - I speak in meters thanks to all of my international travel!), the Incas and Quechua use coca. No, coca leaf is not cocaine; yes, it is illegal in the US; no, there's no reason why. I didn't love chewing on the leaves, so our lovely tour guide introduced me to coca candies. Anything with a little added sugar (back in those days) made me ecstatic, and I lived on these little coca candies for the rest of my trip. Two years later I found myself back in Peru, searching for my darling little coca candies. I kept accidentally buying a different kind of candy, which the Peruvians were calling maca. I had never heard of maca before, and embarrassingly thought I was buying the same thing but it was a different color and they were calling it by the wrong name (oops) but it tasted even better than the coca candies. I didn't know the properties at the time, and it didn't help with the altitude sickness, but they tasted great and cost about 15 cents a bag.
Now fast-forward to 2014. Suddenly, Caryn and I start seeing maca popping up on food labels and in our health blogs. I remembered the name from my Peru days, and so we did a little research on this new Incan superfood.
Maca is a root in the radish family, most commonly found in powder form. Maca has a ton of good-for-you properties:
-Rich in Vitamin B, C & E, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorous and amino acids.
-Energy. Known for raising energy and increasing stamina.
-Boosts your libido, balances hormones and increases fertility. This I can't attest to fully, but I do recall having a crush on someone in Peru when I was eating these candies left and right so maybe that was a factor. It's like a love potion! What's kind of funny about this too, is when you find maca in drinks and smoothies at juice bars they always have names relevant to that point, like 'Get Naked' or 'Horny Gorilla'. (Yes, these names are ridiculous, but they're sold at places like Juice Press!
-Can be known to increase fertility. So if you take this, double up on your birth control. Or have a lot of babies. Your choice.
-Good for general health. Supplies iron, restores red blood cells, keeps bones and teeth healthy, makes you heal from wounds more quickly.
-Relieves menstrual issues - cramps, body pain, hot flashes associated with menopause, anxiety, mood swings, & depression. I feel like any guy reading this is going to start slipping maca powder into girls' drinks. Makes them want to have sex and tone down the crazy. Win-win for everyone.
-Skin. Can help clear acne and blemishes.
It almost sounds like the Peruvians invented maca to help tourists survive the Inca Trail - I definitely could have used some extra energy to get through the 4 day hike, and quick healing properties from the dozens of bruises I came back from the hike with.
You can add maca powder to smoothies, salads, drinks and juices. I have been putting it into my applesauce. I found a bar at my organic store by a brand called Amrita that sells chocolate maca bars, and the bulk bins at Whole Foods sell granola-type cereal that has maca as an ingredient.
You're supposed to use it in very small amounts, around 1/2 a teaspoon when you first start taking it, and 1 tablespoon when your body is used to it. You're also encouraged to rotate a few days on and off, because taking it daily can throw your hormones out of whack. They sell it in pill form too, but all the health blogs recommend taking the powder.
Feel free to send us a thank you when you're obsessed with these new additions to your diet!
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