Superfood Sunday: Maca

As you may have read in one of my previous posts, every few weeks I wanted to start blogging about my favourite super foods, and the health benefits they all offer. I feel it is very important that people know about them as some are not even aware they exist! They have all helped me massively in my health journey in the past year and I believe they will help lots of other people too.

Just like cacao, maca is one of those super foods that I've been using and enjoying for months now. It is one of my favourites and always leaves me with a fresh sense of life and energy. It has a caramel flavour which is really handy as it can be incorporated into various dishes creating lots of different combinations and flavours! Because of my condition I can get very tired quite easily and often so for me maca is always the perfect solution to keep me going all day long. I love to have it in smoothies and my oats on a morning and my favourite brands are Organic Burst and Naturya. To try my banana and almond butter smoothie with OB Maca click here :)

Maca powder is also known as Peruvian Ginseng and has been used in Peru for endurance, energy, and hormonal balance for over 2000 years. It most commonly is found in powder form and you can find it in your local health shop or online.

There are various health benefits which include:

• A strengthened body and stamina
• Healthy energy levels, as it acts as a caffeine free energiser (now you have a worthy excuse to ditch the coffee on a morning to wake you up!)
• Better sexual health and balance in hormones

Maca is a great investment and I promise you that you won't regret it! 

Emily X

Superfood Sunday: Cacao

Superfood Sunday is an idea that I came up with a month or two back, and has still stuck as one that I should put into action. The aim of Superfood Sunday is to educate people on various super foods and the nutritional benefits they offer. There are so many super foods available to us, but the problem is most of us don't know where to start. So every two or three weeks, I will be posting a different one and a short description or an "about section" shall we say.

My first superfood is cacao. And although cacao can be easily confused with cocoa powder, most commonly used for traditional baking, they are very different. Cacao is the raw unprocessed form of chocolate and is grown on small trees called "Theobrama cacao" and is native to Mexico, Central, and South America. After being harvested with care, the seeds from the trees undergo a natural fermentation and drying process. After the drying process is finished, raw cacao beans are the result.

Cacao has a much bitter flavour than cocoa and comes in lots of different forms: Cacao powder, cacao nibs, and cacao butter. All of which can be applied to a vegetarian/vegan/raw diet. As well as being a powerful antioxidant for the body, the benefits are endless. Some of which include

• Lower blood pressure and improved circulation
• Promoted cardiovascular health
• Neutraliser for free radicals
• Improved digestion
• Enhanced physical and mental wellbeing
• Antidepressant

I must admit, of all the super foods, cacao is probably my favourite of them all. As soon as I've had it I feel happier and healthier. Try it in my warming hot chocolate recipe made with all natural ingredients. It might surprise you!

What superfood/s would you like to see next? Comment below or tweet me with the hashtag Superfood Sunday :)

Emily X