Superfoods

An smart nutrition option

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So what are exactly superfoods? There is no official definition of superfoods. The term is currently being used to encompass a number of foods that have health-promoting benefits and/or disease-preventing properties over and above their usual nutritional value. They range from...

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Maca is usually sold grinded into a flour and it can be added to a porridge. It makes a great breakfast. I consume it almost everyday.

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Maca: Neuroprotective, Antioxidant and Energizer

Lepidium meyenii (maca) grows exclusively in the central Andes of Peru between 4000 and 45000 m altitude at a habitat of intense cold, extremely intense sunlight, and strong winds and has recently been studied profusely because of its great health benefits.

Several studies have been reported on biological or pharmacological effect of maca on experimental animals.Results of several studies have been consolidated in Table 1 .

A peer-reviewed publication mentioned the neuroprotective activity of the plant in two experimental models: in vitro and in vivo. Crayfish neurons were pretreated with vehicle or the pentane extract from Maca, subjected to H2O2. A significant concentration-neuroprotective effect relationship was demonstrated. The pentane extract was then administered intravenously to rats prior to and following middle cerebral artery occlusion. The results suggest a potential application of Maca as a neuroprotectant. Yet another study demonstrated that Maca had the ability to scavenge free radicals which chief danger comes from the damage they can do when they react with important cellular components. 

 Fig. 3 Effect of Maca ( Lepidium meyenii ) on ATP production in macrophages (RAW 264.7). 

Manuel  Sandoval , Nataly N.  Okuhama , Fausto M.  Angeles , Vanessa V.  Melchor , Luis A.  Condeza. Antioxidant activity of the cruciferous vegetable Maca ( Lepidium meyenii ). Food Chemistry, Volume 79, Issue 2, 2002, 207 - 213. 

The effects of  maca root in sexual behavior have been studied in both animals and humans. They reported improved sexual desire. For more information check the website on the peer-reviewed study.

Now that you know more about maca, you will find interesting an article from a well known peruvian newspaper published on June 23 2014, about maca being victim of biopiracy by Chinese producers, who managed to smuggle the seeds. Please click here to read more about it. The article can be translated to english by google.

For anyone interested in trying maca. It is being sold at the Community Food Co-op, 908 West Main St.

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Two Inca Superfoods "Quinoa and Maca"

                         So what are exactly superfoods? There is no official definition of superfoods. The term is currently being used to encompass a number of  foods that have health-promoting benefits and/or disease-preventing properties over and above their usual nutritional value. They range from blueberries to salmon, from tomatoes to nuts, from quinoa to maca. 

Quinoa? Maca? A few years ago quinoa was unknown to America but these days it has become quite popular. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is a “grain” that grows in the Andean highlands. It is usually referred to as a pseudo-cereal  but it produces seeds that can be milled into flour. Quinoa was very important for the Incas together with corn and potatoes.  An NPR blog published in 2012 mentions that quinoa craze has inspired North America to start growing its own. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/11/29/166155875/quinoa-craze-inspires-north-america-to-start-growing-its-own.

When it comes about maca, I have known it for at least 10 years  but it is still quite unknown to the USA. Maca ( Lepidium meyenii ) is a Peruvian plant that was probably domesticated between the years 4000–1200 BC as indicated by primitive Maca cultivars that have been found in archeological sites in Peru. It has been traditionally used as a food and an essential folk medicine; its tremendous value has led many Peruvians to regard Maca as a fundamental component of their diet and medicinal treatments.