The Rawtarian Community
The Rawtarian Community is one of the largest online raw food communities. In addition to this community forum, you can browse and search thousands of community recipes added by over 5000 talented Rawtarian Community members just like you!
Visit The Community
Comments
i wouldn’t say it’s chocolatey… the flavor is hard to describe… kind of like the center of a milk dud, if you’ve ever had those… i don’t know, maybe you haven’t. i would say “malt” is the closest thing i can think of for the flavor. you have to just get some and try it! have you had mesquite? that is similar.
Oh wow so maca is vanilla-carmelly? That sounds interesting. I have had milk duds before (a really long time ago) so is this the flavor you are describing? Thanks!
that’s the closest i can describe. it’s not sweet though, obviously, you have to add your own sweetener if you want it sweet. it is good to mix with cacao because it boosts adrenal function, which cacao depletes.
I was going to ask the same thing a rawclaire. If maca tastes caramel/vanilla then I want some!! :) Rawclaire is today your birthday?
I think it’s more like a malted milk ball. Not at all caramelly like a milk dud.
wait… i haven’t had a milk dud in a long time… are they caramel? what are those malt balls called then? that’s what i meant. sorry if i got people excited about caramel flavor.
Malted milk balls are Whoppers. Milk Duds are chocolate covered caramel.
Maca isn’t something that you would add to a recipe for it’s flavour – you would add it for it’s properties and work around the flavour. It isn’t entirely unpleasant but I think you need to get used to it.
Yes, Eliana, today is my birthday! And within a few hours some siamese cat breeder will deliver a blue-point kitten to my house! :)
Yeah, they’re caramel. If I mix maca with agave, what do I get? Sounds awesome!
You’ll get nougat. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Happy Birthday rawclaire!! :)
Happy B-day!
Thanks guys!!
I jsut got some for the hubby to try in his power shakes for cycling…boy was I embarrassed when while standing in line and reading the bag it stated things like…improves male libido ect ect!;O anyhow i hid that from him but recently came across more info on how it can alter hormones to the point of negating birthcontrol pills( in women)? what the heck man, i dont want anything that altering in m body or hubbys, whats the real deal on this stuff? also my package is not raw and states under asteric that native peoples do not ever eat raw maca….help please!whats the real story?
omshanti~ I find the underlying principle of your inquiry interesting… I am not addressing maca in particular. I will leave that to those more knowledgeable in that area.
I will restate your question in a more general sense…
If one is consuming or using something (i.e. bcp) to interrupt a natural process of one’s body and then one consumes something (or does something like exercise) that will negate that interruption, is that bad?
I think there are a few issues here…
When you say that you read that maca “alters” hormones, does that mean maca changes one hormone into something else bypassing the body’s function or “forces” the body to make certain hormones or “blocks” the body from making some hormones? Does maca attack the chemicals from the bcp? Since bcp “alters” the body’s natural function, would one consider that a “toxin” (albeit, a functional toxin)?
If a substance actually gives the body building blocks for supporting system functions (general wellbeing), then that is what the intent of “healthy” eating does, isn’t it? If a substance interferes with a natural body process, wouldn’t that simply be another “drug” or “toxin”?
Another issue is that if one is taking something that is interrupting the body’s natural process (this could be bcp [for the most part a lifestyle purpose but could have health applications] or something like a blood thinner that definitely has health applications) for a purpose and then one consumes something that negates that, does one really want to do that?
If one is taking a substance to interrupt with a body’s natural process, is there a beneficial purpose in taking that substance short term and also exploring “function supporting” options that address the underlying health issue?
I pose these questions as an invitation to dialogue to expand people’s view of what supports wellness and that there are pros and cons to any option…
Maca is supposed to be a true adaptogen. I read up on adaptogens recently and decided to purchases maca powder for that reason. Adaptogens are suppose to help relieve all types of stresses on the body and, according to some sources, acclimate the body to respond appropriately to different stressors or malfunctions of the body. Adaptogens have an important normalizing effect on all bodily functions, including the correction of various hormonal imbalances.
Based on my interpretation of what I read, I am not surprised to hear it might interfere with birth control pills as the pills are trying to make your body do something that it isn’t suppose to do and the adoptogen would try to correct that.
Here are some links for info on adaptogens:
http://adaptogens.org/whatareadaptogens.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptogen
http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/FULL/Adaptogenic…
I recently received my maca, but haven’t taken it yet (I planned to start tomorrow) so I can’t comment on any benefits I may have received.
By the way, there seems to be significant study on the effects adaptogens have on physical performance, particularly in athletes, and it seems numerous Olympic contenders use them.
at the risk of to much info here, i dont take birth control pills, that being said i guess i was concerned about the altering effects of things like soy o the hormonal system and i lumped maca in there with that concern…i did check out the links dain5000 thanks its much more helpful than the pmphlet i got withthe maca and what is simply stated on the bottle….
anyones opinion on baked vs raw? My hubby not raw, im just trying to replicate the “suppliments” he takes now while riding in a more chemicalfree and natural way….
blue dolphin, very well put…im interested to see if anyone else chimes in!
whoppers! that’s it! can’t keep track of candy.
maca does affect the hormones! and no, that might not be a good thing. especially for kids.
I use maca for hypothyroidism. It does make me feel better. It helps with the tingling in my legs and feet. I buy Navitas Naturals brand, certified organic and raw.
Mandelicious, I don’t eat those candies and I only remember the name because my parents sell them in their convenience store!
Ok dont want to gross you guys out but the smell of maca reminds me of vomit lol. BUT! I do put it in my smoothies. Every single first drink makes me go bleh a bit but after that I enjoy the taste as long as I dont smell it.
i recently stated taking maca… i really like it, taste and all…. but what it has done that i am most pleased with is it’s normalized my eating.. instead of eating all day, because i wasnt full or i could find what i was craving…over stuffing myself…. it’s normalized all this…. i dont eat as much and i only eat when im hungrey now and when im full i quit. Does that make sense?
I struggle with Maca….don’t like the taste at all and feel that it ruins my smoothies. Sorry I also have a concern that it soars your hormones. That instant rise is what can cause breast cancer (sorry folks, I am stating the facts from multiple sources). If you have other info, I would LOVE to hear it.
I love maca, even the flavor. I use primarily for my cooked bean and grains, waiting until the temp has cooled down, and mixing it with Artisana coconut butter (and mesquite meal for the grains).
I notice I get much more of a charge from the maca I bought from naturalzing.com. I guess not all maca has the same potency.
I’ve heard it described as having a peanut buttery flavor, a butterscotch flavor, or and graham flour flavor. It is really hard to pin down. It does have a strong taste, so it might be an acquired taste for some. :)