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Is Maca Necessary?
The info on Maca provided by Thrive book is compelling, yet, I wonder if any one here took maca before starting with vega/sequel products. Maca and Chlorella are the two ingredients that come off as conjecture or placebo. I'm highly suspect of any long lost foodstuffs of tribes killed off by Conquistadors. Maca is one of three or 4 "ancient" powders I found at the healthfood store. Raw food books have raised red flags with unsubstantiated claims (folks blaming loosened teeth and hairloss as "detox" rather than symptoms of anorexia.) So- did anyone take maca or chlorella before Vega? If so, what were the reasons?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brian Harrington on -
I dont use vega but I do take maca. I dont remember how i came about it but I was looking for a boost during my training months. I tried other things, such as panax, suma, yerbe mate, etc. I found them to be way too stimulating and druggy. My body is very sensitive to these things. Maca to me, fit perfectly into what I needed. Sometimes I need the extra stimulation and energy. Other times I do not, but would like to quicken recovery. As you have read, Maca is an adaptogen. It does just that.
I am not on a strict regiment. I take as much as i feel i need, i let my body do the prescribing. Typically I'll go 5 days on 2 days off. Usually I take a g/day or when I really feel like I could use some extra energy or foresee a day of stressing my body, I'll take 2.5 grams. I have gone 2 weeks without and never noticed any drop in energy, mood, or well being. I havent had any negative side effects, I feel like I am a good candidate because of my sensitivity. I will note, strictly from my experience it does have a positive effect on sexual lifes. I never took it for that reason but the effects are there.
Conjunction with cacao, I found outstanding results. Seems that the maca enhanced the effects from cacao consumption. Because of this I would only take the two together on high performance days. I would have lots of energy, not jittery or racey, just a solid flow of energy. Occasionally I would experience an overly strong sense of euphoria. Scared me a few times. Just another warning.
Note: do not take after your last meal of the day, I did one evening and didnt sleep well.
Hope this all helps.
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Permalink Reply by Anthony Torres on -
Brian, Thanks for your reply! It's good to know you haven't experienced side effects.
Please explain how cacao works (dosage relative to maca, product type), as well
as the Maca brand you purchase. The disparity is like $11 to $30 for Maca.
Best, Anthony
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Permalink Reply by Brian Harrington on
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up to 1 1/2 tablespoon of cacao nibs in conjunction to maca. forgot to state dosage is for gelatinized maca. i use the navitas natural brand for both.
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Permalink Reply by Virginia Derrickson on -
I have tried Maca one time. The taste is very strong to me. How does everyone else use it. This is new for me. I am in the process of becoming a vegan. I just feel so much better.
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Permalink Reply by Ken Wilkens on -
I was taking a teaspoon of gelatinized (Sequel brand) Maca in my morning smoothie (I use Smoothie Infusion also)... Never noticed a huge change until I stopped taking it! My fatigue issues came back, and I think I will be re-introducing it into my morning routine!
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Permalink Reply by Frances Worster on -
I occasionally take Maca, though I do use some Vega WFHO in my morning smoothie, usually adding some Chlorella as well. I too can become pretty jaded about all the "super-foods" that are out there (ie. depending on who you listen to, either cacao is the "best food ever", or a drug that is going to pillage your body Viking-style, complete with burning your village to the ground and stealing all your daughters). One of the things to look at is what nutrition does it offer?
Here's what I found about chlorella: http://www.watershed.net/Chlorella-FAQs/
While some of the claims are questionable (useful against cancer), it is high in protein, and it is interesting that it is good for digestion - which I didn't know, but is very useful.
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Permalink Reply by Sarah V on
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I've just started taking Maca powder (a teaspoon in my morning smoothie) as I've heard it helps balance hormones (and increase libido).
I'm not sure I feel hugely different but I'm going to keep taking it until the pack runs out then see how I feel. It's got quite a malty flavour and it's a little strange in my smoothie, but I don't mind it. I've also mixed it into banana whip ice cream with carob powder and it tasted better.
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Permalink Reply by Anthony Torres on
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Thanks everyone for your replies! I guess the answer for Maca is "try it and see." Or "Depends on you." If you have fatigue issues, like Ken wrote, you'd feel the benefit (or absence). If you need an endurance boost, its benefits will be felt. Otherwise, you lack the conditions for Maca to benefit you, or your body may not respond as dramatically.
This differs from basics like hemp/rice/pea protein powders. Protein helps recovery and growth.
FWIW- Raw Maca vs Gelatinized- Raw is more affordable, but Gelatinized has less starch and is easier to digest, which is why it's advocated in thrive (reducing digestive stress). However, both have the same nutr. values.
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Permalink Reply by Brian Harrington on
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FWIW- Raw Maca vs Gelatinized- Raw is more affordable, but Gelatinized has less starch and is easier to digest, which is why it's advocated in thrive (reducing digestive stress). However, both have the same nutr. values.
- not to mention you will need to take less gelatinized than raw.
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Permalink Reply by darius sohei on
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Maca - i eat raw maca powder (from mountain rose herbs) as a food - i find it helps my energy and entire hormone system - its very androgenic in a good way. it also has lots of aminos so i consider it a protein powder with tonic adaptogenic effects.
sometimes i eat a lot, like 3 tablespoons a day or more spaced throughout, and take 2 days off of it a week. back when i was less healthy, when i first took maca i really got effected by its strength relative to my own health level.
of the different types, i think its mostly preference, red maca seems to be stronger, experiment and see.
i think often people dont take enough maca to see its true power, but it could also be the quality of the soil the maca was grown in and other factors before you received it.
chlorella - my favorite all around algae! i like the taste, its a highly bio-available protein (7.5 g per TBS) and also heavy metal detoxifier. i eat gobs of it every day mixed with other algaes and proteins (such as maca).
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Permalink Reply by Seth Lopez on -
I was just thinking about this. I've been taking maca for maybe 2 weeks now and a supplement of dopa bean that supposedly helps stimulate the glands for human growth hormones. Two days ago I started getting this build up of anger... wierd cause I'm a laid back guy. I started breaking out real bad and put on like 5lbs of muscle in a week and a half. I think it raised my testosterone like crazy because I literally feel like I'm on steroids. Stopped taking both supplements tonight so we'll see what happens with a break. I naturally have very high testosterone and adding to it just made me an animal lol bad off I do NOT like this feeling. Read a couple places of people breaking out real bad from it and having mood swings. I've taken the dopa extract before with no negative side effects on its own. I drank a yerba mate today and almost killed a co worker haha. The jokes about my vegan rage turned out to be true lol
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