Maca + Cacao en poudre

Manger sainement ne signifie pas qu'il faille renoncer au piment de la vie... Alias chocolat. En fait, choisir les bons types de chocolat peut avoir de nombreux avantages pour la santé. Ainsi, lorsque nous choisissons d'utiliser des ingrédients super-alimentaires (comme dans ces chocolats Maca+Cacao), nous faisons en fait du bien à notre corps ! Avant d'entrer dans la recette, examinons quelques moyens simples de donner à vos chocolats un coup de fouet super-alimentaire : Conseil n°1 : Préparez vos chocolats à la maison. L'achat hebdomadaire de chocolat biologique et équitable peut coûter cher. Et la plupart du temps, on ne peut même pas passer une semaine entière avec une seule barre ! Lorsque vous faites votre propre chocolat, vous réduisez les coûts et vous le faites en fonction de vos besoins et de vos choix alimentaires. Conseil n°2 : choisissez la poudre de cacao. Lorsque vous souhaitez ajouter du chocolat à votre base, essayez de choisir de la poudre de cacao si possible. Ou au moins, assurez-vous que vous utilisez de la poudre de cacao issue du commerce équitable. Quelle est la différence entre le cacao et la poudre de cacao ? Le cacao est la version brute, le cacao est torréfié ! Conseil n°3 : optez pour le cacao raffiné, sans sucre. Si vous aimez les choses un peu plus sucrées, utilisez du miel brut ou du sirop d'érable pur. Ou si vous suivez un régime pauvre en sucre, essayez le Stevia ou l'édulcorant au fruit du moine. Conseil n°4 : n'oubliez pas la graisse ! L'une des meilleures façons de transformer vos chocolats en une véritable collation est d'y ajouter une matière grasse saine comme de l'huile de noix de coco, du beurre de noix ou de la poudre d'huile MCT. Cela vous aidera à rester rassasié ET à freiner votre envie de sucre ! Conseil n°5 : faites le plein de super-aliments ! Lorsque vous faites vos propres chocolats à la maison, vous pouvez ajouter beaucoup de super aliments. Nos préférés sont la maca, les baies de goji, les flocons de noix de coco, les graines de citrouille, les graines de chia... on pourrait vraiment continuer indéfiniment ! Voici comment vous pouvez fabriquer chez vous vos propres chocolats Maca+Cacao aux vertus hormonales : Ingrédients : 1/2 tasse d'huile de coco ou de beurre de coco 1,5 cuillère à soupe de miel ou de sirop d'érable 2 c. à soupe de poudre de Maca+Cacao d'Organika 1 c. à café de gélatine bovine d'Organika Des moules en silicone de choix Facultatif : ajouter des flocons de noix de coco, des graines de courge, des baies de goji, des tranches d'amandes ou de la menthe poivrée Remarque : si vous êtes sensible à la poudre de maca ou si vous ne l'avez jamais utilisée auparavant, utilisez 1 cuillère à soupe de maca+cacao, plus 1 cuillère à soupe de cacao ou de cacao équitable en poudre. Mode d'emploi : Faire fondre l'huile ou le beurre de coco dans un petit plat sur la cuisinière (ou au micro-ondes) Incorporer le miel ou le sirop d'érable Mélanger la poudre de Maca+Cacao Saupoudrer de gélatine en poudre. Veillez en permanence à ce qu'il n'y ait pas d'agglutination. Si vous choisissez d'utiliser d'autres super-aliments, ajoutez-les après avoir tout mélangé. Versez dans des moules et placez-les au congélateur pendant au moins 20 minutes. Retirez-les, et savourez ! Et si vous ne mangez pas tout de suite la totalité du lot, placez-les dans un récipient hermétique et conservez-les au réfrigérateur ou au congélateur. Si vous voulez en savoir plus sur les raisons pour lesquelles vous devriez inclure les bienfaits hormonaux de la Maca dans votre routine, consultez ce billet de blog. Découvrez d'autres recettes qui utilisent la puissance de la poudre de maca ici.        

Maca: The Hormone Superfood For those of you who have tried Maca in your smoothies in the morning know the energising benefits that this Peruvian “ginseng” provides; an ancient and historical remedy used by warriors in the Andes Mountains in Peru for years! It has an incredible reputation for providing long-lasting energy, improved clarity and helping cut back on those lattes throughout the day. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MACA? Hormone Balance Another great feature that most don’t know about Maca is its amazing benefits for hormone balancing; a secret within its library of benefits! It is one of the leading nutritional benefits that Maca provides!   Naturally, an adaptogen helps our body adapt to stress. Maca works within our body to lower cortisol levels that have been shown to cause imbalances in our sex hormones such as progesterone, estrogen, testosterone and even our DHEA. Maca is rich in polysaccharides (which is essential to our body to gain energy from the food we eat as well as help with our cell structures ), loaded with antioxidants, dietary fibre, iron, magnesium, selenium and even calcium!  Considered to be a cruciferous vegetable ( think broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage), it naturally contains a compound called I-3-C, which is responsible for metabolising excess estrogen in the body and helping balance out progesterone and even testosterone. In recent studies, Maca has been shown to help with fertility for both men and women by increasing libido, sperm count and quality, as well as assisting with estrogen and progesterone levels in women which all can play a role in infertility. Menopause Another added benefit and often the most talked about when it comes to Maca and its hormonal benefits is its role with menopausal symptoms.  If you are a woman who is peri-menopausal, then your ears may have just perked up as we all know how uncomfortable the night's sweats, mood swings and irritability and low libido can be. Health care providers often address menopausal symptoms with synthetic hormones and other treatments; however, Maca is excellent support especially for those night sweats and hot flashes for those sufferers! Estrogen Dominance Maca alongside menopausal help can be a supporter for those who suffer from a condition called Estrogen Dominance – a situation when the body has too much estrogen and causes like fibroids, endometriosis, painful periods, breast lumps, weight gain, water retention and even depression.  Maca is most definitely a powerhouse of nutrients adaptable for all users; however, when I discuss the benefits with my clients, it is always for its fantastic role in hormone balancing and libido increasing effects for both men and women. I find the best way to include maca in your daily routine is to try it in powder form, Organika has both capsules and gelatinized powder!  ( I love the maca+cacao ) .  I rotate in smoothies, energy balls or even in my coffee in the morning and have noticed the benefits within a few days! For more recipes or information in regards to Maca, be sure to check out Organika as well as follow our social media channels!  Lots of great information and recipes!       -Chelan Wilkins, RHN- Busy mother of two, and Organika's National Education Trainer. 

Travel to Peru with us to learn about the maca root You know those days where it seems like there will never be enough coffee in the world to wake you up or turn your bad mood around? We’ve been there too. So… have you tried maca yet? Maca is a power-packed root that works as an adaptogen to support mood balance, supply you with antioxidants and even promote sexual health to help engage the va-va-voom. We love it! So much so, that we recently went to Peru where it’s natively grown to visit the farms that supply Organika® with the maca root powder we use in our Organic Gelatinized Maca powder, and capsule products.  Travelling to the maca farms Peru is stunning. Just driving through the winding roads of the Andes Mountains, there's vast countryside, 30-foot aloe plants, golden berry farms, yacón farms, and gorgeous rivers flowing through the mountainside. Maca has been a part of Peruvian culture for a long time. It's found in candies, flours and alcohol all throughout the local shops. There was even a 60-foot statue of a bright purple maca root located in the village of Huayre, on our way to the maca farm. Yep, maca is kind of a big deal there. The farms are based in Junín, Peru. The drive there reaches elevations of 4500 meters above sea level – that’s more than twice the elevation of Whistler Mountain in British Columbia! Nearing Junín, the beautiful scent of maca is overwhelming. The scent is reminiscent of chestnuts, with just a hint of caramel.  Growing and harvesting maca root Maca is the largest export in the region. It has helped grow the city, create jobs and improve the local economy. Only 10 years ago there were about 50 farmers in the region; but today, there’s well over 1000. Maca thrives at 4500 meters above sea level, where most plants die. The nutrient rich soil grows the maca root for 1-3 years before cultivating by hand. After harvesting, the nutrients in the soil are replenished for five years, before maca can be replanted in the same place. The maca roots are hand selected, tested for heavy metals, crushed and dried. They then go through an Organic Sterilization System, that uses steam and vacuum to disinfect, pasteurize and sterilize the root. This pasteurization process removes the yeast from the maca, resulting in a gelatinized maca product easier to digest and absorb. The maca is then milled into a fine powder and prepared for export.   The manufacturing process When we receive the maca in our manufacturing facilities in British Columbia, we use third party testing for heavy metals, pesticides, microbes, solvent residues and potency. Once everything is manufactured, we send the finished product for a second round of third-party testing for quality, purity and potency. And that’s not just maca we’re talking about, that’s how we handle all of our products. We want you to trust our products so you feel great using them. From there, the power is in your hands. Make it maca.