Why Should Athletes Take Maca Root?

When performing at your best counts, it’s important to make sure that you’re maintaining your body at its peak physical condition. That means ensuring that you’re getting lots of rest, water, and the nutrients you need to replenish energy burned on intense workouts. You’ve probably seen all kinds of crash diets and crazy fitness routines, but the truth is, taking care of yourself doesn’t have to be complicated - it can be as simple as maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine, and maca root fits into that easy as can be.

Maca's Nutritional Content

You don’t need to load up on tons of supplements to keep your body healthy. Before making any drastic changes to your diet, it’s essential that you consult with a licensed medical practitioner to be sure the regimen you have in mind is healthy and sustainable. Luckily, adding maca to your diet is quick and easy - and good for you, besides.

We can’t praise maca root’s nutritional values enough. Did you know that one 10g serving of maca powder contains nearly all your essential amino acids? These drive many cellular functions and are part of what makes maca root such a nutritional powerhouse. Maca root also contains 20 free fatty acids, as well as vitamins B1, B2, C, and Niacin.

The mineral content in maca root is worth noting as well. The zinc present in maca helps with concentration and mental focus, while the iron supports muscle growth. 

Maca and Your Muscles

As you age your body loses bone mass, and it becomes more difficult to put on muscle. Maca root can help with that. Research has found that regularly consuming maca promotes muscle hypertrophy, or the development of muscle tissue, as well as maturation in skeletal muscle cell culture.

Maca root can help preserve bone density, which is a key concern for athletes who are getting on in years. We’ve also heard from happy customers who have credited adding maca to their diet with speeding along recovery from broken bones. 

Maca and Mental Focus

Working out isn’t just about strengthening muscles. It’s good for your brain, too. While historically maca root has been most commonly associated with benefits like improved energy and sexual performance, it’s linked with improved cognitive function as well - and thinking through your next move is essential if you’re a martial artist like Ellis Karadag or climber like Sasha Digiulian.

Maca has come to be considered a potential neuroprotectant, a food that can play a role in helping the body defend the brain from injury and illness.

Getting the Most Out of Your Maca

How should an aspiring athlete enjoy their maca? There’s no right or wrong way, but our maca smoothies are one popular method. We have lots of great recipes available for you to check out. Here’s a good one to start with - our hearty, filling Maca Green Food Smoothie.

Ingredients:

• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 cup kale or other greens
• 1-2 ripe kiwis
• 2-3 T honey or agave syrup
• 1 T coconut oil
• 1 T ground flax seeds
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1-3 T maca powder - raw or gelatinized maca is fine
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 cups unsweetened almond or rice milk

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Feel free to adjust ingredients according to availability and your taste. Remember to use organically grown foods whenever possible.

Why Buy From The Maca Team?

Our family-owned company sources our organic maca exclusively from the Peruvian Andes, where it’s sustainably grown and harvested by a local co-op of farmers. We’ve gone to great lengths to ensure that our customers are getting the highest-quality maca products out there. If you have any questions for us, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us using our web form, or call us toll-free at 888-919-8616.

Enjoy the Day!