Why Maca and Beets are Your Bestfriend
By: Mal L
Tags: Health, Stress, Food, Mental Health, Productivity

Why Maca and Beets are Your Bestfriend

The stress reliever and hormonal balancer you never knew you needed

Right now, many of us are probably needing a good boost and some extra help managing our stress in a healthy way.

The uncertainty of all that has transpired this year, the new changes to our lifestyles, and our desire for what we once knew life to be like probably has our hormones going haywire.

Maybe, you need something to help you get back in rhythm or get on beet!

Get it?

Get on beet!

Stress

When you are stressed, your body releases an abundance of epinephrine, acetylcholine, and other chemicals.

Your hormones may also get out of whack. For some, while you may remain calm outwardly you may have internal irritability, become constipated, find yourself not eating, find yourself overeating, losing hair, or etc.

For some of us who have not yet learned how to manage our anxieties and stress in healthy ways, we might find ourselves picking arguments with others, blaming others, and operating in rage.

While I do understand why we might be doing so, that’s a

No, no!

We are going to need to learn how to dial it down and renew our minds to the way of peace!

Taking deep breaths, choosing not to argue or be so responsive, practicing gratitude, reading the bible, going for walks, exercising, painting, crocheting/ knitting, and journaling may be great tools to and be good daily habits that we can practice to help us regroup, manage stress, and improve our mental health.

Sometimes, we are doing all those things and they are helping, but the issue is that stress, and for some rage and negative emotions, has disrupted our hormonal balance and we need to get things back in balance!

Two of the ways that we can do that, that I have learned and seen great benefits for me, is by eating beets and using maca!

I love, love, love them!

I, once upon a time, was not a fan of beets when I was younger, but since then, through prayer and optimism, my palate has changed.

They are delicious!

I have had them raw, canned, roasted, and pickled. I am not to much a fan of them pickled, and I don’t prefer them canned either. However, I absolutely love roasting them!

When they are freshly roasted out of the oven, they are delightful! Something about the chemical composition that is released apart from the taste moves things that I didn’t even know were there from my mind, and I always feel much happier after eating them.

You don’t have to do anything too fancy to them. You simply clean them well, cut off any parts of them that need to be discarded, leave whole or cut into smaller pieces, and then simply drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Put them in the oven at 400°F-425°F for 45 minutes to an hour, and enjoy!

Of course you can add garlic and onion in whole or in powdered form, cayenne pepper, sesame oil, rosemary, and just be creative with it. I have tried it with other things, and they are delicious!

You can even do a tray bake with sweet potatoes, cauliflower, beets, regular potatoes, chickpeas, tofu, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, parsnips, and even Field Roast sausage if you want, and it will be epic! Eat it alone, serve it with rice or quinoa, but either way, it will be amazing!

That’s a simple, quick meal that only requires you maybe chopping some of the veggies to your liking, and then putting them in the oven while you go and do other things!

Your mind, tummy, and soul will praise God for that meal that day, trust me! You will also be thanking yourself for trying something new!

There are many benefits of beets, While how they make me feel hasn’t been one of the highlighted benefits, I would still encourage you to try them for yourself and see how well they impact you!

Now as for maca, it is a known adaptogen! Adaptogens do just what they sound like. They help you to adapt. They are proven to help you with stress and hormonal balance.

For maca, especially, it makes sense, since they survive and grow in some of roughest and toughest conditions. Their benefits to us mirror their qualities of endurance, adaptability, and perseverance.

I have tried the gelatinized and regular version, and I can’t say I find them distinctly different. However, everyone is different.

Maca is great, but it is not something that I would recommend taking a spoonful of in powder form. That probably won’t go well! Instead, I would recommend combining it with different things.

Maybe you want a nut or seed butter sandwich, I would recommend mixing a tablespoon or half tablespoon with the nut or seed butter of your choice, maybe add some cinnamon, and then put it on your toasts.

It will be delicious! You can even add in a little cocoa powder with it, and that will taste great as well. If you want some sweetness, you can add jam, agave, or maple syrup to your liking.

Since it is fall now and winter is approaching, you can even add maca into your favorite baked goods or bar recipes such as pumpkin bread, corn bread with cinnamon, banana nut bread, or muffins! Maca has a nutty, caramel like taste, and it comes out beautifully in baked goods. Plus, you have the added benefits of what maca does!

I love it in smoothie bowls and smoothies! It is just delightful, and it gives you balanced, sustainable energy that empowers you to complete whatever tasks lie ahead.

My favorite combos are frozen banana and maca alone, sometimes I may add kale or spinach which don’t change the taste but boost the benefits. You can add less water or your favorite non-dairy milk beverage for a more smoothie bowl-like consistency. To that same combination, I love adding dates and irish moss. It also goes very well with cocoa and chocolate.

With the smoothie bowl, you can sprinkle extra maca powder atop, roasted nuts and/or seeds, cacao nibs, coconut flakes, dried fruit, granola, and whatever your heart desires, and enjoy! Then, you can go on your merry way!

I have done pretty much all of these things with maca and beets, and I love them both!

They are really such a help, and at one point in time, a help that I did not know I needed or could use!

Maca and beets give you an extra hand and strength, and are great for you mentally, emotionally, and physically!

It is good to remember, they are not a substitute for you not to learn how to manage stress in healthy ways. Do both!

I hope that you get to enjoy these both for yourself and experience their wonderful benefits!

As Tabitha Brown would say “Go on and have yourself a good day ya' hear, but if you can’t, don’t you dare go and mess up anyone else’s here!”