Collin County Living Well Magazine March/April 2018 | Page 28

The 3 M’s
Superfood Powders:
Matcha, Moringa, and Maca
By Julie Alvira, MD, MBA
I
n recent years, we’ve had interest-
ing trends like kale and turmeric,
which are still in for this year. But,
food companies are embracing
and developing new clients. I’m
talking about matcha, moringa, and
maca. You may have heard about all
of them before but this year; however,
they are becoming more popular be-
cause of their potent nutritional pow-
ers as part of the healthy mind body
conscious movement. Are you a part
of this movement? The idea is to be
aware of your health and that mind
and body are in fact interconnected.
Matcha is derived from the same
plant as the regular green tea camel-
lia sinensis (native from China), but is
grown differently. Japanese matcha is
100% green tea and the most potent.
Leaves are covered with bamboo mats
or tarp to reduce exposure to sunlight.
This key aspect is very important be-
cause it increases the chlorophyll con-
tent, which turns the leaves a special
green color.
Following several other steps, the
leaves become tencha, which is a pre-
26
cursor to matcha. It is the tencha that is
ground with special grinding wheels to
produce a fine powder. There are dis-
tinct grades. So, if purchasing some,
make sure to look for a bright green,
sweet smelling, high quality powder
from Japan (Note: The Chinese ver-
sion is less expensive and doesn’t uti-
lize the same quality process).
I don’t drink coffee, so matcha is a
good alternative because it has caf-
feine (less than a cup of coffee). In-
stead of making you have a jitter
energy mood, it produces mindful
alertness. It keeps you calm because
of the phytonutrient l- threonine, while
at the same time alert. Besides the
chlorophyll, other components are:
catechins (epigallocatechin- EGCG)
and amino acids. Drinking matcha is
a whole other experience. Salut!
Moringa is native from India and
nearby countries and comes from the
moringa oleifera tree. Sometimes it is
called different names, such as drum-
stick or miracle tree. It is caffeine free
and its round leaves have many nutri-
ents such as vitamins, minerals, anti-
oxidants, calcium, potassium, iron,
fiber, and the list goes on. It makes for
COLLIN COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MARCH/APRIL 2018
a great source of protein (more than
spinach), which is great if you follow
a vegan plan.
Basically, it is a complete plant. You
can find it in powder form, capsules,
and leaves. Moringa drumstick can
also be cooked, but make sure to
steam it because it is not easy to di-
gest. As with most superfoods, there
is still more research to do, but so far
we know it may lower blood glucose
and cholesterol, has anti inflammatory
effects, and helps with sleeping. If you
are pregnant, consult your doctor, as
moringa had been linked to miscar-
riage.
Maca originates in the high altitude
parts of Peru (Andes) and has been
named Peruvian ginseng because of
its stimulating energy effects. Like mat-
cha, maca can be a substitute for caf-
feine. It’s part of the radish family and
commercially the most common form is
powder, which comes in red, yellow,
and black.
As with Moringa, maca has a lot of
vitamins but also a lot of amino acids
and numerous antioxidants. It has be-
come popular for men because it in-