(Recipe in 4th paragraph.)
This year will be my 50th birthday. Menopause is imminent. One thing that happens along with decreased estrogen during the months before menopause and after is calcium deficiency. Cavities are easier to form. And I had one.
To avoid going to the dentist, especially because of the pandemic, I ramped up my calcium intake to nearly 100% recommended daily intake value with food. This isn’t easy to do on an everyday diet, unless you love kale. So, I came up with a smoothie recipe that not only helps heal cavities; it also helps increase the libido.
The recipe below is not vegan, but it could be made vegan by substituting the yogurt and adding more ground sesame seeds. Both sesame seeds and yogurt are high in calcium. Coriander contains vitamin K, which aids calcium absorption. Maca helps stave off symptoms of perimenopause like hot flashes.
The recipe
Sesame Maca smoothie
- 2/3 cup yogurt
- 2-3 tbsp ground black sesame seeds
- 1-2 servings of powdered maca
- 3/4 tsp ground coriander
- Half a banana
- Sweetener (optional. I use jam.)
- 1/2 cup water or juice, like apple, or as much needed for the desired thickness (omit if using plant milk instead of yogurt)
Put ingredients in a container and blend until smooth.
About the ingredients
Yogurt is easier to digest for calcium than milk because it is cultured with microbes that are good for the gut. I use whole milk yogurt or oat milk if I feel like going vegan.
Ground black sesame seeds can be found at Chinese or Asian markets. Tahini could be used instead, though the flavor and consistency would be quite different.
Maca is a root vegetable that grows in the Andes at very high altitudes, 16,000 feet above sea level. There is yellow, red, and black maca. Red maca is supposedly more beneficial for women; black for men; and yellow for either. Some brands remove the starch from their product, and it tastes nasty. I found one called Maca Magic that has about the same volume as the other gelatinized kinds but doesn’t taste gross. I’ve made maca almond butter chocolate cups with it.
There are quite a few herbs and spices that contain vitamin K, but I didn’t think parsley or others would taste very good in this smoothie. Coriander has a nutty taste that goes well with the sesame and maca flavors.
Non-smoothie
If I don’t want or have banana, I skip blending and skip the water, and mix a little more yogurt with the seeds, maca powder, coriander, and a little jam. Makes a healthy post-exercise protein boost.
No more cavity!
At first, I used 3 heaping tablespoons of ground seeds in the smoothie. After just two or three days my tooth with the cavity no longer hurt, so I cut down to 2 spoons. Dentist avoided!
Awesome recipe, I’ll prob avoid the Maca though! By the way, I just learned that the biofilm that form on plaque are mostly streptococcus which is found in yogurt. So, I guess I’ll be brushing right after I have it. Stay healthy! -Ken
Thanks, Ken! My dog’s gums bled after eating yogurt, so I hear you loud and clear on that.