The Inner Ring – Lucuma Powder

By Robbie Alexander, NSCA-CPT, APDT

Nothing sends more people quickly scampering for the hills like when you bring up the topic of nutrition. Some people struggle with the question, “Should I stop eating sugar?” Others get stumped at, “Are carbs bad?” While many people debate about how “Meat is the devil’s food…”

Want to make a steak loving man change the topic of conversation faster than an auctioneer on a Starbucks binge? Strike up a conversation about your desire to have plant based dinners for a change, then sit back and enjoy the show.

Here’s a tip to experiment with. Instead of focusing on which macronutrient(s) to eliminate from your diet, make your intention to get closer to the earth when planning and shopping for what to put into your next meals. The trick to nutritional success is balance. Typically, one of the biggest fears of eating healthier is the closer your nutrition is to the earth, the less you will enjoy your meals. This is so far from the truth. Meals don’t have to taste like a mouthful of dust, grass, thickets and twigs to attract better health. You can balance higher quality nutrition with deliciousness and the secret I’m about to reveal is a great example of this nice balance.

I practice intermittent fasting and every day, after a few hours of morning work, followed by my morning training session, I have my biggest meal of the day at about noon time. After fasting every night, your body absorbs most efficiently, whatever you eat to break the fast. Because of this, usually my first meal consists of a huge smoothie with as many organic plant ingredients as possible with plant based protein. I also have a lot of enhanced water (electrolyte water) on the side. Lunch and dinner are smaller meals that may include clean meats, which I’ll cover in future articles. However, I change up the ingredients in the smoothies, there’s always a special, secret ingredient included: lucuma powder. Ever heard of it? This South American fruit is actually ground down and used as a very tasty and healthy, low-glycemic sweetener.

I use one tablespoon of lucuma in my smoothies. It tastes like you added mangos and pears to your drinks and smoothies, but greatly boosts your drinks’ nutritional value. Lucuma fruit is packed with the vitamins and minerals beta carotene, b-vitamins, iron, zinc, calcium and magnesium to name a few. Known to boost the immune system, lucuma fruit also aids in muscle recovery and tissue regeneration.

So now that you’ve heard of lucuma powder, your health and your family’s health is worth the effort to do a little research on it and get some on your next trip to the grocery store.

So what are your favorite juicing and smoothie secret ingredients? Do you enjoy them more for their deliciousness or their health benefits? Its never too much to ask for both. Real wealth begins with inner health.

You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting this or any other fitness or nutritional program to determine if it is right for your needs. This publication offers health, fitness and nutritional information and is designed for educational purposes only. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other health-care professional. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have read in this article. The use of any information provided in this article is solely at your own risk.

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