The Need for a Green Food Supplement

Even with the best of intentions, few of us invest the effort to purchase, prepare and consume the recommended five to eight servings of fruits and vegetables everyday. Even the most sensible diet will still lack a number of vital nutrients important to good health, no matter how carefully we select our food. To further complicate matters, the ongoing depletion of the mineral content in commercial farmlands, when combined with the effects of cooking and preparation, results in us consuming vegetables that have lost as much as 50% of their nutritional value. Constant exposure to stress, pollutants and the consumption of a highly processed diet leads to an acid/alkaline imbalance within our bodies, putting us in a state of vulnerability to both minor and major health concerns.


Finding it difficult to get your five to nine servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day?

Although we know that fruits and vegetables are good for us, many of us only consume 1/3 of the recommended daily intake suggested by nutritionists. With our fast-paced lives we frequently neglect to include the important life sustaining nutrients found in fruits and vegetables, and opt instead for fast foods that are overly processed and lacking in nutrients. By neglecting to consume sufficient amounts of fruits and veggies we are predisposing ourselves to a greater risk of cancer, heart disease, rapid aging, memory impairment, and acid alkaline imbalance, just to name a few. Simply consuming adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables will go a long way in dramatically reducing the risk of numerous negative health conditions. Including a nutrient-rich greens supplement as part of our daily routine can act as an insurance policy; providing all the protective power of fresh fruits and veggies, plus a whole lot more.


Maintaining a Healthy Acid Alkaline Balance

The foods we consume also have an impact on the delicate acid/alkaline balance of our bodies. Foods like meat, sugar, alcohol, coffee, and table salt, and factors like stress, and certain disease states tend to increase the level of acidity within our bodies. By contrast, most fruits, land and sea vegetables, herbs and spices are alkalizing, which can help to bring our systems back into balance. One can measure one’s acidity or alkalinity by purchasing pH paper and measuring urinary pH. The suggested ratio of alkalizing to acid forming foods is 80:20. Regrettably many of us are nowhere near this ideal ratio. Being too acidic increases your risk of cancer, and provides an ideal environment for conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis. Once again, green food supplements tend to be very alkalizing, and will do much to offset the impact of an overly acidic diet.


What to Look For In Your Greens Formula

Green food supplements typically come in both powder and capsule form. The powder can be added to juice or water and is best taken first thing in the morning. A single serving of a quality greens formula is equivalent to six to eight servings of fruits and veggies. Below are some of the important substances we should look for on the label when selecting a high quality greens formula:

• GREEN FOOD CONCENTRATES
  Green food concentrates such as barley greens, alfalfa, buckwheat, spinach, wheat grass, aloe vera, and parsley have the greatest impact on blood pH, offsetting the acidity caused by a number of unavoidable environmental factors. In addition to its nutritional value and its positive effect on blood pH, this blend also detoxifies our bodies of unwanted metals and impurities found in our modern, highly processed diet.



• SEA VEGETABLES
  Sea vegetables such as spirulina, kelp, chlorella, dulse, and green algae contain a vast array of vitamins, essential fatty acids and rare trace minerals that are a result of the ocean’s unique environment and conditions. Spirulina, for example is known for having extraordinary concentrations of vegetable protein, carotenes, chlorophyll, and vitamin B12, as well as phycocyanin, a powerful antioxidant found in the blue pigment of algae. These sea vegetables are an excellent source of iodine, which normalizes thyroid function and balances our metabolic rate.
  
• LAND VEGETABLES
  Land vegetables such as fermented soy, brown rice powder, carrot, beet root, olive leaf, and celery are naturally rich in vitamins, minerals, fibre, phytoestrogens and antioxidants. Carrots and beets are a source of carotenoids, nutrients with powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Fermented soy contains isoflavones, a family of phytonutrients with positive effects on hormonal balancing. Olive leaf has antiviral and antibacterial properties, while celery provides pthalides, an active compound that aids in the regulation of blood pressure.



• CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES
  Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, and watercress contain a number of powerful agents including sulforaphane, glucosilonates, and indole-3, which stimulate the natural detoxifying enzymes in our bodies. Indole-3, because of its role in estrogen utilization, may help in the prevention of female-specific illnesses.



• ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS
  Essential fatty acids found in lecithin, flax seed oil, borage oil, pumpkin seed oil, evening primrose oil, and CLA play a role in everything from carbohydrate metabolism to proper immune system function, to brain and cardiovascular health as well as energy production. Every living cell in our bodies requires essential fatty acids. They cannot be produced or synthesized internally, so their availability is completely dependent on the foods and supplements that we consume. Evening primrose oil and pumpkin seed oil also have gender-specific hormonal balancing properties.



• PHYTONUTRIENTS
  Phytonutrients such as acerola, quercetin, blueberry fruit powder, green tea extract, grape seed extract, bilberry, resveratrol, lycopene, and lutein are potent antioxidants that reduce the free radical damage associated with a contemporary lifestyle. When exposed to free radicals, our bodies undergo a slow and deadly cellular degeneration. Free radicals are a byproduct of energy production and are found in sources as varied as sunlight, exhaust fumes, tobacco smoke and pesticides.



• STANDARDIZED HERBAL EXTRACTS
  Standardized herbs such as astragalus, cranberry, milk thistle, Siberian ginseng, ginkgo biloba, hawthorn, dandelion, and nettle leaf are comprised of adaptogenic plant extracts, which help the body to adapt to the various environmental, physiological and psychological stresses that we encounter daily. Astragalus and nettle leaf provide immune system support; ginkgo and hawthorn help improve circulation, cardiovascular health and mental acuity; milk thistle and dandelion detoxify and cleanse our blood stream and liver.



• DIGESTIVE SUPPORT
  For our bodies to reap the full benefit of the nutrients contained in the foods that we consume, those foods must first be digested and broken down into more easily absorbable forms. Natural plant enzymes such as protease, amylase, lipase and cellulase help break down the proteins, fats and carbohydrates that we consume. Both pre and probiotics help establish and maintain healthy intestinal flora. As well, bioperine, a patented piperine extract, enhances the passage and absorption of nutrients through the intestinal wall.