Without nutritious food, humans wouldn’t have the energy to live. The body breaks food into molecules called nutrients, which are the chemical compounds responsible for carrying out thousands of functions within our cells, including building bone, strengthening immunity to disease and healing tissue. For our systems to function properly, a wide variety of nutrients are needed. The macro-nutrients are proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The micro-nutrients are vitamins and minerals. And then, of course, there’s water, which makes all chemical reactions possible.
If our diets are deficient in any of these vital nutrients, our bodies can go on living but will not function optimally.
Green superfoods are algaes and cereal grasses – spirulina, chlorella, kelp, barley grass, wheatgrass and alfalfa – that are super-charged with nutrients. They’re available in powdered form to be used as dietary supplements and are packaged both individually and in combinations. One spoonful per day can give you as much nutrition as the recommended five daily servings of vegetables.
Chlorella and spirulina for protein
Vegetarians often have trouble incorporating enough protein into their diets. Animal protein has all of the essential amino acids, but plant proteins tend to be incomplete – they usually require careful combining to get all the necessary protein. One extraordinary characteristic of spirulina and chlorella is their high protein content. Both of these green superfoods contain all eight essential amino acids.
Green superfoods deliver vitamins
Thirteen chemical substances comprise vitamins: the water-soluble types are vitamin C plus eight types of B vitamin. The fat-soluble types are vitamins A, D, E and K. Vitamins abound in green superfoods.
Green superfoods deliver minerals
Minerals are inorganic substances that come from the soil. We absorb them through food and drink. For good health, we need sufficient quantities of sixteen minerals– the macro-minerals: calcium, phosphorous and magnesium; the trace minerals: chromium, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, sulfur and zinc; and the electrolytes: chloride, potassium and sodium.
Spirulina has high levels of potassium, making it the ideal choice for boosting energy. It also contains all the macro-minerals and six of the trace minerals. Like spirulina, kelp contains all of the macro-nutrients (protein, fat and carbohydrate), vitamins B C, all of the macro-minerals and several of the trace minerals. Additionally, it is high in iodine, ensuring health of the thyroid, adrenal and pituitary glands.
Green superfoods help detox
Periodic internal cleansing is required to counteract the harmful effects of the Standard American Diet (SAD), which can leave your system clogged and sluggish. Chlorella and wheatgrass are high in chlorophyll, which is most useful in the process of detoxification. It also acts as a deodorant from the inside-out, reducing body odor and bad breath.
Green superfoods balance pH
Cooked and processed foods and popular beverages such as tea, coffee, alcohol and soft drinks, will create acid conditions in your bloodstream and tissue. An acidic system is the ideal breeding ground for mold, bacteria and fungus. Green superfoods create an alkaline environment, which can help thwart arthritis and heart disease, regulate blood sugar, reverse digestive problems and improve joint mobility. Barley grass is especially good as an alkalizing agent.
Green superfoods help control cholesterol
Alfalfa positively affects cholesterol levels. It acts as a magnet for LDL or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, preventing it from lingering in the bloodstream. This is due to alfalfa’s high fiber content and unique chemical make-up. At the same time, it does not reduce levels of HDL or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is beneficial.
Other benefits of green superfoods:
- Optimal liver function
- Neutralization of heavy metals and irradiation
- Stimulation of the immune system
- Healthy skin and hair
- Lower blood pressure
- Healthy digestion
- Contain essential fatty acids
Using green superfoods is easy
Enhancing your nutrient intake is as simple as mixing a couple spoonfuls of chlorella with spirulina powder or any other green food to salad dressings, juices, water or soup.
Some special conditions preclude the use of these nutrient-packed supplements. Pregnancy, breastfeeding and certain prescription medications are contra-indicators.
Super health the natural way
Whole foods will always be superior to synthetic vitamins because their parts work synergistically, delivering compounds that cannot be reproduced in the artificial setting of a laboratory. Taken in combination or separately, green superfoods are easily absorbed by the body and are rich in the nutrients and enzymes needed for super health.
About the Author
Tom Hines, co-owner of NutritionGeeks.com (MN #1 Now Foods sports supplement retailer), has been working in the nutrition industry since 1997, is a competitive powerlifter, lives with his wife Netti and three boys TJ, Grady and Brock on the prairie in west central Minnesota, spends his leisure time coaching youth wrestling, working with his horses and being play toy #1 for his boys.
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