| Personal Care Corner | |
Think Green
by Carrie A. Corson, from the April 2003 newsletter
Finding it difficult to get your five to nine servings of fresh fruits and vegetables
every day as recommended by the USDA food pyramid? Well, green food supplements
could be the answer for you. Supplementing with green foods can help a person
achieve a large portion of these recommended daily vegetables and gain additional
nutrients.
Green food supplements come from a number of sources including blue green algae such as spirulina and chlorella, green leafy vegetables, and cereal grasses (including wheat, barley, and kamut). One key component of all of these sources is their abundance of chlorophyll, the green pigment found in plants. "Chlorophyll is essential for all life as the oxygen humans breathe is a result of the chlorophyll created from plants. Chlorophyll is identical to human blood except that the center element in chlorophyll is magnesium instead of iron." (Jennifer Lush, ND, Green Foods-Super Supplements). A high quality green food supplement can help to detoxify our bodies as well as aid our digestive systems in cleansing. Green foods may help in the prevention of many chronic diseases, which are often linked to oxidative damage done by toxins.
As well as being an important source of enzymes, green foods contain high concentrations of protein, antioxidants including carotenes, vitamin C and iron. They are also abundant in trace minerals, which are often missing from processed and fast foods. Trace minerals are believed to enhance the immune system.
Green food supplements are available in several forms to best suit individual needs. Most are available in both powder (which can easily be added to a smoothie, glass of juice or water) and tablet form. Some are available in capsule form. Recommended servings vary depending on the product. When choosing a green food supplement, it is important to find a high quality product that has been correctly processed in order to preserve the integrity of the nutrients. Nutrients in green foods can be easily destroyed by excess heat. It is also important to look for certified organic ingredients whenever possible as this ensures that the product does not contain dangerous substances such as mercury and lead. It also ensures that the foods used to produce the supplement were grown without the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides.
We carry several high quality green food supplements at the Moscow Food Co-op. These include Barlean's Greens, a popular green food powder; Kyo-Green in both powder and tablet from Kyodophilus; Moscow Food Co-op certified organic spirulina tablets; Perfect Food powder and tablets from Garden of Life; Nature's Greens capsules from Nature's Life; World Organics Chlorophyll in liquid and capsules; Yaeyama Chlorella from Jarrow Formulas, and certified organic Spirulina flakes from Nutrex Hawaii.
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