A super greens powder is a supplement many of us could do with adding to our daily health regimen. Doing so can plug nutritional gaps by increasing your vegetable intake and creating a hassle-free juicing experience while still providing benefits.
The quality and nutrition profile varies among brands but any superfood powder worth its salt can supply a wide range of nutrients in a highly concentrated form from an abundance of plant-based sources, including herbs, vegetables, fruits, grasses and algae.
Alongside a healthy diet and lifestyle, these nutrient-dense, antioxidant-rich supplements can provide several health benefits, including preventing disease and supporting your immunity, liver and cardiovascular health. They can also improve detoxification, energy and digestion, and support skin and bone health.
We are all exposed to an increasing amount of environmental pollutants from the atmosphere, our food, water, beauty, body care and household cleaning products. So, we might all benefit from taking a clean, alkaline, anti-inflammatory supplement.
A well-formulated superfood powder can provide extra nutrients where our vegetable intake is low, or the vegetables we eat are grown in depleted soils lacking in essential minerals. It can provide robust nutrient density and effectively replenish our dietary intake of valuable micronutrients. The ingredients in high-quality powders are more bioavailable. They’re usually selected and dried in their raw form close to harvest, compared to the vegetables we buy from the supermarket, which are often less fresh and have lost many nutrients by the time we consume them. In 2004, the US Department of Agriculture verified a stark drop in nutrient density in our everyday food supply between 1950 and 1999, supporting our need to bolster our daily nutrient intake with a comprehensive supplement. A complete superfood greens powder blend could be the perfect addition to a healthy diet and preventative healthcare plan.
What to look for in a green superfood powder
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When choosing a green powder, be aware of the following:
- Ensure top-quality ingredients, preferably organic
- Check that the supplement is tested for purity and is clear of contaminants, including heavy metals and pesticides
- It should be free of fillers, additives, artificial flavourings, preservatives, sugar and GMOs. Also, check for any allergens.
- The more nutrient-dense, the better; look for a wide range of ingredients with abundant nutrients to support the whole body
- Check the amounts of each ingredient are shown on the label
- Also, check the supplement provides recommended daily allowances of key vitamins and minerals, e.g. vitamins A, C and D
- Extra benefits would be the inclusion of probiotics and digestive enzymes to improve nutrient absorption
- Look for cold processing or freeze-drying, so the ingredients retain enzymes and nutrient integrity
- 8 green superfood powder health benefits
1) Immune support
Vitamins and minerals are essential for you to function optimally.
Effectively nourishing your body gives you a stronger foundation to buffer the effects of stress, shift toxins and sleep better while making you less susceptible to illness, infection and disease.
Should you become ill, a well-fed immune system has a better chance of protecting you and enabling you to overcome it more swiftly.
Vitamins A, C, D, K, E and folate are powerful immunity enhancers. Vitamin C can help to shorten the duration of a cold, especially in children. It can also help to reduce the frequency of colds in those under greater physical stress like athletes or marathon runners.
Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) support both innate and adaptive immunity, aiding your natural defences such as cellular immunity and antibody production.
For example, vitamins A, C, D, E and folate support immune cells, protecting against pathogens and toxins.
They’re also potent antioxidants with anti-inflammatory effects that improve overall immunity and lower the risk of chronic disease.
Antioxidants work more effectively in whole food form as they work symbiotically with the other nutrients in that food.
Green powders preserve the entire food, be it broccoli, spinach or kale. Consequently, the antioxidant benefits provided by these vitamins are far more effective than if they are isolated in a standard supplement.
If a green powder has added probiotics, it can support digestion and gut health which helps immunity .
A well-formulated green powder should provide high levels of micronutrients and antioxidants to support immunity.
2) Disease Prevention
The antioxidants found in superfood green powders have powerful anti-inflammatory effects, helping to rid your body of excess free radicals which damage your cells.
Oxidation, as it’s otherwise known, increases your risk of chronic diseases including arthritis, diabetes, cancer, heart and Parkinson’s disease.
By providing nutrients that support elimination channels and systems like your liver, kidneys and gut, a comprehensive green powder can help to reduce your toxic load, protecting you from disease.
Any added grasses and algae, like wheatgrass, spirulina and chlorella , have immense detox capabilities, reducing heavy metal toxicity .
They can also help to regulate insulin sensitivity and blood sugar, guarding against inflammation and diabetes.
Supplementing with a daily green powder could you from chronic disease and help to reduce blood pressure .
3) Liver support and detoxification
Green powders contain leafy greens, which aid liver function. This major detoxifier has over 500 jobs, including storing valuable vitamins as a backup should you need them.
Leafy greens and fruits, including apples and berries, also support the kidneys, which work with your liver to excrete waste from your blood as urine.
Any added probiotics and digestive enzymes will aid digestion and strengthen your gut health. A healthy digestive system efficiently excretes toxins via the stool.
Increased toxicity can make your liver sluggish and interfere with its action. It puts pressure on your entire system, and eventually, everything can struggle.
Any added grasses and algae can take stress off the liver by aiding heavy metal detoxification. Their antioxidant power can help to cleanse the liver and protect it from cell damage.
You’ll find that the happier your liver, the more energised you become.
The collective alkaline nutrients in green powder can support pH balance, improving blood oxygenation, clearing toxic carbon dioxide from your blood and improving circulation.
4) Protects cardiovascular health
The antioxidants in a good-quality green powder can reduce the risk of free radical damage and lower chronic inflammation, protecting from heart disease
Liver support can help maintain healthy cholesterol levels as it is instrumental in synthesising cholesterol and removing any excess from your body.
You’ll find minerals like potassium, magnesium and calcium to promote healthy blood pressure. Vitamin K1, found in leafy greens and other green vegetables like broccoli, can also help maintain healthy blood vessels and protect the heart.
Recent researchfound that people with the highest intake of vitamin K1 were 21% less likely to be hospitalised with cardiovascular disease related to atherosclerosis.
5) Helps maintain a healthy blood and body pH balance
A balanced pH is essential for optimal health. Your body tightly controls your blood pH to keep it in a healthy range (between 7.35 to 7.45). But things like a poor diet, medication, toxicity, insomnia and low electrolytes can put pressure on your system, so it has to work harder to maintain the right balance.
A healthy blood pH is vital for oxygen transfer (oxygen in and carbon dioxide out), optimal circulation and blood oxygenation. If compromised, an imbalanced blood pH can put you at an increased risk of infection and disease.
Eating alkaline foods as part of a healthy eating plan can help your body maintain a healthy blood and body pH with more ease.
Supplementing with a good-quality green powder can help to increase your alkaline intake.
6) Protects your skin
Eating foods rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants reduces oxidative stress and inflammation, providing anti-ageing benefits for your skin .
A good example is vitamin C, a potent antioxidant that not only reduces inflammation but also increases collagen production, encouraging firmer, more toned skin with fewer fine lines and wrinkles.
Grasses and algae are incredibly nutritious superfoods with a rich nutritional profile and high in chlorophyll. They have significant skin rejuvenating and anti-ageing properties.
Take spirulina and barley grass: both calm inflammation, promote a faster skin cell turnover and release toxins. Another cereal grass called wheatgrass may help to improve eczema and psoriasis.
Probiotics promote gut health which is reflected in your complexion. An efficient digestive system can also help to combat inflammation and contribute towards anti-ageing.
A green powder with a wide range of fruits, vegetables, grasses, algae and added probiotics can protect your skin by supporting vital processes that reduce free radical damage, enhance detoxification and keep you healthy.
7) Can aid digestion and promote a healthy gut
A healthy gut is essential, with around 70% of your immune system residing in your gastrointestinal tract.
A flourishing digestive system efficiently excretes harmful waste and toxins and prevents inflammation of the GI tract, keeping you healthy.
If your gut function is compromised, it can cause conditions like leaky gut, irritable bowel disease, colitis, and constipation, which stress your entire system and increase inflammation and toxicity.
It can also affect your immunityand increase your chances of infection, illness and disease.
A superfood green powder with probiotics and digestive enzymes supports gut health and aids digestion. Grasses and algae can feed good gut bacteria. The algae spirulina may help reduce candida cells.
8) Helps maintain healthy bones
As with all the benefits listed in this article, this depends on the nutrient profile of the green powder. Look for vitamin D3, which aids calcium absorption, essential for bone health. Leafy greens and grasses like barley grass and wheatgrass are rich in calcium and magnesium, vital for strong bones, helping to prevent osteoporosis and keep your teeth healthy. Broccoli, apples, spinach, beetroot, carrot, celery, and cauliflower are good boron sources, crucial for bone growth and maintenance.
Conclusion
The collective alkaline nutrients in green powder can support pH balance, improving blood oxygenation, clearing toxic carbon dioxide from your blood and improving circulation.
It’s important to know what to look for in a green powder, which hopefully this article has clarified.
Choosing a comprehensive formula can provide several health benefits and be a valuable addition to a healthy diet and lifestyle. It can be an effective way to increase your vegetable intake, particularly if you’re concerned you’re not eating enough.
A nutrient-dense powder can also be a super nutritious juice without all the hassle. A well-formulated superfood green powder should have an extensive, wide-ranging ingredients list, preferably organic. It needs to be clean and free from contaminants, without added fillers, preservatives, artificial colours, sugar, additives or GMOs.
It should also be cold extracted or freeze-dried and raw to preserve all the nutrients from the plant foods.
Look for a powder that contains vitamin D3 to support healthy bones and added probiotics and digestive enzymes to support gut health and increase nutrient absorption so you can obtain all the benefits.
Green Vibrance Powder is an exceptionally nutrient-dense blend that contains over 70 ingredients, including organic spirulina, barley, wheat and oat grass. It’s brimming with antioxidant herbs, vitamins, minerals and 25 billion probiotics from 12 strains; and it's even gluten-free.
Maximum Vibrance goes one step further by providing 20g of plant protein per serving. It comes in vanilla, chocolate or original flavours.
Written by Rebecca Rychlik, Nutritional Therapist and Homeopath. Follow Rebecca on Instagram, Facebook and Medium, @rebeccabitesback.
Water for Health Ltd began trading in 2007 with the goal of positively affecting the lives of many. We still retain that mission because we believe that proper hydration and nutrition can make a massive difference to people’s health and quality of life. Click here to find out more.
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