Although the actual ingredients vary, both in type and quality, green superfood powders usually contain a blend of green vegetables, seaweed, algae leaves and grasses with additional ingredients, including berries and beans also included.
For example, GREENERGY®, the green superfood powder produced by leading nutritional supplement provider EnergyFirst, contains a potent combination of acai, spinach, kale, pea, chlorella, Aloe vera, Indian gooseberry, echinacea, green tea and many more health-promoting ingredients.
But what is it about green superfood powder that is winning over health and fitness fanatics? Click To Tweet
We’ve taken a detailed look at the various ingredients it contains and the whole ‘superfood’ trend itself to find out why people can’t get enough of the green stuff.
The Benefits of Green Vegetables
To begin with, we probably all grew up being told to ‘eat our greens’, so there is immediately a link between the colour green and health. These ‘greens’ almost always referred to green vegetables, and there is now plenty of evidence to back up the general belief that green veggies are indeed good for us.
Take for example cruciferous vegetables. While these are not all green, the most often cited examples, particularly the various members of the genus Brassica, are. The following WebMD article talks about how cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and kale, both found in GREENERGY®, have been found to reduce cancer risk and oxidative stress.
Spinach is another green vegetable that goes hand in hand with good health, particularly if you grew up with the Popeye cartoons! This BBC guide focuses on the nutritional qualities of this popular flowering plant which is rich in iron and combats both inflammation and cancer. Perhaps more surprisingly, both spinach and kale are better for your eyesight than carrots. These veggies contain Lutein which helps keep the retina healthy, as this ABC news feature explains.
Introducing Seaweed and Algae
Add to the age-old health appeal of green vegetables the modern interest (from a Western point of view) in the nutritional benefits of seaweed and algae – which are often green too, and you begin to see the appeal of green superfood powder.
EnergyFirst’s GREENERGY® blend contains two of the most talked-about sea-based products: spirulina and chlorella. The Huffington Post explores the health benefits of both spirulina and chlorella in two separate articles.
Another reason for the surge in popularity of algae, such as Chlorella, is the search for alternatives to meat-based protein; vegetarians and vegans are, of course, morally opposed to eating meat, while recent headlines associating meat products with cancer and other nasty diseases has widened the appeal of non-animal substitutes. This PRRocket market forecast cites the search for protein, alongside other reasons, such as the removal of heavy metals from the body, as the basis for Chlorella\’s bright future.
Grasses and Leaves
Third in our list of green health products are a variety of grasses and leaves that have been associated with beneficial properties. One example is matcha tea, a variety of green tea which has significantly higher levels of the antioxidant EGCG than regular green tea. A full run down of matcha’s qualities can be gleaned from this One Green Planet article. Most people will have heard of Aloe vera by now, and if you need reminding of the many health benefits this fleshy succulent provides, read through this Marie Claire article. Both matchi tea extract and Aloe vera are among the ingredients packed into GREENERGY® alongside fibre-rich barley grass and alfalfa leaf powder.
The Superfood Boom
If there is one thing that all of the above ingredients share in common, apart from their colour, it is their status among the so-called ‘superfoods.’ Many of these have their roots in the traditional medicine of a variety of cultures from around the world. Today, globalization and technological advances have meant that they can now be cultivated and produced to a scale never before seen. Many of the health benefits the ancients knew about have now been backed up by rigorous science, and now the latest ‘superfoods’ are discussed throughout the world. Americans want to know which superfoods the celebrities are recommending (see this Instyle article), Indian fashion magazines are divulging the benefits of seaweed, green tea and the UK popular press are full of miracle stories from those who have found health through superfoods. There are even specific superfood recommendations for everything from mood disorders and low energy to pregnancy.
Putting it all together
Once you have selected the best green superfoods from among the various vegetables, seaweeds, algae, grasses and leaves on the planet, all it takes is to package it in a convenient form, suitable for the modern hectic, active lifestyle. The appeal of powders for everything from protein shakes and detox formulae to energy boosting supplements is clear from this Daily Telegraph feature.
Put this all together and green superfood powder wields incredible appeal for a wide range of people looking to supplement their diets with a burst of green goodness.
The next challenge is to select the best green superfood powder on the market, incorporating the optimal ingredients in just the right quantities and prepared in such a way that the precious nutrients are not destroyed in the manufacture.
This is where EnergyFirst GREENERGY® comes in. This nutrient-dense powder contains natural, organic ingredients that have been cold processed to retain their goodness. The versatile powder can then be mixed with water or ProEnergy® protein powder to boost energy, support digestion (with the addition of probiotic enzymes), burn fat and strengthen immunity. To get an idea of just how good GREENERGY® is for you, each serving contains the equivalent of five to seven servings of vegetables, with much less preparation time required.
Just as important is what is NOT included, and GREENERGY® does not contain GMO ingredients or gluten and is fat and sugar-free.
I hope this article was valuable for you. Holler this across the web using any of our social icons on the top right corner of this article or feel free to share your views in a comment below.
Have a healthy meal today!
Cheers, Gerry
