Q & A: Green Juices, Green Powders, & Capsules – Which is Best?

Download the PDF version here
1.    Why can the addition of supergreen powders/pills be a benefit to ones diet/ health?

Ans: Very few people are successful at meeting the governmental requirements of minimal intake of vegetables – approximately 4-5 per day! Science has proven that the higher one’s diets of green’s the less heart disease, cancers and degenerative diseases.    Consuming supergreen powders is a reliable way to get in the minimum daily intake of greens and then some…and one cannot eat too many greens (with the exception of those on blood thinning medications).

2. With so many Americans coming up short in the daily fruits and veggies department, can green products provide a good way to make up for deficiencies?

Ans: Absolutely! Supergreen powders are high in vitamins, minerals, fibers (soluble and insoluble), enzymes and other, anti-cancer compounds, anti-inflammatory compounds, detoxification compounds and other important nutritional items.

3.    What should consumers look for and what should we be wary of in a green foods product?

Ans: Make sure that the product does not contain food concentrates that you have known allergies or sensitivities to.    The product should have a wide variety of foodstuff that taste pretty good to great.    These products should be free of excessive bacterial and yeast organisms and heavy metals such as lead and mercury.

4.    What is chlorophyll and what are the benefits of it? I’ve read that is it is similar to hemoglobin in blood? Also is it true that algae such as spirulina will have much more chlorophyll than green grasses such as barley?

Ans: Chlorophyll does have a chemical structure that has similarities to human (mammal) hemoglobin, but chlorophyll is hot hemoglobin and does not have the same functions in the human body. However, chlorophyll does seem to have weak detoxification properties and thus blood cleansing properties, but not in cases of serious toxicity. Also, chlorophyll cannot effectively detoxify heavy metals. Depending upon the toxins in question, certain nutritional compounds are more exacting and appropriate than others.    The amount of chlorophyll in a food depends on the food and the amount consumed. Chlorophyll is a type of fiber and is not absorbed. Algae is    higher in chlorophyll per gram compared to barley, but algae is algae so one would just need to alter their intake for equivalent amounts. It is best, in my opinion, to consume a variety of algae containing foods.

5.    What is chlorella and what are the nutrition/health benefits of chlorella?    I’ve read it is particularly rich in chlorophyll? I’ve seen “cracked cell wall” on labels beside chlorella – what does this mean?

Ans: Chlorella is a type of green algae, which is a fantastic source of inexpensive proteins, healthy fats and carbohydrates containing approximately 45% protein and 20% each of fats and carbohydrates.    “Cracked cell wall” chlorella refers to a process by which the cell wall of the single celled chlorella algae is broken helping to release its nutritional contents that otherwise would resist digestive enzymes and acids in the human body.

6. What are the benefits of consuming kelp in green food supplements?

Ans: Kelp is a form of brown seaweed algae and a rich source of vitamins A, B, C, D, E, K and the minerals iodine.    Kelp is yet another high nutritional content plant food, that when combined in a comprehensive green food helps to cover a variety of nutritional bases.

7. Would consuming spirulina, chlorella and kelp be tantamount to consuming a “whole food”?

Ans: A whole food does not exist. This is a term only that refers to a product or foodstuff that is considered to contain an exceptionally well-balanced variety of proteins, healthy fats and carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, herbs, fibers and other nutritional compounds. A “whole food” does not imply that the food product contains everything that an individual needs each day or throughout their lifetime. Together with a healthy diet a “wholefood” can serve as “nutritional insurance” towards helping to ensure an exceptional nutritional effort.

8.    What are some of the nutritional benefits of cereal grasses such as wheat, barley and alfalfa?

Ans: Those with gluten or wheat allergy and/or sensitivity should avoid wheat and barley. Alfalfa is not a gluten grain. If one is not allergic to these foods then they serve to provide unprocessed fibers, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

9. Are their anti-inflammatory properties with green powders? If so, why is this important?

Ans: It is not generally recognized in medical research and clinical arenas that inflammation is the fundamental process causing cellular, tissue, organ and organ system degeneration.    Green powders contain literally hundreds to tens-of- thousands of plant compounds suspected or well-established to effect many known inflammatory pathways in the body including interleukens, interferons, cytokines and other inflammatory modifying pathways.

10. Are there any detoxifying properties of these greens? If so, what are they?

Ans: Many greens provide a large number of compounds that are known to enhance the body’s detoxification mechanisms including many of the cytochrome P450 enzyme systems in the liver and other organs; monoamine oxidase systems (MAOs) and Phase I, Phase II and Phase III detoxification mechanism.

11. When choosing a green powder formula, what other items can be beneficial (e.g. probiotics, digestive enzymes)?

Ans: The addition of probiotics to green powered formulations can add an additional health benefit. Probiotics are helpful for detoxification, modification of immunity, improvement of inflammation control and thrive in an environment high in live enzymes and fibers such as green foods.    Green foods themselves are exceptionally high in naturally-occurring plant enzymes; additional enzymes added to green powders could enhance the healing benefits of such products.