Seven super green foods

Better Nutrition, August, 1998 by James F. Scheer

Mother always told you to eat your greens. Most likely, she was referring to nutrient-packed vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, and peas.

Today, there's a whole new generation of green foods to choose from. However, these "new" greens are not only served on a plate, but also available as supplements.

An article about green foods written by Peter Huck which appeared in the June 1998 issue of the trade publication, Health Supplement Retailer, explains that before growing into a mature grain, cereal grasses, such as wheatgrass and barley grass, first pass through a stage when their nutrient content reaches levels much greater than those found in mature grains. Huck reports, "Because the nutrient content of these plants is at its highest only for a short time, the window of opportunity for harvesting cereal grasses is only for a few weeks .... "

Not a "green food" in and of itself, but a critically important component in green foods, chlorophyll is known as the lifeblood of all plants, since it is very similar in molecular structure to the hemoglobin of human blood.

Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D., in Herbal Tonic Therapies, cites research indicating that chlorophyll extracts from plants may stimulate the growth of new skin tissue in wounds. He cites one study in which 1,372 cases of experimentally induced wounds and burns were treated topically by 17 different ointments; only the chlorophyll preparation showed consistently significant results.

Biochemists T. Negishi, and colleagues, on the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Japan, recently conducted a revealing experiment with chlorophyll on fruit flies. A toxic substance was fed to the fruit flies along with chlorophyll derived from spinach and the green product chlorella. The chlorophyll neutralized the toxin, and the fruit flies survived.

The seven glorious green foods include wheatgrass, barley grass, alfalfa, chlorella, spirulina, blue-green algae (AFA), and green tea.

1 Wheatgrass. Researchers agree that wheatgrass -- the delicate, immature wheat plant before it produces seeds -- is loaded with protein (some say 25 percent), containing more of this nutrient than meat, eggs, fish, or dairy products.

Thanks to the stellar track record of the late Ann Wigmore for restoring the health of thousands of sick and energy-drained people with wheatgrass, this super supplement came out of obscurity and today is found on the nutrition shelves of health-conscious people everywhere.

Authorities agree that even people allergic to wheat can ingest wheatgrass and not suffer any ill effects, since wheatgrass does not contain the gluten of wheat grain.

2 Barley grass. Like wheatgrass, young barley grass seems to be headed for the Nutrition Hall of Fame.

Young barley grass is a source of amino acids, enzymes, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, beta carotene, B vitamins, vitamins C and E, selenium, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and a newly discovered antioxidant, 2-O-GIV.

Yoshihide Hagiwara, M.D., the "father" of barley grass, president of the Hagiwara Institute of Health in Japan, and author of Green Barley Essence, discovered in an in vitro experiment that barley grass added to damaged body cells quickly helped to repair their DNA, enhancing the cells' ability to prevent cancer and delay aging.

Research also indicates that green barley grass may be beneficial for asthma, obesity, skin, anemia, arthritis, digestive problems, diabetes, heart disease, and hepatitis.

3 Alfalfa. Important information keeps emerging about another important green product, alfalfa. Scientists have discovered that it not only reduces cholesterol levels, but also reduces atherosclerotic plaque, reveal Michael Murray, N.D., and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D., in their Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. In one study, alfalfa in the diet of monkeys dissolved plaque formed by a high intake of cholesterol-rich foods.

Mowrey, in his book, states that alfalfa brings many health benefits, because "it is a kidney tonic, a liver tonic, a superlative restorative tonic, a digestive tonic, a prostatic tonic, reproductive tonic, a musculoskeletal and glandular tonic."

The roots of alfalfa often probe 10 to 20 feet deep in the soil to absorb nutrients and moisture. It is also very rich in chlorophyll.

4 Chlorella. On this polluted planet, it is comforting to know that the green supplement chlorella exists. A single-cell, fresh-water algae and a green treasury of chlorophyll, chlorella is an all-purpose cleanser that can rid the body of such toxins as cadmium, present in tobacco smoke, smog, and tire dust on roads, and uranium, according to the 1998 book, Dr. Atkins' Vita-Nutrient Solution.

Rich in B-complex vitamins, chlorella contains more pantothenic acid (an anti-stress nutrient) than any other natural source. It also boasts magnesium and other trace minerals. Vegetarians will delight in the fact that third-world countries use it as a cost-effective substitute for meat, due to its high content of protein.