What Are Those Green Superfood Drinks All About?

There are a lot of great things that make green superfood drinks so popular. One of my favorite benefits is the convenience and simplicity of ensuring you eat your greens every day. Greens are also energizing and cleansing. Typical greens found in most green superfood powders include spirulina, alfalfa, wheat grass, barley grass, kale, chlorella, broccoli, and spinach. Let's take a look at some specific supergreens.

Common Supergreen Ingredients

Wheat Grass

Wheat Grass is one of the most potent green vegetables available. It’s an excellent source of natural vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes, and is known to be highly alkalizing and will help detoxify the body.

Kale

Kale is rich in calcium and iron, and has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and ten times more lutein. Lutein is a powerful antioxidant highly concentrated in the macula of the eye. It has been found to help prevent age-related macular degeneration by protecting our eyes from damage caused by daily exposure to sunlight, indoor lighting, and environmental pollutants.

Green Barley Grass

Green barley grass contains a multitude of enzymes. It appears that there may be thousands of active enzymes in barley grass, especially superoxide dismutase (SOD), a major detoxifying enzyme sometimes recommended in combating arthritis.

Alfalfa

Alfalfa roots grow very deep to absorb many minerals and nutrients from the soil. It contains eight essential amino acids, and is a rich source of vitamin B₁₂, natural fluoride and chlorophyll.

Greens as a Natural Detoxifier

Chlorophyll is the green pigment found in plants and algae. The deeper the green color of a plant food, the richer that food is in chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the most important biological compound needed for plants to live and thrive. Proponents say chlorophyll assists in the detoxification process by binding to and removing heavy metals from the body, and by creating an alkaline environment. Wheat grass and barley grass are notoriously high in chlorophyll and almost always found in supergreen powder. Other high chlorophyll greens include spinach, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, kale and swiss chard.

Greens are Alkalizing

Your body strives to have a balanced pH level—something around 7.4, which is slightly alkaline. If your blood pH is lower than 7, it means you’re acidic. Disease, in particular, cancer (yikes!) feeds off acidic, oxygen-depleted conditions.

The Standard American Diet (SAD) is highly acidic, and it forces your body to pull valuable alkaline minerals from its stores to balance out the pH. It takes these minerals from your bones, tissues, and organs. That’s why, for instance, some studies have shown people who consume the most animal protein (acid-forming) have higher hip fracture rates because the body draws calcium from the bones to alkalize the blood.

Antioxidant-Rich Fruits, Vegetables, and Super Foods

The benefits of supergreen powder doesn’t stop there. Most green powders contain antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, such as cherries, pineapple, blueberries, beets and carrots. Green drink powders also contain superfoods, such as maca and acai and goji berries.

Açaí Berry

The Açaí berry packs more antioxidants than blueberries or pomegranates, plus believe it or not…an abundance of omega fats, protein and fiber.

Carrots

Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A from beta-carotene, which are two nutrients very beneficial for eye health.

Blueberries

Blueberries are concentrated in anthocyanins and other health promoting antioxidants, plus their sweet flavor adds to the great taste of the powder.

Goji Berries

The bright red color of goji berries are a sign it’s packed with phytonutrients. Goji berries are one of the most nutritionally dense fruits on the planet and have been long revered in Tibet for its health promoting effects.

Maca

Maca is an amazing adaptogenic root that enhances your ability to deal with stress while boosting energy and endurance.

Supergreen drinks are high in beta-carotene, beneficial for eye health; vitamin C, an antioxidant immune booster; and vitamin K, critical for blood clotting and bone health. 

Probiotic, Enzymes, Fiber

Supergreen drink powders often include a probiotic and enzyme blend to support digestive health. The chia and flax seeds also boost the fiber content in supergreen powder.

Supergreen powder is usually vegan, gluten-free, raw, soy-free, and dairy-free. These powders are a great addition to any diet. It will improve a less than healthy diet and boost an already nutrient-rich diet.

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods