Go for the Green… “Green Food” that is.
By Jordan Rubin & Garden of Life

In an ideal world we’d all be eating the recommended 5-6 servings a day of fruits and vegetables to maintain optimal health. But this isn’t so. The Standard American Diet is woefully lacking in dark, green leafy, raw and fermented vegetables and fruits. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, less than 9% of American adults consume the recommended servings. To fill the gap, it’s a good idea to go for the green, supplement that is.

“One of the keys to health and longevity is getting the proper amount of fruits and vegetables in the diet,” says board-certified gastroenterologist, Dr. Joseph Brasco, co-author of “Restoring Your Digestive Health” book. http://www.transformyourhealth.com/books/coloncarebooks.htm “Super green foods are a wonderful way for people who aren’t consuming 5 or 6 servings a day to get those nutrients. They are good for all the reasons vegetables are good for you.” Green foods are brimming with important nutrients the body needs.

Rich Source of Nutrients

Green foods include young cereal grasses such as wheat, barley, oats and alfalfa. Interestingly, cereal grasses have the look, smell, feel, taste, nutrient and chemical makeup of green leafy vegetables. “Young cereal grasses are a rich source of nutrients,” says Dr. Brasco. Indeed. Cereal grasses are a concentrated food source of beta-carotene, calcium, fiber, iron and vitamin K and are a good food source of protein, vitamin C, vitamin B-12, folic acid, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), and other trace minerals. Cereal grasses are often used in laboratories as a medium to support the growth of lactobacilli, the “healthy flora” bacteria that inhabit the digestive tract. (Note from Christine: Cereal grass juices are gluten free, including wheat grass. The grasses are harvested and juiced before the formation of grains, which then contain gluten).

The chlorophyll found in green foods is also very important. “It’s a nutrient that seems to have detoxification value,” says Dr. Brasco. “You’ll also find very high concentrations of chlorophyll in green foods like spirulina, chlorella, kelp and other blue-green algae.”

Keeping a pH Balance

The potassium and magnesium found in vegetables and green foods are crucial to help maintain acid base balance in the body, making it more alkaline. “It’s one of the biggest reasons to supplement with green foods in addition to just a multivitamin,” says Dr. Brasco. “Potassium and magnesium have incredible health benefits. The alkaline state seems to be more of the ideal pH, where metabolic processes are optimized to the fullest. Acid base balance goes a long way in terms of everything from recovery from illness to bone health to overall health. It’s through the alkalization of the blood and urine that you prevent the leaching of calcium from the bones. Calcium is great but if you really want to protect your bones, eat green food.”

Pick Your Greens!

Perfect Food Super Green Formula powder can supplement your servings of fruits and vegetables. This award-winning, #1 selling green food* contains over 8 grams of greens per serving - more than other leading green food formulas. Perfect Food Super Green Formula powder contains 40 whole food active ingredients and organic nutrient rich grass juices. Unlike many other green food formulas that contain the weaker grass leaf powder, Perfect Food contains concentrated cereal grass juice powder and over 30 vegetables, legumes and sprouts and soluble rice bran. Cereal grasses and algae provide a natural source of alkalizing minerals to help maintain the acid base balance in the body.

Each serving of Perfect Food Super Green Formula powder provides 100% Daily Value of Vitamin A (as beta-carotene), 83% vitamin C from natural sources, and over 15% of calcium from natural sources. It also contains spirulina that supports healthy immune function. What’s equally important it what it doesn’t contain: herbs, white or orange vegetables, grains, fiber and other 'non' greens as fillers. The select ingredients in Perfect Food Super Green Formula are produced through the Garden of Life proprietary Poten-Zyme fermentation process which makes nutrients more bio-available to the body. Probiotics that result from fermentation also aid assimilation and digestion.

Easy to Use

Perfect Food is available in two easy-to-use forms: the #1 selling Green Food in several sizes of caplets or powder. It’s great for those who want the benefits of juicing but don’t have the time to juice fresh greens. You can mix Perfect Food Powder in a blender with your favorite juice for a deliciously healthy shake or smoothie. Or add it to your yogurt or soup. Get creative! Also see Garden of Life’s Perfect Food Berry and Perfect Food Original Powder.

Just Do It

Need more motivation to go for the greens? “No other type of food source provides the nutritional benefit of green foods,” says Dr. Brasco. “It’s a convenient way for people, who otherwise aren’t getting their fruits and vegetables, of getting nutrients that are crucial for overall health.”
For more information about Garden of Life, click here.
*According to SPINS Data 9.9.06

Seibold, Ronald L. Cereal Grass: What’s in it for you! The importance of wheat grass, barley grass and other green vegetables in the human diet. PINES International, Inc. 1990. (Page 11, Figure1.1)
Hamilton, E., Whitney, E., and Sizer, F. 1988. Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (4th Edition). West Publishing Co. St. Paul, Minn.

This information is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be used in place of an individual consultation or examination or replace the advice of your health care professional and should not be relied upon to determine diagnosis or course of treatment.