Greens

by Maureen Fontaine

Greens a Natural Choice

Have you ever wondered why a plant or weed has the ability to push its way through cement? This is an example of vital force at its best. We have much to gain by using the innate power of greens to support our physiological systems. It is the best youth tonic available!

Poor eating causes more disease than cancer and only sound preventive nutrition and a healthy lifestyle can save us from the arms of disease. Introducing powdered greens to your health protocol makes boosting your energy and immunity easy and convenient. Powdered greens most often include Barley Grass, Wheat Grass, Alfalfa, Kale, and Chard as the main ingredients, but are often combined with other health promoting herbs, vegetables and fruits.

One of the best gifts that green foods have to offer is phytonutrients or plant chemicals. Phytonutrients act as antioxidants, detoxifiers and protectors for plants and offer the same life-giving benefits to the human being. A diet filled with green foods ensures that the liver functions optimally and the blood is oxygen-rich.

Food is energy and, the body being an intricate energy system, has much to gain from the condensed solar energy of greens. Every activity in the body requires fuel, which is provided by nature in the form of high-octane energy from plants containing high levels of chlorophyll.

Greens are high in protein, chlorophyll, enzymes and other nutritional properties.

The Function of Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is the blood of the plant. Human blood is identified by the oxygen carrier hemoglobin and has iron as its central nucleus, whereas plants have magnesium as its nucleus. Both blood and chlorophyll are strikingly similar!

Plants absorb sunlight which produces energy that changes water and carbon dioxide from the air into sugar. The minerals absorbed from the earth makes vitamins and minerals, fats, proteins and starches necessary for its survival. Nearly all life forms depend on chlorophyll for their existence. By taking chlorophyll foods into our bodies, we elevate the integrity of hemoglobin in the blood that translates into improved energy, circulation and oxygenation.

Chlorophyll contains vitamin, mineral and protein compounds and stands alone in its ability to stimulate the body on a cellular level. Not only does chlorophyll increase heart function, and aid the vascular system, intestines, uterus, and lungs, it acts as a chelator of heavy metals and chemical toxins.

Chlorophyll is a very powerful cleanser. It was used as a disinfectant and antibiotic in the Civil War and is still used today to treat sewage waste. It has the ability to heal the liver, lighten its load and aid in the removal of toxins and debris from the bloodstream.

The Benefits of Greens

• Balances blood sugar levels
• Eases constipation, gas, bloating
• Increases energy
• Helps with weight control
• Supports immune system
• Improves mental acuity
• Protects the memory
• Removes heavy metals and toxins
• An excellent blood builder
• Improves healing
• reduces aches and pains
• Greater strength, vitality
• resistance to disease
• Stimulates, regenerates the liver
• Reduces the risk of heart disease
• lowers cholesterol
• Prevents macular degeneration
• Heavy metal detoxifier
• Blood rebuilder

Greens provide one of the highest food sources of calcium, in addition to numerous other minerals. Choline and magnesium alone prevent deposits of fat on the liver and in tissue, and potassium stimulates and invigorates cells. Amino acids are plentiful in greens therefore making these foods number one for athletes and health conscious individuals. In addition, greens are an excellent source of micronutrients, including Vitamin A, B, C, and E.

If you want an alkalized system, improved digestion, increased stamina and brainpower, and a strong immune system, greens are for you. Powdered greens are a most effective and convenient avenue to optimal nutrition. Nature is the best chemist and food is our best medicine.

THE PROTEIN/CALCIUM MYTH

There is much confusion around the use of greens for both protein and calcium daily requirements. Plants carry sub-cellular microzymes and amino acids that are the building blocks to proteins. Greens also are very high in calcium and in fact can easily replace other calcium sources in the American diet.

We have been misled to believe that dairy is the number one source for calcium. Dairy is acidic in nature which causes disease, mucous, and digestive problems and actually leaches calcium from the bones. Calcium is necessary to buffer the acidic foods so the use of dairy carries some contradiction.

Greens are alkaline. It is well known that an alkaline environment is your best defense against disease. Cereal grasses such as Wheat Grass, Barley Grass and other dark leafy greens supply us with healthy levels of our daily requirements of protein and calcium. Whether you choose animal proteins or not, greens help with digestion from beginning to the end of the digestive cycle by providing enzymatic balance.

Healing the Alkaline Way

If you are deciding to change your diet to a more alkaline based regime for the first time, you can expect a healing process to take place. As tissue toxins begin to mobilize, this debris is dumped into the bloodstream and lymphatic elimination pathways from all the previous years of acidic build-up.

You may experience the symptoms of a fever or chills indicating infection being released from somewhere in the body. Acid wastes are liquefied and the heaviest healing takes place in the first days, lessening as the days go on. According to Dr. Baroody, the stronger the constitution the more intense the healing process. Because viruses love acid, take extra care during your initial process of cleansing with greens.

Hydrochloric acid (HCL) in the gut is responsible for maintaining proper alkaline/acid balance and then becomes alkaline itself once its job is done. HCL is essential for breaking down nutrition to a usable format and helps deal with acid waste from poor food choices. The balance of HCL in the stomach along with the alkaline hormone secretin from the pancreas produce a bicarbonate that is alkaline forming. All these functions are necessary for bile dispersion which affects absorption, assimilation and distribution of nutrients. All these functions occur more easily if alkalizing foods are introduced into the diet and used consistently. Once the efficiency of the digestive system is increased, greens are an affective and easy way to maintain.

Read: pH principles and your health

Alkalizing your Diet the Easy Way

Our world is more developed than at any other time in history yet more sickness prevails than ever before. Our population is suffering from the ill effects of pollution, poor food choices, negative thought patterns and stress.

So let's look for simple solutions. Food based choices always make the best choices no matter what.

Green drinks are used for two reasons. It helps the pancreas to control carbohydrates by being involved in insulin regulation and it is an excellent pain controller. Rebuilding of the pancreas ensures that the right amount of glucagon and insulin are manufactured consistently throughout the day. Adding cucumber to a green drink adds manganese and vitamin A.

THE ROLE OF ALKALINE MINERALS

Besides providing basic nutrition, alkalizing minerals found in wheat grass, barley grass and alfalfa play special roles in our body metabolism.

• Provide structure to bones
• Help with muscle contraction
• Help build protein
• Essential to blood formation
• Nerve conduction
• Energy transportation
• pH regulation
• Electrolyte balance
• Fluid pressure in cells and blood
• Repair of cells and tissue
• Temperature control
• Blood sugars
• Choose a diet rich in life giving foods. Powdered greens are not only convenient, but offer enzymes that make any health program effective. By using greens as part of your daily food, less stress is incurred on the pancreas and other digestive organs.

90% of all disease has its roots in faulty digestion and there is no complete digestion unless the enzymes of the pancreas are in plentiful supply. Without these same enzymes there is no cleansing and detoxifying of body wastes and dying cells of debris. You are only as young as your pancreas.

The Grasses

BARLEY GRASS is high in chlorophyll, calcium and magnesium , it also supplies iron, copper, phosphorus, manganese, and zinc. It is an excellent antioxidant, heavy metal detoxifier and immune system booster. Barley is one plant that provides all-inclusive health benefits. Anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer properties are unique to barley as is its ability to repair DNA.

WHEAT GRASS is one of the richest sources of vitamin A, B complex, C, E and K. It has seventeen forms of amino acids and enzymes therefore rebuilding the blood, cleansing the liver and improving blood sugar. It has been known to reduce blood pressure and effectively prevent cancer. Wheat grass is 26% protein therefore making it an excellent choice.

Both Barley Grass and Wheat Grass contain 514 mg. of calcium per teaspoon. Greens support and protect healthy cell development and fortify weak and starving cells which is good news since germs, viruses and bacteria only feed on decay and diseased tissue.

Incorporating green powders helps to clear suffocating cells from mucous formed by acid producing foods. Eating flesh foods weakens our immune system more than any other single thing we do. Their large undigested protein molecules leak through the gut into the blood, where white blood cells recognize them as foreign invaders.

Alfalfa Leaf Juice

Alfalfa is one of our finest foods. It contains saponins which lower bad cholesterol. It also increases the natural killer cells such as T-lymphocytes and interferon. There is an amino acid analog found in alfalfa that has proven to benefit pancreatic and colon cancer as well as leukemia. Alfalfa is also beneficial in the case of hormonal imbalance including hot flashes, menopausal symptoms, PMS and fibrocystic breast tumors.

The Best Grass Of Them All - Barley

The enzymes found in barley grass, wheat grass and alfalfa have been linked to the prevention of cancer. In an article recently published in the Journal Of Longevity Research Vol.2/No.4 1996, enzymes were praised for there ability to combat the cancer and disease. Enzymes deter the cancer cells ability to hide from the immune system and spread throughout the body.

There are no better overall foods to be using for health and wellness. A combination of or individually, these amazing powders will help alkalize the body and contribute immensely to good health.

Related Article: Eating Wisely