When was the last time you enjoyed 10 servings of vegetables in a day?
We all know that we need to eat more vegetables and as a nutritionist, I know the truth…most of us don’t quite consume our 7 – 10 servings every day. I also know why most aren’t reaching that goal; in our very busy lives, it’s really hard to add a pile of fruits and vegetables to each meal.
I’m not an ordinary nutritionist, wagging my finger at you trying to scold you into committing to more time in the kitchen. Instead, I want to make it easier for you because it’s hard to say no to something really easy to do. Easy for the win!
Here’s a little secret – this was a struggle for me too. In my twenties I rarely ate a vegetable, I didn’t know my way around the kitchen and frankly, I thought most vegetables tasted like dirt. Well, I did until I added one small habit to my day. A habit I’ve continued for almost 20 years because it’s just so darn easy.
This is it – every day I start my day with a greens drink. Just this morning I whipped up a glass of Perfect Greens and sipped on it while I got ready for the day. My body loves it and the nutritionist in me feels like I’ve started my day off with some extra chlorophyll, grasses, and other phytonutrients that my body needs but can be hard to get on a busy day. I consider it my nutritional insurance policy.
Here are my top 5 benefits for taking a greens powder:
1. Mega antioxidant boost
Every minute of every day your body is in a balancing act between free radicals and antioxidants. Free radicals, caused by oxidative stress, are unstable molecules that can damage cells and it’s believed that they’re the main cause of aging. Several studies have connected free radical damage to chronic health conditions[1]. They’re totally unavoidable, they’re a side-effect to being alive, but we can support our bodies with a healthy diet.
All metabolic processes in the body, like breathing and making energy in your cells, create free radicals in the process. But, happily, the body also has a potent antidote – antioxidants.
Antioxidants quickly neutralize free radicals, stopping the damage in its tracks. Your cells create antioxidants to keep your body in balance. In a perfect world, you wouldn’t need to think about this at all, but a poor diet, chronic inflammation, high stress, and environmental pollution can add extra free radicals to your body, tipping the scales off balance.
Enter superfood greens powders, antioxidant powerhouses.
Greens powders are loaded with a variety of antioxidants and research has found that they can increase the antioxidants in your blood[2]. It’s an easy insurance policy against our world of oxidative stress.
2. Helps your body handle day-to-day stress
Anytime your body goes into the stress response, it gathers up all of the nutrients and energy needed to keep you alive. You’re burning through extra nutrients anytime you’re in a stressed state.
What’s meant to be a short-term solution to a stressful event has become a chronic state for most of us. A stressful drive to work with a stimulating cup of coffee can raise your cortisol levels and keep you stressed out all day long.
Adding nutrient-dense foods, like a greens powder, can fill in those nutrient gaps and can help your body handle your day-to-day stress with much more ease.
3. Supports your immune system
Your gut bacteria play an important role in your immune health. 70% of your immune system lives around your small and large intestine and interacts with your microbiome. The bacteria in your gut may even tell your immune system what to do!
A strong and healthy community of bacteria in your gut can modulate your immune system and calm down inflammation. They munch on the food you eat, which means you have a lot of control over the strength and balance of your bacteria community.
Your gut bacteria’s favourite food is plant-based fibre and research is pointing to the fact that eating a variety of plant-based fibre is key. This means to create a strong rainforest-like variety of bacteria in your gut, you need to eat a wide variety of different plant-based food each day. In North America, we tend to get stuck in food ruts, eating the same thing day in and day out. This style of eating can lead to a more desert-like microbiome, with fewer types of bacteria and fewer numbers. This may lead to immune dysfunction and inflammation[3].
Greens powders, like Perfect Greens, are chockful of unique plant-based fibre, like grasses and blue-green algae. That’s a lot of unique food for your gut bacteria in one small scoop of greens!
4. Calms the fires of inflammation
Greens powders, like Perfect Greens, are more than just green (chlorophyll)…they’re also full of other potent antioxidant colours like red (lycopene) and orange (beta-carotene).
Beta-carotene is the precursor to Vitamin A, which is an important antioxidant to calm down inflammation in your body[4][5]. Along with Vitamin A, the hefty dose of antioxidants can reduce oxidative stress in the body, which can protect you from inflammation.
5. Gives an energy boost by balancing your blood sugar
Blood sugar fluctuations can be a huge energy drain on your body. Feeling tired, grumpy, or getting a bad case of the “hangries” is a sign of a blood sugar crash. Dealing with a crash in the late afternoon is very common and can have you reaching for another cup of your favourite sweetened caffeinated beverage to power through the rest of your workday. This habit can wreak havoc on your sleep.
Also, high blood sugar can lead to free radical damage, weight gain, along with low energy and a daily dose of greens powder can help to keep things balanced. A clinical study found that greens powders can help balance your blood sugar after eating a meal that includes refined carbohydrates.[6] Your morning dose of greens can power your body right through your day!
Just in case you’re still feeling a wee bit squeamish at the thought of guzzling a glass of green powder, I’ve got a few delicious options for you. Botanica’s Perfect Greens Chocolate and Superfruit flavours are lightly sweetened with monk fruit and help make your first sip much more palatable.
But, if you’re like me and want a heavy hitter for your greens formula, grab Perfect Greens Unflavoured or Berry flavours. These are mega green doses, hitting up to 7400mg of greens in every scoop. There are no fillers, sweeteners, or flavourings, just pure greens along with some berries and fruit to round out the antioxidant profile. These are my go-to greens formulas!
Whichever one you choose; your body will give you a big thumbs up. This quick and easy wholefood drink can be mixed up in seconds and gives your body the nutritional insurance that’s needed living in our high-stress world.
References
[1] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318652#How-do-free-radicals-damage-the-body
[2] https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/12/8/4896/htm
[3] https://gut.bmj.com/content/70/7/1287
[4] https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-964/vitamin-a
