5 Green Superfood Benefits For Top Nutrition

We’ve all heard about green superfood benefits and how good green superfoods are for us. They’re the main ingredients in healthy energy bars, pre-made smoothie powders and even gluten-free cereals!

Don’t be misled by the name. They won’t turn you into the Incredible Hulk when you eat them and you don’t need to wear a cape. But the health benefits of green superfoods are profound as they are the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. Superfoods will give your immune system a SUPER boost!

Green Chlorophyll Benefits

It is so important to eat a diet rich in green Superfoods, because it is best to consume chlorophyll in its natural form.

Green superfood benefits are far and wide. One unmistakable key to their super power is the chemical chlorophyll, which gives them their characteristic green color. Essentially, plants use chlorophyll as food, while people use it for medicine. (1)

Not known to be toxic in its natural form, the synthetic version (chlorophyllin) has also never been linked to any serious harmful effects in spite of 50 years of clinical use.

According to Oregon State University’s Linus Pauling Institute, chlorophyll is also an incredible antioxidant with some impressive therapeutic benefits such as wound healing and being used as a natural deodorant when consumed.

Since chlorophyll is fat-soluble, it contains some unique detoxification and cancer fighting properties because it is able to chemically bind with molecules known to cause cancer, including aromatic hydrocarbons found in tobacco smoke. (2)

Below is a list of the chlorophyll content of some foods to give you an idea of the wide variety that you can choose from:

Chlorophyll Content of Selected Raw Vegetables (2)

Food                 Serving           Chlorophyll (mg)

Spinach                  1 cup                23.7

Parsley                  ½ cup               19.0

Cress, garden        1 cup                 15.6

Green beans          1 cup                  8.3

Arugula                  1 cup                  8.2

Leeks                      1 cup                  7.7

Endive                    1 cup                  5.2

Sugar peas             1 cup                  4.8

Chinese cabbage   1 cup                  4.1

In addition to chlorophyll, the Top 5 Green Superfoods are not only chlorophyll-dense, but also contains a plethora of other nutrients!

Spirulina Benefits

Spirulina is the gold standard in green Superfoods. It has been shown clinically to help with a wide range of health concerns including:

• Cancer (3, 4, 5)
• Candida (6, 7, 8)
• Fatigue/low energy levels
• High blood pressure (9)
• High cholesterol (10)
• HIV/AIDS (11)
• Obesity / unhealthy food cravings (12)
• Sinus disorders (13)
• Stroke (10)

Just one cup contains the following: (14)

• Protein: 64 g
• Dietary fiber: 4 g
• Sugars: 3 g

Fats:

• Total fat: 3% Recommended Daily Value
• Saturated fat: 15%
• Omega-3 fatty acids: 922 mg
• Omega-6 fatty acids: 1404 mg

Minerals:

• Copper: 342%
• Iron: 177%
• Manganese: 106%
• Magnesium: 55%
• Sodium: 49%
• Potassium:44%
• Zinc:15%
• Phosphorus: 13%
• Calcium:13%
• Selenium: 12%

Vitamins:

• Riboflavin:242%
• Thiamin: 178%
• Niacin: 72%
• Pantothenic Acid:39%
• Vitamin K: 36%
• Vitamin E: 28%
• Folate: 26%
• Vitamin B6:20%
• Vitamin C:19%
• Vitamin A: 13%

Spirulina has the best well-balanced nutritional profile of any food on Earth! No wonder it was a staple for the ancient Aztecs and surrounding wildlife near Tenochtitlan! In the words of Cortez in his book, “Conquest of Mexico”:

“They make it into cakes like bricks, which they sell, not only in the market (of Tenochtitlan) but carry it to others outside the city, and far off. They eat this as we eat cheese, and it has rather a salty taste, which is delicious with chilmolli (a pungent sauce). They say that so many birds come to the lake for this food, that often in winter some parts are covered with them.”

The Benefits of Chlorella

Native to Taiwan and Japan, the second most nutrient dense superfood on the planet is chlorella. Like spirulina, it has also been shown clinically to help with a wide variety of health concerns such as:

• Cancer (15)
• Cholesterol (16)
• Detox radiation and chemotherapy (16)
• Diabetes (18)
• Heavy metal detoxification (19, 20)
• Immune system support (24)
• Pre-mature aging and increase risk of disease from smoking (25)
• Weight loss (21)

Just 100g (about 1 cup) serving of dried chlorella contains: (22)

• Protein: 58 g
• Carbohydrates: 23 g
• Fat: 9.3 g
• Vitamin A: 1026%
• Iron: 722%
• Zinc: 473%
• Vitamin B2: 253%
• Vitamin B3: 119%
• Vitamin B1: 113%
• Phosphorus: 90%
• Magnesium: 79%
• Vitamin B6: 70%
• Folate: 24%
• Calcium: 22%
• Vitamin B5: 11%
• Vitamin C: 17%
• VitaminE: 8%
• VitaminB12: 2%

Why we Love Avocados

Next to the jam-packed nutritional benefits they provide, avocados are wonderfully easy to eat and quite tasty.

This well-balanced nutrition profile makes avocados the perfect first food to give to babies and they are exceptionally soft and simple to digest.

Compare to spirulina and chlorella, one cup of pureed avocados grown in California contains: (23)

• Fat: 35 g
• Omega-3 fatty acids: 253 mg
• Omega-6 fatty acids: 3886 mg
• Protein: 4.5 g
• Choline: 32.7 mg
• Betaine: 1.6 mg
• Vitamin K: 60%
• Folate: 51%
• Vitamin B6: 34%
• Vitamin C: 34%
• Vitamin B5: 33%
• Phosphorus: 33%
• Vitamin E: 23%
• Vitamin B3: 22%
• Copper: 20%
• Vitamin B2: 19%
• Magnesium: 17%
• Manganese: 17%
• Vitamin B1: 12%
• Zinc: 10%
• Iron: 8%
• Vitamin A: 7%
• Calcium: 3%
• Sodium: 1%
• Selenium: 1%

Need help getting enough superfoods into your diet? Check out how we use Living Fuel Super Greens to make sure we get enough in our family and grab some for yourself too.

Green Superfood Benefits: Wheat Grass

Wheat grass is very beneficial, but it does have a “drawback. It has no fat content and lacks the Omega 3: Omega 6 benefit that avocados have.

Think of it this way: If you stranded on an island and only had one food item from which to choose, you’d be much better off spending the rest of your days chomping on avocados than chewing on wheat grass!

However, every fruit and smoothie bar in America sells wheat grass shots and for good reason!

Just 1 ounce (28g), the typical shot glass serving of wheat grass contains: (24)

• Protein: 8 g
• Fiber: 8 g
• Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrate: 16 g
• Vitamin B2: 122, 353%
• Vitamin B6: 15,600
• Vitamin E: 12,800%
• Vitamin B3: 10,080%
• Vitamin B1: 5867%
• Vitamin B5: 2,880%
• Iron: 356%
• Vitamin K: 350%
• Vitamin A: 240%
• Vitamin C: 93%
• Potassium: 24%
• Calcium: 12%
• Magnesium: 8%
• Vitamin B12 7%
• Phosphorus: 11%

Superfood Cruciferous Vegetables

Last, but certainly not least, the illustrious list of Superfoods contains the cancer-fighting cruciferous veggies:

• Arugula
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Collard Greens
• Kale
• Mustard greens
• Radish
• Turnip
• Watercress

Cruciferous vegetables support detoxification and greatly reduce the risk of breast, colon and lung cancers because they are rich in indole-3-carbinol sulfur containing compounds, referred to as glucosinolates. Slice up some of your favorites, dunk in a healthy French-onion dip and munch your way to health.

So we have quite a variety of life giving, energy maintaining Superfoods from which to choose. And everyone should make the wise decision to add them to their diet on a regular basis.