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Superfood
International
Journal of Alternative Therapies
Reprinted from the
"International Journal of Alternative Therapies"
Winter 2001; Vol. 28
by John Winters
As I stated in the last issue, nowhere is there more
contradictory information than in the field of nutrition--high protein,
high carbohydrate, high fat, low fat–it’s enough to make you
almost want to give up.
Rather than tackle the debate of what or what not to
eat in this article, let's see if we can reach a common ground of what
just about all would agree on-- vegans, meat eaters, raw foodists, 40-30-30er's,
et al.-- to be a beneficial supplement. So, if nothing else, we would
know one thing that for sure, we would be able to take that would benefit
almost everyone, and be objected to by almost no one. At least we finally
have a common starting point, as far as supplements go. And if you're
only able to make one step, at least make it one that would most improve
your odds of increased health.
At this point, most would be
guessing a good multi-vitamin/mineral supplement, as probably the logical
guess (a couple of years ago, it would have been mine). But, remember,
we're trying to address all camps here; on the one hand, you'd have traditional
medicine warning that the potencies are too high, and you already get
a" you need from your food, and on the other you have those warning against
synthetic vitamins, and the body's inability to recognize, and thus utilize
them properly (e.g. Vitamin E derived from petroleum products, or Vitamin
B12 derived from sludge). Even vitamins labeled as natural, such as E,
though better than synthetic, will not have the complete complex of tocopherols
found in nature. And many argue that ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) found in
virtually all multi-vitamin supplements, since it is not a complete complex
as found in say, a kiwi, will tend to leach copper and/or iron from the
body to try to complete itself. So, that eliminates the first obvious
choice.
A second logical guess might be protein powder; obviously
protein is the primary building block of the body. But then you'd have
the argument about what kind--vegans being against whey, since it's milk
derived, or eggs, because it's a potential animal; others being against
soy because of its tendency to elevate estrogen levels, or because of
most of it being genetically manipulated (GMO); and others against rice
powder, since it's an incomplete protein. And the raw foodists would be
against all protein powders, because they need to be heated to get to
that state. So much for protein powders becoming the unanimous choice.
Thirdly, you might offer bee pollen as that ideal supplement.
I've taken fresh organic local bee pollen for decades, and continue to
do so, because of its complete amino acid profile, and wide range of vitamins,
minerals, and nutrients. About the only thing you could say it's missing
are those magical phytonutrients you can only find in plants. Unfortunately,
some people (including those allergic to bee stings) are allergic to bee
pollen, resulting in uncomfortable, to downright serious reactions.
Nutritional yeast might be offered up by some, because
of its protein, enzyme, and B vitamin plusses, but having used them, realize,
the taste and gaseous tendencies would not garner many long term converts.
Which leads me down this next road. It's pretty unanimous
that vegetables are a good thing to eat; green veggies even better; and
raw (because they still contain their enzymes) better yet. Even our government's
U.S.D.A. urges us to have 3 servings of green veggies a day (which less
than 5% get). Green plants provide the building blocks to enable a cow
to build its structure simply by eating grass. This prompted me to explore
the varied world of green powder supplements, which are generally considered
superfoods because of their dense nutrient content. There are those with
just one ingredient, like spirulina (a sea vegetable), barley (grass),
kamut (a grass), blue green algae, and Chlorella (an algae). All these
products are beneficial, because, among other things, they are high in
chlorophyll (chlorella being the highest, at 7%). Chlorophyll, (in Latin,
"chloro" meaning green, and "phyll" meaning leaf)
is what makes plants green.
Considered the blood of plants, it is very similar to
human blood; the main difference being chlorophyll's structure is magnesium
centered, and blood is iron based. This similarity provides its enriching
and detoxifying effects.
The two key things to look for among these, or any of
the green powders are these: 1) are they predominantly organic/transitional
organic, or wildcrafted, and/or pesticide free 2) are they unheated, to
preserve enzyme activity (though apparently, despite what some claim,
spirulina, and chlorella, does need to be brought up to 170 degrees briefly).
If these criteria are met, you're moving from a good to a great product.
A step up from these excellent choices are the combination
powders that may contain a few superfoods in combination, to those with
upwards of 60 plus ingredients.
There are many such types to choose from, making doing
so bewildering, but let me give you one more criteria that will whittle
down your choices considerably: eliminate those with non-super- food fillers
(such as soy lecithin, apple pectin, or oat bran). Not that there's anything
necessarily wrong with those substances (though some would argue against
the lecithin because of its soy derivation, and also the chemicals used
in the extraction process), but because they can be easily and cheaply
obtained on their own, if desired. A quick look at the label will reveal
that those fillers may comprise almost half the content. So keep your
superfood powders filled with superfoods, or else you'd just be better
off sticking with the mono-green powder types.
These combination powders, if done correctly, are another
step up the nutrition ladder, because variety helps better assure the
plethora of necessary nutrients are being found. They generally contain
grasses, sea vegetables, and algae. Some add sprouts and land vegetables.
Also, added by some, are probiotic cultures (friendly bacteria), and enzymes,
which help with digestion, assimilation, and hopefully utilization. One
adds predigested nutrients (by way of fermentation), seeds, and grains.
Another adds herbs and various nutrients. And the thing to keep in mind
is that these are all whole food complexes, pro- viding vitamins, and
minerals in their natural state. One goes as far as underlining on the
label, ". . . not a supplement. It is a biocompatible nutritional
superfood. It is non-toxic and can be taken in any quantity" (Vitamineral
Green). Another states "More than a food supplement" (Perfect Food). The
point is, though I am using the term supplement in the conventional sense--as
an adjunct to food intake--these companies are considering themselves
beyond that; more food, than supplement (I think justifiably so).
Using the three criteria outlined above, I was able to
narrow the field to a very manageable 8 choices: (My apologies if I missed
any others that meet these criteria, but I looked long and hard just to
find these six; and as you can see, they are not exactly household names--
even in the health food community).
1) LifeSource (by Etherium Technology)
This company is out of Oregon, not widely available,
but worth seeking out. Had I not talked to the owner and formulator, Patrick
Bailey (who back in 1983, while at the helm of Rainbow Light, was the
first to coin the word "superfood"), I wouldn't have known from the label
that LifeSource met my first two criteria (organic, unheated). But thankfully,
he assured me that it did, because it is by far the best tasting of the
lot. It is the only one that is good enough to even eat straight from
the spoon, or just mix in water. The others would need juice to be more
palatable.
One reason for this would certainly be the small amount
of Stevia extract (a safe, non- caloric sweetener from a cactus plant,
which studies show reduces brood sugar levels, and promotes healthy teeth),
added, but Patrick attributes it to the combination of ingredients--their
quality and proportion--balanced and tuned harmonically. These have been
arrived at through a unique trial and error testing process involving
three electromagnetic sensing devices (a one- of-kind electromagnetic
image patterner, developed in conjunction with Bechtell and Hewlett-Packard
which gives a black & white blueprint of the energy field; a frequency
monitoring device; and Kirlian photography), that test the energy fields
of each ingredient in conjunction with each other, and measure this in
MHz (Megahertz) of energy. This process is called Energy Field Formulations.
LifeSource measures out at 121 MHz (a frequency closely associated with
DNA).
Patrick said adding or subtracting anything from the
eventually arrived at ratio, just lowered the frequency. (It wound up
with 10 different ingredients). Research indicates that foods with an
over- ride frequency of 72MHz or greater increase the body's bioelectric
energy. Foods below 72 MHz deplete the body's energy.
Patrick says cost was never considered, only foods that
potentiate the greatest life force energy were chosen. (This would explain
their higher cost). He measures processed foods from 10MHz to 30MHz, fresh
organically grown foods from 30MHz to 80MHz, and an average of 83MHz for
ordinary superfood products. (Thus, his claim Life Source provides up
to 36% more vital energy).
His chlorella, unlike everyone else's, is not broken
cell wall, but whole cell. He says those walls give the very quality most
unique to chlorella: its ability to chelate heavy metals out of the body.
The slight increase in nutrient absorbability of the broken walls, is
not a logical trade-off, and originated in the early days of fending off
spirulina's marketing inroads.
Besides, the good taste, its other unique quality is
that it seems to melt on the tongue, almost immediately disappearing.
Truly a very superior product!
Available In:
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4 oz.
bottle (Glass bottle, plastic cap)
2 oz. bottle
90 Veggie Cap bottle
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The
seven other finalists in this study are:
2) Vitamineral Green (by Healthforce
Nutritionals)
3) Gary Null’s Green Stuff (by Gary Null & associates)
4) Immugreen Plus (by Blender Culture)
5) Perfect Food (by Garden Of Life)
6) Best of Greens (by Organic By Nature)
7) Pure Synergy (by the Synergy Company)
8) Superfood (by American Botanical Pharmacy)
So, what's my bottom line? Obviously, all the above-mentioned
products impressed me; and the test revealed the attributes of green food
powders, are even greater than I originally suspected. I've always (the
last 5 years anyway) had some in the house, and might use some on a weekly
basis, but now have been motivated to use them throughout every day. It’s
a relatively easy step to insure superior nutrition, and feels better
than popping pills.
My current choices? Because of its taste, several times
during the day I'll just put about 1/2 teaspoon on my tongue of
the LifeSource. (Something I probably wouldn't have thought of doing hadn't
I needed to do a taste test). It's quick, no mess, no fuss. I might also
sprinkle some on my cereal or pasta. Because of its higher cost, I'll
save it for those uses, but I'll always have it around.
Logically, it seems if a wide variety of fruits and vegetables
is good, so too must be a variety of green powders. Luckily, we have 7
more to choose from. Each, so different from the other, should provide
the widest possible variety of superfood qualities. So when it comes time
to make a smoothie, I'II use one of these 7, and then rotate to a different
one. If I want to have a particular one because of it’s attributes,
I might make up a quick drink with juice, or pure water and raw honey
(with a little apple cider vinegar to mitigate blood sugar level spikes).
Live healthier, eat
Superfoods!
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