Across the board, both Eastern and Western practitioners agree that one of the single most important things you can do for your health is to increase your greens intake. The more the variety, the better. From lettuce and kale, to broccoli and Brussels sprouts, even the more exotic chlorella and wheatgrass, greens are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. Bursting with foundation-building vitamins and minerals, and anti-aging, disease-fighting antioxidants, it is no wonder greens are renown for their medicinal capabilities.
Research is beginning to uncover that greens help the body to detoxify – clearing harmful toxins including heavy metals, chemicals and xeno-estrogens from the system. Greens help to build strong bones, teeth, hair, and nails, nourish and cleanse the blood, brighten the skin, and keep an alkaline pH, all the while maintaining a resilient immune system. Due to their far-reaching benefits, we love to use greens as our multivitamin – the bonus points in our daily diet, ensuring that we get all the nutrients we need for the day. No matter how the rest of the day goes – an extra large coffee to meet a deadline, a celebratory piece of birthday cake or an after dinner cocktail – greens in the morning mean we still feel good, and our health remains somewhat in tact. Pick from our top three favorites, each featuring an array of nutrient-dense greens, and maximize your greens potential!
TCM Note: While incorporating leafy greens into every meal is the best place to begin, we also suggest supplementing with a greens powder or greens juice. Taking greens in powder or juice form allows you to consume much higher levels of nutrients that otherwise would be near to impossible to consume in food form. So unless you can manage to eat a head of kale, a head of broccoli, a bunch of wheatgrass and a side of blue-green algae all in one day, consider one of our top picks from below.
High: Greens 1 by Pressed Juicery
Nothing goes down easier that a bottle of fresh-pressed green juice. That is why Greens 1 from Pressed Juicery is always going to be our daily staple. Featuring some of our favorite greens – kale, spinach, and romaine, this juice amps up its nourishing and cleansing properties with the addition of parsley, cucumber, and celery. The added bonus is that this particular green juice contains all of the live enzymes present in vegetables, which increase its ability to detoxify, energize and hydrate. Liquid chlorophyll is how we see it! If you want to learn more about how to make green juice at home, or the health benefits of juicing, get JUICE, the new juicing how-to book by the Pressed Juicery founders!
Midpoint: Green SuperFood Powder by Amazing Grass Raw Reserve
A complete blend of algaes, cereal grasses, sea vegetables and a few other functional foods, there is hardly anything left out of the Amazing Grass Greens Superfood blend. Homegrown and developed on a family farm in the middle of Kansas, many of the ingredients are tended to and harvested with the utmost attention and care. What that leaves us with is some of the most nutrient dense cereal grasses on the face of the Earth.
In order to amplify the benefits of this greens blend, the nutrient powerhouses spirulina, chlorella and sea vegetables are also included. Algae and sea vegetables are powerful detoxifiers and blood cleansers, which is vital for maintaining optimal health. Each ingredient in Raw Reserve is completely raw, vegan and of the highest quality. Plus, each serving contains over 25 billion live probiotics at the time of bottling, making it beneficial for digestion, mood and immunity. Raw Reserve is one of our favorite ways to drink our greens, especially when added into one of our go-to Tropical Green Smoothie recipes.
Low: Ormus SuperGreens by Sunwarrior
An incredibly unique formula, Sunwarrior Ormus Supergreens includes potent nutrition from alfalfa, barley grass, wheat grass, spinach, oat grass, parsley, moringa, and ginger. These supergreens are grown in pristine, ancient volcanic valleys. The fertile, mineral-rich volcanic soil nurtures these organic greens, enriching them with trace minerals, which is what makes this greens powder so therapeutic. Trace minerals are oftentimes missing in our diet, and they are the very thing that makes us feel energized, hydrated and alert.
This greens blend uses a patented cold-drying process that protects the heat-sensitive bioactive components and phytonutrients. This is unique in that it leaves us with a superior green superfood powder that is alive, and raw. This process conserves the delicate balance of essential oils, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals, so that your body can easily absorb and utilize them. The best part is that this greens formula comes in a delicious peppermint flavor, making it a happy addition to a cold glass of water or superfood smoothie.
