Drink Your Greens by Dr. Donald L. Hayes

Most of us have heard that diets high in fruits and vegetables can hlep us lose weight and reduce our risk of heart disease, cancer, diatbets, high blood pressure, cataracts, macular degeneration, osteoprosis, arthirtis and even wrinkles. As a matter of fact, according to the National Cancer Institute, 8 to 10 servings a day an cut our risk of some cancers in half.

However, with the U.S. government releaseing its new dietary recommendations urging us to eat up to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables each and every day, it's certain many of us are falling short of that goal. Fortunately, heath care providers today can offer the power of "superfood" drink mixes with the antioxidant protection of 10-15 servings of fruit and vegetables to help fill this nutritional gap.

WHY GREEN FOODS?

Food science has only recently come to realize there is much more to nutrition than just vitamins and minerals. Indeed, there may be well more than 1,000 different plant chemicals, known as phytochemicals, available in fruits and vegetables that may have a positive metabolic effect. Further study has shown tht the fruits and vegetables that come in rich, vibrant colors like tomatoes, carrots, spinach, broccoli, blueberries, and raspberries are much more potent and beneficial than pastel-colored produce like iceberg lettuce, bananas, celery, corn and potatoes. Furthermore, certain foods may contain greater quantities of antioxidants, fibers, probiotics and even specific medicinal substances (especially in the case of many edible herbs and spices).

As we have become more aware of the amazing and broad spectrum of health-promoting, antiaging and disease-preventing benefits of fruits and vegetables especially high in this "new" array of such micronutrients, a new name for them has emerged: "superfoods." While you probably have heard of these foods before, the superfoods concept now has expanded to include functional foods know as gree-food drink mixes. Green-food drinks offer many health benefits when compared to other types of food. Gree-food drinks typically are a superlative health food because they usually contain a wide variety of phytonutrients including vitamins, minerals, proteins, essential fatty acids, flavonoids, carotenoids, and other substance that together exhibit antioxidant, detoxifying, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial benefits.

Green-food mixes are different from mainstream vitamin and mineral supplements because they are not synthetic, nor are they isolated compounds; they are whole-food sources of nutrition. They are the base of the food chain and, therefore, the source of optimal nutrition. They are nature's multivitamin/mineral supplement, providing these essential nutrients in a form that is both safe and effective for the body.

The sad fact remains that in spite of all the support from mainstream medical organizations like the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association, and government health entities like the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Aging, the USDA and even the U.S. Surgeon General, few of us eat the recommended minimum of two brightly colored fruits and three phytochemical-dense, deep green vegetables daily. Even when counting the "pal" plant foods like french fries, green-gassed bananas and icreberg lettuce, we still don't achieve the minimum!

Choosing the Right Green-Food Drink

Quality manufacturers of green-food drink mixes take care to preserve the nutrients naturally found in fruits and vegetables during the various manufacturing processes. These are natural, certified organic, whole foods and they are best consumed as close to their natural environmental state as possible, with as little handling as possible.

Many doctors today recommend the use of functional foods such as green-food drink mixes that can be included in the dietary fabric of the busy, modern world. People only eat what they like, so consuming a good-tasting, instant and healthy superfood drink on a daily basis can help bridge the gap between a SAD and an optimal diet.

Dr. Hayes, D.C. is the author of such books as 7 Habits of Healthy Living: the 90-Day food and Exercise Dietary; and The Healthy Living Cookbook.