Green Nutrition - How Can It Benefit Me?

Green nutrition, smoothies, juices, we've been hearing these terms more and more. 'But what exactly is it, and how can it benefit me?' 

I'm glad you asked!

Green nutrition is something that used to be reserved for patchouli-wearing hippies, right? Not anymore! Thanks to the incredible communicative power of the internet, you are finding more and more people learning about and using the variety of green foods available to them.

What I mean by "green foods" are specifically - certain foods that are, yes, green in color. They are generally referred to by their color not because the color itself is so wonderful, but because they all have similar nutritional benefits.

Green Superfoods are very nutritionally dense, in fact, incredibly so. They have an extremely high vitamin, mineral, enzyme, and antioxidant content, and have a great variety of health benefits, including battling with cancer, heart disease, glaucoma, macular degeneration, osteoporosis, and more. They also provide a tremendous amount of energy along with high quality protein, often with all amino acids for a complete protein.

Here's a few examples of foods that provide green nutrition:

• Wheat, oat, and barley grasses
• Alfalfa
• Algaes such as Chlorella or blue green algae
• Parsley
• Oregano
• Spinach
• Peppermint
• Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Sprouts
• Dandelions

And the list goes on!

Green foods are generally prepared in many ways, depending the food. Grasses are usually juiced or blended, and algaes are available as powders. Herbs can be added to smoothies or salads, and some of the leafy greens can be made into a salad or cooked.

There are a few things to consider when you want to get the most out of your green:

1. Raw green foods are generally better than cooked.
2. Fresh is better than dried, powdered or processed (though is unavoidable sometimes).
3. Organic foods will usually be the most nutrient-dense.

And finally - VERY IMPORTANT - getting some green nutrition is better than none at all.

While you will certainly get the best nutrition from foods that you grew yourself without chemicals and then juiced or consumed within minutes of harvest - that's just not realistic for most people

One of the biggest obstacles we have when trying to change our habits is the "all-or-nothing" mentality. Does that sound familiar? Do not fall into this trap! It is perfectly OK to start off your journey into green foods using a powdered drink mix that you have every morning. Just do something!

The key here is baby steps. Once you get going and incorporate something into your routine, it soon becomes habit and -- guess what? You are then ready to add something new - kick it up a bit.

So to answer the original question, green nutrition IS for real, and it can benefit you by increasing your health and resistance tremendously. It is no miracle that will strip you of 100 lbs overnight or anything, but it really does make a difference.

I challenge you to give it two weeks - try green nutrition - a smoothie or juice or whatnot -- every day for two weeks. It will give you energy, vitality, and will make a huge difference in your day.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com