Green Drinks, Vegetable Juices & Blood Tonics

By Marilyn Zink

I was taking a swig of my cholorphyll at a meeting recently when a woman in the opposite row eyed me suspiciously.
"Does it taste like lawn clippings," she inquired.
"No, it's actually quite good," I replied. "It has a fresh, minty flavour."

Green juices like cholorphyll are good for our bodies, because they have a rejuvenating effect and cleanse it of pollutants. But many people aren't used to drinking something green.

"I think they scare a lot of people because of the color," says Nanaimo herbalist Lin Suffron. "I have one every morning. I say, once you start, you'll never stop."

Suffron uses spirulina for her greens and adds other things, like ground-up vitamins, ground flaxseed and yogurt with probiotics. "I throw it all in there and then it's done," she says. She adds a raw apple and shares the green drink with her husband, who won't eat breakfast. "We've done that same shake probably for three years now."

Suffron says greens like spirulina are loaded with vitamins and minerals and help take away cravings for sweets. "I think the blood sugar balance is a big part of it. If you eat the wrong thing first thing in the morning, you can't even think."

At Community Farm Store in Duncan, which sells flats of wheat grass, Cindy Dreger says green drinks are important for making the body more alkaline.
"I think the alkaline eating is getting more popular," says Dreger. "The green drinks are a good way to do that. People are overly acidic from stress, lifestyle, drinking coffee and a diet with too much sugar."

Spirulina, cholorella and barley juice are all popular, and drinking something green is also good is people are too busy to eat salad. "People don't have time to prepare salads so I think that's why green drinks are so popular," says Dreger. "You can mix it up and off you go."

Lynn Starter of Lynn's Vitamins says green drinks can be quite cleansing as well as keeping the acid/alkaline levels balanced in the body.

"The North American diet tends to be high in acid. The green drink makes it more alkaline. Also, they're usually good for energy."

Let's take a closer look at what's in green foods and why it is so important.
Chlorophyll is the pigment that makes a plant green. It can act as a detoxifying agent for the liver and digestive tract. It's been shown to reduce cholesterol and triglycerides. It stimulate the production of red blood cells, increases oxygen and energizes the body.

The molecular composition of chlorophyll is so close to that of human hemoglobin that these drinks can act as "mini-transfusions" for the blood, and tonics for the brain and immune system. They are an excellent nutrient source of vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes. They contain large amounts of vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, pantothenic acid, folic acid, carotene and choline. They are high in minerals, like potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorus and manganese. They are full of enzymes for digestion and assimilation, some containing over 1,000 of the known enzymes necessary for human cell response and growth.

Green drinks also have anti-infective properties, carry off acid wastes, neutralize body pH, and are excellent for mucous cleansing. They can help clear the skin, cleanse the kidneys, and purify and build the blood.

Chlorophyll is found naturally in the following:
Spirulina-Supposedly the oldest living plant on earth, it is loaded with carotenoids, essential fatty acids and digestive enzymes. It is also the highest source of protein at 60% and a good source of Vitamin B12. It is sold in health food stores, natural pharmacies, etc. in powder, tablets and capsules.

Chlorella-Also an ancient algae, it is the richest source of chlorophyll, contains 50-60% protein, all eight amino acids, vitamins, minerals, fiber and nucleic acids DNA and RNA. A study published in 1987 in "Artery" showed that it lowered cholesterol (due to high omega-3 content). It is also a powerful chelating agent as it binds to toxic substances and forces them to leave the body. It has a unique ability to strengthen the immune system, called CGF chlorella growth factor, that enables it to stimulate the production of white blood cells.

Wheatgrass is another green that is juiced. It requires a special juicer and is a very strong detoxifier. Wheatgrass juice has also been used in cancer therapy, especially when radiation treatment is involved.

Green drinks and vegetable juices are potent fuel in maintaining good health, yet don't come burdened by the fats that accompany animal products. Some companies have added fruits to add other health benefits and make green drinks more palatable.

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