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Reprinted from the
"International Journal of Alternative Therapies" Winter 2001; Vol. 28
International Journal of
Alternative Therapies
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!
The seven other finalists in this study are:
- Vitamineral Green (by Healthforce Nutritionals)
- Gary Null’s Green Stuff (by Gary Null & associates)
- Immugreen Plus (by Blender Culture)
- Perfect Food (by Garden Of Life)
- Best of Greens (by Organic By Nature)
- Pure Synergy (by the Synergy Company)
- 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).
Lifesource SuperSprouts is available in
2 oz., 4 oz. and 7 oz. bottle (Glass bottle, plastic cap)
90 and 180 Veggie Capsules
Order Toll FREE at 866-875-4386
(USA and Canada Only. All others call 503-537-0636
PST) |
