Green superfood powder

[veggiemaya]

I am curious, does anyone use green superfood powdered supplements? I came across this brand called Amazing Grass (http://www.amazinggrass.com/chocolate-green-superfood-powder.html). In the past I tried a different brand that pretty much tasted like grabbing a handful of dirt and putting it in your mouth. This brand happens to be delicious! You can barely taste the greens...I guess because of the cacao powder.

My question is, are these green superfood powders really as beneficial of a source of greens as the real plant? Or at least closely comparable?

[Veli]

Green Superfood Powders are very beneficial, because you're getting tons of cereal grasses, herbs, algaes, and whole foods concentrated into a powder. Superfood powders contain phytonutrients, antioxidants and key vitamins in concentrated forms (kind of like a super boost to your diet without all the bulk, fiber, water present in whole foods that your stomach has to make room for). So basically, you get more nutrition through less consumption.

So yes, superfood powders are excellent to supplement your diet with. But not the basis, you still need to get your calories from regular foods. Also, when choosing superfood powder, check the ingredients, because alot of complanies will add cheap fillers and sugars, like dextrose, maltodextrin,etc. Look for stevia, agave nectar as sweeteners, or better yet, no sweeteners--and if it tastes nasty, you can always add your own sweeteners, or fruits with it, just dump it all into a blender.

I've never tried Amazing Grass, but the ingredient list looks good. No cheap fillers, and a variety of grasses, greens,etc. :smile:

[treehugga]

sounds great vali I think i'll order some.

[veggiemaya]

thanks, Veli. I have been drinking the powders just about every day. I really love them. This particular brand is very tasty! I highly recommend it!

[jonnie falafel]

Sorry to rain on the parade (again) but the term 'superfood' is just a marketing gimmik & a huge money spinner. Nutritionally wheat grass, barley grass and spriulina are no great shakes in the nutritional stakes. Eat some real food, get plenty of variety & enjoy it.

Phytonutrients, antioxidants etc. are there in much more prosaic foods. You don't need this industrially produced stuff.

[bryzee86]

by "parade", do you mean "dead thread"?

[Risker]

^ It isn't dead if someone has something to add to it bryzee

[Veli]

Sorry to rain on the parade (again) but the term 'superfood' is just a marketing gimmik & a huge money spinner. Nutritionally wheat grass, barley grass and spriulina are no great shakes in the nutritional stakes. Eat some real food, get plenty of variety & enjoy it.

Phytonutrients, antioxidants etc. are there in much more prosaic foods. You don't need this industrially produced stuff.


Depends on what your definition of "superfood" is. Is it a food that will give you super powers and is superior to a regular healthy-balanced diet? No. Is it a food that possesses an abnormally high level of a single nutrient (more than typically found in nature), like sunflower seeds being extremely rich in vitamin E, or flaxseeds and walnuts being omega 3 powerhouses? Yes.

It is not possible to consume enough canola oil (1tbsp = 1.3g omega 3) to reach the efa (essential fatty acid) density level of a superfood like flaxseed oil (1tbsp = 6.9g omega 3). You'd have to eat 5 tbsps of canola oil to get what 1tbsp of flax oil provides. (throwing off your omega 6 ratio in the process). So a so called "superfood" is just a term to mean possessing high abundance of a nutrient, antioxidant, or essential fatty acid, than typically found in comparable foods.

Acai berry being another example of a superfood, containing 2x the antioxidants of blueberries (another antioxidant superfood), 10x the antioxidants of grapes and 30x the antioxidants of wine.

But that said, the thread was about concentrated food powders (i.e. the synergistic effect that occurs when combining whole foods, rich in various nutrients into concentrated forms-- that are an advantage when needing a quick supply of concentrated nutrients, that don't require you to sit and prepare a "whole meal". Nor, the fiber and water that your stomach must make room for and is felt when trying to eat the equivalent nutrients from a prepared meal.

I believe the title, superfood powder was misunderstood. It was a recommendation for enhancing an already healthy diet (getting more for less--through food concentration). I never said superfoods are the complete answer, they are added nutrition.
(Please re-read my first post).