The Power of Green

“And the earth brought forth grass, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with seed in them, after their kind. And God saw that it was good.”
Genesis 1:12

On the third day of creation, the Lord God by His word called into existence all plants and then He called them “good.” Then He commanded Adam and Eve to eat these plants ( Genesis 1:29 ) as part of His blessing upon them (Genesis 1:28 ). Not only do all edible plants contain God’s word and His goodness but they are full of His light. He didn’t create the sun until the forth day so by what light did they exist? His marvelous light, of course!

Plants as food are essential to the health and life of our created bodies. All edible plants contain vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, amino acids (proteins), fiber, energy and antioxidants that can heal, strengthen, and protect our bodies. The scientific community in the past 40 years has identified many but not all of these important elements necessary for optimum health. Following are a few of these “discoveries.”

Scientific research has discovered that chlorophyll, the green-colored matter in plants has almost the same molecular structure as hemoglobin in human blood. Chlorophyll is the “blood of plants” and helps build healthy blood in humans by supplying oxygen, nutrients and phytochemicals (compounds in plants that protect our bodies against cancer and other diseases ). Green grasses and green plants are rich sources of such important nutrients as beta-carotene, antioxidants, digestible proteins, and fiber which help to sustain and protect us from illness and disease.

Photosynthesis is the process by which plant cells make carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of chlorophyll and sunlight. Through photosynthesis, plants convert sunshine into chemical energy. Some scientists believe that photosynthesis is the most important chemical reaction in nature because man depends upon plants to gather the sun’s energy and make it available to us as food. A plant only uses about one-sixth of the sun’s energy it captures to sustain itself. The remaining five-sixths is stored in chemical bonds, ready to be converted into useful energy by human metabolism. Plants make it possible for us to eat the sun’s light energy! This solar energy captured and stored by plants as carbohydrates is the body’s first choice for the energy requirements of the brain and other organ functions. Our metabolism is designed to break down the carbohydrates in plants thus providing energy for work.

Beta-carotene, mentioned earlier, is called provitamin and has been valued as a non-toxic source of Vitamin-A. Our body can convert betacarotene into Vitamin-A, which is important for normal bone growth and required in the normal function of eyes, ears, taste buds, and sense of smell. This essential vitamin is also important for fertility in males and females, in the synthesis of DNA and RNA, the function of healthy skin, mucous membranes, digestive tract, genital and urinary tract, and a healthy immune system. Vitamin-A found in animal tissue can be stored in fat tissue and become dangerously toxic to our body. Beta-carotene in plants is non-toxic to humans. Carotene is a yellow-orange pigment found in abundance in carrots and squash. The chlorophyll pigments in dark green vegetables mask the orange carotene color. Generally speaking, the darker green the vegetable, the more beta-carotene it contains. The American Cancer Society and The Cancer Institute have extensively studied carotenes which are recognized for their role in their prevention of some types of cancer. Beta-carotene can lower the risk of skin cancer, lung cancer, and cervical cancer.

Dark green vegetables are the best source of Vitamin-K, which is usually found in association with chlorophyll and is essential to the normal clotting of blood. The ability of the blood to clot is crucial for the prevention of hemorrhage and excessive blood loss. Research has linked excessive bruising and delayed clotting time, seen in over 50% of the elderly people studied, to Vitamin-K deficiency.

Space does not permit a full discussion of other important nutrients found in green plants such as Vitamin-C, folic acid, Vitamin B-12, iron, calcium, and protein. All of these nutrients found in green plants work together ( synergistically ) to benefit the whole body. For example, Vitamin-C aids in the absorption of calcium and iron. Iron is required to convert beta-carotene into Vitamin-A. Calcium is necessary to absorb Vitamin B-12 and Vitamin B-12 is essential for the activation of folic acid.

It is truly exciting to realize that green plants are natural multivitamin/mineral foods that our Creator has provided for us. Since His word created these plants that heal and protect use can see in a new light the scripture that states “He sent His word and healed us." Psalm 107:20

If you can only take one supplement a day, we recommend Green Advantage!

Sadly, many of us don’t consume enough green vegetables to obtain the benefits of eating them, which is the reason I formulated a whole-food, plant-based concentrate called Green Advantage. Green Advantage contains dark green cereal grasses of organic wheat grass, barley grass and alfalfa harvested in the early spring to capture the rich sources of concentrated phytonutrients for optimum health and long life. The other eleven plant-based ingredients in my proprietary blend of Green Advantage such as chlorella and spirulina from the sea are exceptional sources of plant-based multi-vitamin/minerals and antioxidants. One level tablespoon of Green Advantage each day is the nutritional equivalent of three servings ( one and half cups of green vegetables) every day! Parents know how difficult it can be to get children to eat their vegetables. But not with Green Advantage. Just add Green Advantage to pineapple juice or a smoothie and watch them drink their greens.

Remember the color of life is GREEN!

Alkalize Your Body for Better Health

We have all heard about people who have acid reflux and how painful the condition can be. But most of us have no idea how unhealthy an acid condition can make a body or set up an environment for sickness and disease.

Dr. Otto Warburg, a German physiologist and medical doctor, received a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1931 for his work with cancer tumors discovered some important information concerning acid/alkaline balance in the human body. Dr. Warburg found that normal cells became cancerous only in an acidic environment never in an alkaline one. He also discovered that the more acid a cell has, the less oxygen the cell contained. Conversely, the more alkaline a cell became the more oxygen the cell contained.

Dr. Warburg’s research revealed that once a healthy cell contained less than 60% oxygen content that cell became cancerous. The more acidic the cell, the less oxygen; the more alkaline the cell, the higher the oxygen content.

In my studies of healthy cultures around the world, known for their longevity and lack of Western diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and arthritis, they eat a diet high in alkalizing foods. Thanks to Dr. Warburg’s research, we know that an alkaline body is much higher in oxygen content than an acidic body, and that difference makes cells healthier and able to fight off sickness and disease.

As a nutritionist for over 40 years, one of the prevailing principles I have shared with my clients to achieve better health in your life is to maintain a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. The term pH is a measure of the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution. Solutions with a high concentration of hydrogen ions have a low pH (acid), and solutions with a low concentration of hydrogen ions have a high pH (alkaline).

Digestion in the body begins in the mouth with the salivary glands, which have a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. The duodenum, which is the first 10 inches of the small intestine, has a pH of 7.0 to 8.5. This is where most of the carbohydrates, fats, and half of the protein is broken down by pancreatic enzymes. These pancreatic enzymes must have an alkaline environment in order to become active. Today, most people eat a predominantly acid-forming diet, which can cause these normally alkaline digestive areas of the body to become more acidic. When this happens, digestion is compromised.

Foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, grains like millet, quinoa, buckwheat, and brown rice, and almonds are alkalizing, while foods like refined sugar, animal products, and junk foods are acid-forming. No wonder healthy people eat a diet with 80% alkaline foods and only 20% acid foods. That’s why I developed whole food, plant-based products like Green Advantage to help to improve the alkalinity of your body.

It is vitally important to eat a diet rich in plant-based foods to alkalize your body, to increase the oxygen content of your cells, and to improve your digestion and immunity. If you can only take one supplement a day, get the Green Advantage in our online store.