Get your vitamins in one scoop!
Let’s face it. Getting the proper nutrients nowadays can be as daunting as getting a toddler to eat their vegetables. It’s a struggle. Between our hectic lifestyles, addiction to tech, and the fact that the land they grow our food in has been stripped of any and all nutrients, getting the vitamins and minerals our body needs slips down on the list of everybody’s priorities.
Enter greens powders. Greens powders contain a variety of superfoods like Spirulina, Chlorella, and Goji berries that have enormous health benefits. In just naming those three you get…B12, heavy metal detoxification, and stress and eye health benefits in corresponding order. Sign me up.
I’ve been taking them for years and have been enjoying their benefits. In fact, when I’m not taking them, I can really tell the difference, so my recommendation is to find one and add it to your daily regimen. One scoop of powder blended with almond milk, a little fruit and a little protein and you have a light meal or snack. If you need breakfast on the go, skip the fruit and blend the greens and protein powders with almond milk in a blender bottle.
But, as with most things in our capitalistic society, there is a downside. Companies are randomly adding in things because it’s the latest fad or trend and they want to boost sales. I’m in no way deterring you from the use of greens powders, but I’m going to list some things you should be aware of as you find one to suit your needs.
Do they do 3rd party testing?
To save money manufacturers are now sourcing supplies overseas. Who knows where your precious powder’s been or what’s in it. Pathogens and heavy metals can lurk. How silly would it be to poison yourself with the thing you were doing to improve your health.
Choose a company that is committed to clean practices and/or does batch testing.
Be aware of Alfalfa
Many of the powders on the market have become alfalfa based. I’m sure with good intentions. The way alfalfa grows, with roots that reach way down into the soil, it’s mineral rich but the jury is still out on whether or not a substance it contains called L-canavanine will exacerbate inflammation in people who have Lupus. Some believe it could actually trigger the disease itself. African American women already have a raised risk of getting Lupus. If you don’t know your vitamin D status, since a deficiency can cause autoimmune disease, or you aren’t taking a vitamin D supplement, you may want to steer clear of Alfalfa. If I choose a greens powder with it, I make sure it’s way down on the list of ingredients to be certain the quantity is limited.
Probiotics
We all need to have a healthy quantity of friendly bacteria in our colon. There are times when, if we’re stressed or ill, our system can get out of whack. Tummy upsets and other digestive issues can be a clue we need to reach for a probiotic…so can a yeast infection. 😲 But, there are a zillion strains of probiotics. Some, we don’t even know the names or can pronounce. Companies are loading up the powders with billions of CFU’s of probiotics. At best you don’t need them and they’re a waste of money. At worst, you could be sensitive to one or two and the addition of more can create a system imbalance. The one that’s everywhere is Acidophilus. Science is catching up and it’s been discovered that this particular probiotic can cause an overgrowth of D-Lactate in the colon which can lead to a condition called acidosis. Very damaging to your health. If you need a probiotic supplement once in a while there’s no harm in that or you can just add yogurt and kefir to your diet. But the daily ingestion of multiple unknown strains of probiotics can be harmful for some people. Choose a greens powder without probiotics for long term use.
Superfoods
There are so many coming on the market it’s hard to keep track. Many of them are too new to have a lot of data or studies. Maca is fairly new. I’ve seen some reports of heavy bleeding. I’m in menopause. Certainly don’t need that. If you see superfoods you aren’t familiar with, do your research so you know what effect they will have on your body. For example, if you’re trying to conceive, maca be beneficial for you. If you’re a woman of a certain age, like me 😉, you'll stay as far away from it as you can. Do a thorough google search. It's important to know what’s going into your body.
Here’s a list of some superfoods that have been around for years that I’ve seen data and am comfortable with:
Acai Chlorella* Chia seed Flax seed** Ginger*** Ginseng Goji Green Tea Extract Lecithin Hemp Seed Moringa Milk Thistle Pomegranate Resveratrol Spirulina**** Tumeric/Cucurmin Wheatgrass
* Chlorella requires testing/ clean source since it's a form of algae
** Flax seeds can cause hormone imbalance for some people
*** Some people react to ginger
**** Spirulina is high in beta carotene so limit quantity. Also requires testing/clean source
Fruits and vegetables or vitamins and minerals added to the greens powders are all good as long as you don't run into toxicity from other sources like a multivitamin.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, get you a good greens powder, Sis. There’s no chance we can get the required amount of daily nutrients simply by eating 3 meals a day. The food is stripped of nutrients because the land is. We need help getting the required vitamins and minerals and powders are a great way to augment.
If you can’t find one that suits your needs or it has too many ‘additions,’ buy the ones you want individually and make your own!
To Your Journey
Here are some things I've been up to the past several weeks:
New YouTube channel started. Pardon me while I get the hang of things. I tend to record when the message strikes and my latest one was recorded right after I finished exercising. You'll often see me 'just as I am.'
My husband and I have a new podcast called The Love and Sports Podcast. You guessed it...we talk about love and sports. We tend to go deep on issues of consciousness, relationships and marriage, pop culture. We were already having these deep conversations so we just decided to hit the record button! We try to make it entertaining, but at the same time give listeners some things to think about.
I still have my Saturday Morning Chats podcast here:
Thanks for hanging with me. I'm slowly ramping up more content. It's a lot of work but I'm called to it. And I know the Universe is supporting me in calling women into the highest version of themselves.
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