can green powder replace real greens

Can Green Juice Powders Replace Whole Fruit & Vegetables In Your Diet?

In this article we're going to delve into the question that gets asks a lot.

Does consuming super green juice powder as a drink provide the same benefits as eating whole foods?

But before we look at answering that question, we need to look at some facts and stats.

Not All Of Us Eat Enough Vegetables

There has been plenty of research to suggest that most of us don't eat nearly enough fruit and vegetables daily. The Heart Foundation put out a study in 2017, indicating that for those aged between 30 and 65, only 62.1% thought they were eating healthily, 29% thought their diet was unhealthy, while only 8% thought their everyday diet was healthy.

 



In terms of fruit and vegetable consumption, 49.8% of those over 18 suggested they consumed two or ore serves of vegetables per day, while alarmingly only 7% had a healthy consumption of vegetables. All up, this equates to only 5% of Australians consuming enough fruit and vegetable per day. Men unsurprisingly eat much less fruit and vegetables than women.

The even more alarming news is that it seems those that eat an adequate daily intake of fruit and vegetables has actually decreased since 2001.

Why Is This Happening?


The rise of corporate and multi national food chains has increased the prevalence of processed foods and easy, fast convenient food consumption. It's certainly surprising that with all the data, and campaigning for healthier lifestyle that it would be logical to think that we would be eating more fruit and vegetables. But we're eating less.

When we are younger, the stereotyped family sitting around a table for dinner, with the kids not wanting to eat their brussel sprouts is timeless. But at least in most cases, they are made to eat their brussel sprouts. These days however, it's rare that a family even sits down at the table, let alone prepare and cook healthy daily meals.

Many of our friends have no issue telling me that they eat out or have takeaway every night. They are busy professionals with good income that say they don't have time to cook. They profess that they consider how healthy a takeaway meal is before purchasing, but at the end of the day the never really know what's in that meal or how it was prepared.

Some Of The Benefits


Help prevent Chronic Disease: In one 4 week study, it was found that 10 grams of green powder taken daily lowered oxidatively damaged proteins in blood by 30%. Study here. This can provide protection from cancer and other chronic diseases. Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23428415

Improve Energy: Another study found that green powders that contained green tea extract (ie matcha green tea) can help you feel more alert and boost energy. A further study shows that 10 grams of greens powder per day reported substantial energy increases. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15217524

Detoxification: Reducing the acidity in you body can have benefits such as helping your body get rid of toxins and pollutants.

Green powders are also generally high in anti-oxidants, which can help combat free radicals that are generated when the liver detoxifies certain compounds.

Can Super Green Juice Replace Whole Foods?


The simple answer is no they can't. But they can provide a healthy alternative, especially for those who are not going to change their ways, don't have time or simply wont make the effort. It's part of living in everyday 21st century society, and as much as it's a load of bollocks, it's a reality.

Most powders on the market are low in calories, but make sure you check the labels as some may have added sugar to sweeten the juice, but most these days use natural ingredients to help with taste.

What tends to happen is that if the green juice powder does not taste the best when added with water, people tend to mix it with other juices, or a smoothie with sugar or honey, which will greatly increases the calorie intake. It's one of the reasons we worked really hard to ensure our green juice powder tastes great, without a high calorie intake. You can find it here.

What is always best is that you consume green powders in combination with other health habits such as lifestyle and diets.

In general, green juice powder will not provide the fibre that a whole fruit or vegetable will. So if you are consuming green juice powders, you want to make sure you are consuming other foods that can provide the fibre intake you need, including beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grain products.

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