Green Superfoods or a Multivitamin/Mineral?

[Angel*Star]

Hi everyone

I've been reading about Green Superfoods and how beneficial they are etc. Am a little confused though (doesn't take much lol) do they replace a multivitamin/mineral complex?

Think I'd prefer too take it in powder form as it would be easier too digest but I'm not sure what vitamins/minerals they contain?

Angel Star

[CarolineN]

Originally Posted by Angel*Star

Hi everyone

I've been reading about Green Superfoods and how beneficial they are etc. Am a little confused though (doesn't take much lol) do they replace a multivitamin/mineral complex?

Think I'd prefer too take it in powder form as it would be easier too digest but I'm not sure what vitamins/minerals they contain?

Angel Star

Hi Angel Star

It depends entirely why you want to take a supplement, what you are prepared to pay, and the quality of the supplements you are looking at. Some are excellent and others are almost useless (especially the cheaper ones) because they are hardly absorbed by the body. I never recommend something that does not describe exactly what is in it.

Quality 'green superfoods' cost a great deal but are excellent if you are suffering from a serious illness as they are generally well absorbed as well a being a source of plant enzymes. If you are comparing them with a multivit/min then you need to look carefully at the quantity, variety and balance of what is in them both to get an idea, but actually a comparison is difficult to quantify most of the time.

The other point is what your body requires, or is short of, and what you actually need - and that is best assessed by a registered nutritional therapist if you have a health problem. There are also multis available in liquid form if you prefer, but it tastes stronger than a filmed tablet. If it is for general wellbeing then the choice is yours.

[Awakening Dawn]

Caroline is right Angel Star!

It does depend a lot on what your body needs , insufficient on and even the kind of symptoms you may be already showing.. then there's the individual difference .. your age, phase of your life, active/sedentary life style...etc etc

Superfood are generally food we need to have and probably do have ..but is given such a big supermarket marketing boost to get us all to eat more of.. in one sense ..
Don't get me wrong.. we must have our greens and a balanced diet to be well..

As for Green foods.. each one will have many good sources of rich vitamins, minerals and properties:
Your average Bracssicas, like cabbage, Broccoli, Kale for example are rich in Folic acid, Iron, Calcium, Vitamin C.. and great for forming & repairing nervous system, boost our immunity with antioxidants, improve our heart functionality with things like Folate.

Salad leaves like Watercress or Spinach full of their Beta Carotene, folic acid, calcium are wonderful for eye care, anemia and even stress and insomnia, and prevent cancer of colon due to their rich fiber conent.

Green Sea Vegetables like Nori or Kombu for example have the ability to strengthen our bones, and keep our weight stable as well as help with anemia and prevent cancer for example due to their rich calcium, Potassium, Iron, Iodine and Carotenes

So you see it all depends on what you want out of them.. their ability as an ingredient to be cooked in to a lovely meal or appetizer and so on too..

The more naturally you can get them the better form for our bodies.. but some vital elements cannot always be absorbed without other elements like enzymes or vitamins being there.. so tablets and so on becomes important to us..

Hope this adds another dimension to your curiosity ?

With warm wishes

Vathani

[Elixir]

It is ALWAYS better to get your vits and minerals from real food, and the body receives tham so much better in natural form.... but a 'green' drink or supplement won't contain the wide range found in a broad-spectrum multi tablet. It depends on what you want and need... Seek professional advice to be sure...

[Mountaineer]

I'm sure green Superfoods are good for you, but I wonder if at the end of the day you wouldn't be better off buying organic cruciform vegetables and/or a more humble food supplement like dear old kelp.

With multivitamins I wouldn't buy the sort you get from a chemist or supermarket. These only contain a handful of nutrients and they are usually chemical in origin. Far better to buy one with natural ingredients from your local health shop or by mail order.

[Chronos]

Hello,

I've been eating superfoods for some time now and eventually became involved in promoting and recommending them to people. That is because indeed I do think they are very important for our overall cellular nourishment and well being. The specific thing about the superfoods is that they contain most of what your body needs on a cellular level in small quantities which makes them efficient and convenient for people who don't visit their nutritionist every week with test results of their body's biochemistry. So to answer your question, Angel, most do replace it. It must be pointed that the superfoods are completely natural and organic (in most cases anyway) and that these are foods that all anceint societies and cultures held in highest regard because they knew of their manifold powers. Now, of course, we have the technological equipment to understand why they are so valuable hence more and more people have been happy using them, myself included! Another major thing about them, of course it varies between superfoods, you will find is their rich, but also balanced nutritional content. The AFA algae for example, which is my personal favorite (so far anyway!), has, for example, an amino acid profile (containing all essential amino acids as well) which is almost identical to the human one, where as most other foods contain one thing more than the other. I hope you get my point. Besides that, it contains almost all minerals and vitamins that the body needs for healthy cell reproduction thus proving to be an effective means for prophylactics. I.e. prevent yourself from developing disease rather than trying to treat it once it has occured. What the rich and balanced nutritional content means is that you don't have to be an expert in nutrition and biochemistry, and have a full cabinet of supplements, different vitamins, etc. to ensure your body is getting what it needs. You get that in one thing which is the best for your body. Many people I've noticed make the mistake of reading about something specific, a certain vitamin or mineral, for example, and deciding they need it and get it. That is generally ok, but a lot of people sometimes disregard the complexity of the body's processes of synthesis of all these different elements, which is why in many of the cases they don't end up helping much. It is generally better to take something as a ready product, designed in nature, discovered by humans from thousands of years ago, and now exposed scientifically, rather than take things separately and leave it to our bodies to patch together. Of course it is not as simple as that, again, but I hope I painted a more clarifying picture!

Best Regards