Green foods encompass an array of nutritionally powerful ingredients. Cereal grasses are the young, green plants that will produce certain grains, including barley, rye, oat, alfalfa, wheat and kamut. For nutritional purposes, most cereal grass is planted in the fall, grown through the winter and harvested in the spring just prior to “jointing,” the peak of vegetative development when the plant begins to sprout the grain. At this point, chlorophyll, protein and vitamin contents are at their highest.
Also in the green foods category are certain microalgae, the most primitive form of plants, which grow in aqueous suspension and operate as efficient converters of solar energy because of their simple cellular structure. The category includes chlorella, spirulina, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA), Dunaliella and Haematococcus.
General awareness of the green foods category has increased substantially in the past five years, according to Brandon Bert, Amazing Grass. “Relatively speaking, a small percentage of the overall population knows about their benefits, but it is increasingly monthly,” he said. “Thanks to continual education to the public through editorials, store employees, festivals and expos, and through social media outlets like blogs, companies like ours have been able to educate the public on the ingredient benefits of green foods. Through our sales and consumer feedback, we know our message is getting out there and more people are being turned on to green superfoods and experiencing their incredible health benefits.”
Bob Capelli, vice president sales and marketing, Cyanotech Corp., agreed consumers are getting more educated about green foods and their benefits. “This has something to do with the continuing research that is getting publicized, but also has something to do with consumers zeroing in on ‘green’ in a couple of different ways,” he said. “First, ‘green’ is definitely ‘in’ nowadays; anything green is considered good for the world, good for the body, good for anything. And since there has been so much publicity about the benefits of eating vegetables and fruits, many of which are green, consumers are more likely to absorb media impressions about green foods. And publicity helps raise consumer interest. For example, a couple of years ago when AARP The Magazine ranked spirulina the ‘#1 food to add years to your life,’ we saw a big increase in consumer interest in spirulina, even though it has been commercially available for more than 30 years.”
Spirulina has been well studied over that time period. Capelli noted Cyanotech, which produces Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica, is preparing to release a research compilation that spans more than 300 different studies supporting the benefits of spirulina on immune health, inflammatory conditions, cardiovascular wellness and much more.
A recent review out of England noted spirulina has the ability to modulate immune function, inhibits the inflammatory response, and may exert anti-cancer effects.1 Recent studies have confirmed its ability to protect brain cells against neurodegeneration;2 to exert an anti-diabetic effect in the pancreas;3 inhibit liver carcinogenesis;4 and even reduce arthritic pain and inflammation.5
“It’s really amazing how spirulina can help people in so many different ways,” Capelli said; it also can be ingested in many ways, he observed. “While most people take spirulina in tablets, a significant number of people also take it in powder form by mixing the powder in smoothies or sprinkling it on food. You can even find spirulina in functional foods like energy bars, pasta, popcorn and several green juice products.”