Easy Peasy Green Healing

July 25, 2017
Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

Award-winning nutritionist and New York Times bestselling author.

Get your vital veggies the easy way.

Greens are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, loaded with essential vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and other disease-fighting phytonutrients. As a superfood (and Fat Flush staple), they also help build a resilient immune system, nourish and cleanse your blood, and build strong bones, teeth, hair, and nails.

Since so many of us cannot get in all of our daily green veggies on the go, powdered supergreens are an excellent way to enjoy more green vegetables in your diet. Many green powders have appeared on the market, but they’re not all created equal in terms of quality and purity. From a clean source, however, a green powder can really kick up your nutritional intake several notches—tossing a scoop into your morning smoothie can skyrocket your energy level for the entire day.

The Correct Combination

Green powders are only as powerful as the individual vegetables they contain, and each veggie has its own complement of nutrients and therefore its own unique set of benefits. I have my favorites, of course—take barley grass, for example. Barley grass repairs DNA twice as fast chlorophyll, protects you from free-radical damage, and can boost your brain power—in addition to providing many other health benefits.

Broccoli is another superstar veggie, and broccoli sprouts are like broccoli on steroids! Broccoli sprouts fight H. pylori bacteria to prevent and heal ulcers, optimize lipids and blood pressure, reduce insulin resistance, and assist with DNA repair. They’re a rich source of sulforaphane, a cancer-preventative compound. This small molecule enters human cells with ease, behaving as a “signaling molecule” to communicate with other cells. Potentially affecting more than 2,000 genes and activating multiple defense mechanisms, sulforaphane allows your body to reprogram its DNA into peak performance.

Another of my favorite greens is chlorella, which supports your immune, digestive, and cardiovascular systems, as well as helping with detoxification. It’s high in beta-carotene, vitamin D, and gamma-linolenic acid and provides the nine essential amino acids.

One veggie you will seldom find in green powders is celery, but it’s an underappreciated addition! As a formulator and spokesperson for Uni Key Health Systems, Inc., I insisted that celery be added to the greens blend because it’s a naturally rich source of bioavailable vegetable sodium. This type of sodium acts like an adaptogen and blood pressure stabilizer. Celery protects the digestive tract and liver and helps heal stomach ulcers. It’s also a crucial nutrient for tired adrenal glands, helping you cope more effectively with mental, emotional, and physiological stress.

Bitter Is Better

Don’t forget about bitter greens—the more you can squeeze into your daily diet the better, so look for a green powder that has some in the mix. Bitter greens such as dandelion, arugula, kale, and collards help build your bile and turn your liver into a fat-burning and cleansing machine. Superrich in magnesium, kale and collards help reduce blood pressure and soothe anxiety. Collards support immune regulation and have antibacterial and antiviral properties to boot. My other favorite supergreens include alfalfa grass, wheat grass, oat grass, parsley, and spinach. Wheat grass, by the way, is generally considered gluten-free and can be tolerated by the gluten sensitive.

A Word of Caution

Green powders can be heavily contaminated. Just as they concentrate nutrients, if they are not made from clean sources, they can concentrate toxins, including heavy metals. This is especially true of sea vegetables, which can be repositories of not only heavy metals but radiation residues. (That’s why for UNI KEY’s Daily Greens I chose chlorella that was specially grown under monitored conditions.)

Research shows that greens can support detoxification—but of course this isn’t possible if your greens are full of toxins themselves. In 2013, ConsumerLab performed testing on 11 different “greens” and “wholefoods” products, finding five contaminated with lead, arsenic, and bacteria. So, you must choose your green powder wisely.

My Personal Pick

As I bet you’ve gathered, my favorite greens are UNI KEY’s Daily Greens—a product that I helped formulate. Here’s the full “scoop” on this organic, non-GMO mix.

Alfalfa Grass – Anti-inflammatory; chlorophyll rich to purify and oxygenate blood; protein dense for satiety, blood sugar balance, and muscle fortification
Wheat Grass – Contains SOD as antioxidant and liver support, full spectrum of B vitamins, lots of A and C for adrenal health and immune support and every mineral known to man; helps remove heavy metals
Barley Grass – Sodium rich to help produce HCL and support adrenals; contains anti-inflammatory enzymes; gut bacteria friendly and helpful in treating ulcerative colitis; antioxidant rich to protect against radiation
Kale – Magnesium rich to reduce blood pressure and soothe anxiety; fiber rich for improved elimination
Parsley – Flushes excess fluid; volatile oils and flavonoids protect against carcinogens; helps lower homocysteine to protect the cardiovascular system
Chlorella – Hydroponically grown to prevent contamination; removes heavy metals; helps eliminate mold in the body; promotes growth and repair of tissues; pH balancing
Oat Grass – Mineral and vitamin rich; potent detoxifier; speeds wound healing
Collards – Immune modulator, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties by potentating Interferon-gamma receptors
Spinach – Contains Glycoglycerolipids to help protect the lining of the digestive tract from damage, especially damage related to unwanted inflammation and neoxanthin and violaxanthin — two anti-cancer epoxyxanthophylls that are found in plentiful amounts in the leaves of spinach
Celery – Mineral rich; protects the digestive tract and liver; heals stomach ulcers; phthalides manage blood pressure by reducing excess fluid and relaxing smooth muscle
Broccoli Sprouts – Fights H. pylori bacteria to prevent and heal ulcers; helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure

Add a scoop to your daily smoothies with a low-sugar berry, like blueberries. I also recommend mixing it with purified water for a serious energy boost!

Related Articles and Podcasts

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS, is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty books including The Fat Flush Plan series and her latest book, Radical Metabolism. She’s been rewriting the rules of nutrition for more than 40 years and is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the field of diet, detox and women’s health issues. 

For a FREE daily dose of tips and strategies for maintaining healthy weight, conquering insomnia, and much more…check out my Radical Health Tips.

I’d like to meet and greet you on my Facebook groups, so won’t you check us out at the Radical Metabolism RevolutionFat Flush Nation, or my Inner Circle!

12 Comments

  1. Wendy Nelson

    I would like to try the Uni Key Daily Greens product, but have a gluten sensitivity….I see there is wheat grass included…Do I need to be concerned about that ingredient? Wendy Nelson

    Reply
    • Leslie

      Nooooo, not at all, Wendy. Wheat grass is the sprout of the wheatberry BEFORE it matures and develops gluten. No gluten at all. It awesome.

      Reply
      • Marianne

        I am curious about the barley as well being gluten free. This is confusing.

        Reply
        • Team ALG

          Marianne, the same applies to the barley grass. It is also gluten free.

          Reply
  2. Susan

    Dear Ann Louise,
    Love learning about these powerful greens and love/trust UniKey’s Daily Green product. And I love celery!

    1. Are daily greens helpful for those who struggle with yeast/ Candida and those with excess copper?
    2. What do you think of methylation testing which advises “under-methylators ” to minimize intake of green vegetables especially
    those high in folate and the other B vitamins? Is it really possible that healthy greens could be harmful for some folks? It
    seems counterintuitive somehow.
    Thanks so much for your helpful advice.

    Reply
    • Ann Louise

      Dear Susan: Thanks for your thoughtful queries. !) Yes, Daily Greens helps fight yeast and copper overload thanks to purifying chlorophyll which is not a copper rich product as alfalfa is not the primary ingredient. 2) I believe moderation in all things – especially for under-methylators in certain circumstances. That being said, we have a number of under and over methylators using Daily Greens at one scoop per day – the recommended amount – who are tolerating the folate and other B vitamins exceptionally well. Hope this helps.

      Reply
      • Susan

        Dear Ann Louise,
        Thank you so much for your response and guidance. Where would we all be without your knowledge and experience? ?

        Reply
  3. Diana Fraser

    I have juiced my organic greens for almost 30 years now. I do not mix them with my smoothie, rather drink a diluted mixture (with water) all day long. When I travel, I bring the UniKey Daily Greens. is it possible for me to have gotten too much greens over the years? I am having an extreme flushing or itching/burning in my upper arms and deltoids lately (for the past several months). Could this be caused by too many freshly-juiced greens over the years? (I once had a 30 minute consultation with Dr. ALG and I loved it! I am a very clean eater, but am very confused by this development!)
    Thank you for any advice you can give me! The burning sensation comes on periodically throughout the day, not necessarily related to anything I eat!! I am confused and needing advice!

    Reply
    • Team ALG

      Dear Diana: Thank you for your post. We would advise doing an elimination diet of your “fresh” organic greens for a period of three weeks to assess if excess spinach and kale could be creating your issues. Then, perhaps resume with the well balanced Daily Greens thereafter. We wish you well!

      Reply
  4. Olga Schwedland

    Great article concerning important topic! Thanks

    Reply
  5. Linda Wyckoff

    I’d love to eat greens or take a green powder supplement, however I’ve been on Coumadin for 20 years following 2 DVTs and also have Factor V Leiden and Protein C deficiency. How much Vitamin K is in this product? I know I can eat greens and my doctor can increase the amount of Coumadin I take, but I’d really prefer not to take more rat poison if I can help it. Help please.

    Reply
    • Team ALG

      Linda: Although kale, broccoli sprouts and spinach are high in vitamin K we don’t have an assay of the amount of this vitamin that is contained in the product. We have customers who just adjust their medication based on their blood tests when they do decide to use the Daily Greens.

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Diana Fraser Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This