Commonly neglected foods for disease prevention.
Dear Friend,
In the past we’ve talked about some things you should be eating, and we’ve talked about some things you shouldn’t be eating. Now the time has come to address the highest-impact foods of a healthy diet - the foods that have the greatest influence for longevity, life-force, and protection from disease. Now it’s time to talk about green foods! Green foods deserve our extra attention for just their cleansing and restorative power alone. But there are a number of other reasons, too, that are important to know! And that may just change your palate. This topic, by the way, is something I cover in my book, Infinity Health Manual. If you haven't read it yet then don't wait! It's the information that I have watched transform the lives of thousands of people at the Ashram retreat where I have worked as a trainer and nutritionist for many years. And the right green foods (that are far too high-impact to be neglected) have always been a hot topic of my class.
The Beauty of these Dual-Purpose Foods
When we’re talking about greens, we’re talking about foods like kale, arugula, chard, mustard greens, collard greens, parsley, cilantro, spinach, basil, broccoli, and blue-green algae. What makes these foods vitally important for a healthy diet? There are two reasons and one might surprise you. The first is obvious: green foods are rich in nutrients, especially the ones that help the body to maintain its youth and vitality.
But the second reason often gets overlooked. Green foods are essential for eliminating toxins from the body. And this is a bigger deal than you might realize. Think about it. Our bodies are bombarded with toxins every day, especially here in the twenty-first century. In the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat, we’re exposed to impurities that people never had to worry about before. This is wear and tear enough. Add to it the normal everyday stresses from life itself, and you can readily see why the cleansing goodness of greens is so important to our diets and health. Quite simply, their impact is huge!
The Magic behind Greens
What specifically is it about greens that gives them the unmatched power to cleanse and restore our bodies from toxins? A little something you might remember from high school biology: chlorophyll. This is the magical element in green foods. (It’s also what makes them green.) It’s the chlorophyll itself that bonds to toxins in your body, enabling them to be eliminated via the gastrointestinal system. This is indeed a critical means of avoiding the buildup of toxins in your body. Consider that it’s the buildup of toxins that’s a primary instigator of disease, as well as aging.
The Weight-Loss Connection is Worthy of Mention
Interestingly, body fat attempts to protect the body from toxins, too. This is a little-known reason that losing fat can be so challenging. Collectively, fat cells absorb toxins from the bloodstream for the sake of protecting vital organs. It’s a temporary form of self defense. The problem is that when the body needs to later burn this “toxic fat-fuel” for energy, it becomes reluctant to do so because that means toxins would go back into the bloodstream (which would then cause wear and tear on other things in the body). So let green foods fulfill their vital role of removing toxins, making way for fat to be burned as fuel.
Additionally, green foods are very low calorie, and this factor coupled with the nutrient density makes way for satisfying the appetite with fewer calories. Naturally, this enhances the potential for weight loss (which, statistically, should be a priority for more people than not). Fat reduction: yet another reason for adding more green foods to your diet!
And vitamin K! Kale, spinach, chard, collard greens, mustard greens and broccoli are the most vitamin K rich foods. Vitamin K is important for a lot of reasons, but the most critical is repair of damaged tissues in the body. Talk about a healing food!
Keep it Simple
So from a dietary standpoint, think “clean and green.” Introduce more dark green foods into your diet to get your chlorophyll and vital nutrients. How about salads? Well, sure. But don’t make the common mistake of fooling yourself into thinking a salad of lettuce with a couple of wedges of tomato covered with packaged salad dressing is going to do the trick. We’re talking unadulterated dark greens. And keep it simple. Grab a few large leaves of kale or chard or a couple handfuls of spinach or arugula or any other leafy greens and chow down. You can eat greens just as they are!
Personally, I find greens to be tasty (they most certainly don’t taste bad) and see little reason to add anything to them. But if you want to toss a little homemade healthy salad dressing into the mix, have at it. Olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, and cayenne. Simple - a tried and true classic. (Please don’t even bother with the packaged salad dressings which are nothing more than unhealthy entertainment. What the heck is ranch dressing, anyway? Ever read the ingredients of those dressings? Straight up junk food! Even the “natural” ones.)
And then there’s the 'green sauce' which has become quite famous! This is one of my favorite recipes and one that we should all be making. You put the same salad dressing ingredients (olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, and cayenne) into the blender with raw greens like spinach or kale. An advantage of this is it makes these foods easy to digest. At times, the coarser green foods can actually be a little hard for the body to break down. It’s cellulose that gives plants their rigidity so they don’t just flop over in the dirt. Blending them essentially breaks down the cellulose walls which makes them easy to digest and maintains the chlorophyll. This recipe tastes amazing and is brilliant as a sauce over other cooked foods, or as a dip. Click here for the recipes!
Cooked greens still provide all of the minerals, but it’s good to keep in mind the chlorophyll will likely break down, depending on how heavily they are cooked. When greens are bright in color post-steaming, that means there’s still chlorophyll. Cooking them, similar to blending, also breaks down the cellulose—another reason to mix it up between cooked and raw.
Another factor to consider is that green foods like kale, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, collard and mustard greens, when raw, and in large quantities, can actually have a mildly suppressive effect on the thyroid, which controls our metabolic rate. A weak thyroid is somewhat common. (One of the main culprits today are the wrong fats that I talk about extensively in the Infinity Health Manual). Then again, some people have an overactive thyroid, so tuning it down mildly with these green foods isn’t necessarily bad. It’s a matter of balance, having them both cooked and raw. Personally I cook my greens about half of the time. Steam them, sauté them, put ‘em in soups. Again, you’ll lose some of the chlorophyll, but when cooked (or blended), the minerals actually become more easily absorbable.
As for how much green food to have in your daily diet, definitely more than just a sprits of greens on your sandwich. A simple and reliable gauge is the “large handful.” This is another thing with which your instinctive wisdom can play an outstanding role. There’s memory of green foods in our genes since these foods have been in the human diet for many thousands of years. So your body knows. Trust those instincts.
Algae
Even among the healthiest green foods, there’s one group worthy of extra mention. Based on my nutrition research and experience, I rank algae at the top of the ladder of the most health enhancing foods. Interestingly, algae were the very first life on earth—beginning three and a half billion years ago. Essentially, algae are the ancient foundation of our food chain. It’s fascinating that now we’re turning back to the very first food on earth for essential nutritive support.
There are thousands of different algae, most of which can’t be consumed. However, edible varieties of algae have been in the human diet as far back as recorded history will take us—and all over the world—except for the last few hundred years in the Western world. Only recently have we begun hearing a lot more about the nutritive attributes of algae. Why this recent interest? Because algae have the highest concentration of chlorophyll of any food you can name. This is what makes algae so green!
It’s also worth mentioning that algae produce over sixty percent of the oxygen in our atmosphere and are the most powerful photo-synthesizers on our planet, harnessing directly the energy of the sun. Sun plus water and minerals miraculously creates algae—then poof!—oxygen, which is among the more important elements of life, wouldn’t you say? This magical process happens in the body as well. Algae oxygenates the blood which naturally has a tremendous impact on our energy and overall health, especially in conjunction with the chlorophyll.
The Trio
Among the different types of algae, it’s Klamath algae, Spirulina, and Chlorella that have the most remarkable health forming qualities. This, of course, is the very reason these three algae are the foundational ingredients of Infinity Greens.
Numerous blind studies have proven the significant nutritive and restorative value of these algae. Here is a brief summary of what makes each of these three algae worthy of our attention.
Klamath algae is recognized for its extraordinary support of the nervous system. Klamath algae metabolizes nitrogen in the body which stimulates the production of more neurotransmitters in the brain. Neurotransmitters are the link that carries messages from the brain to the body and then from the body back to the brain. In addition, anecdotal reports consistently attribute Klamath algae consumption to an increase in mental alertness and memory retention.
Spirulina is among the few richest sources of beta-carotene, which is reputed to be an important anticancer antioxidant. Beta-carotene is also an anti-inflammatory. Natural anti-inflammatories are a vital part of disease prevention simply because strong circulation throughout the body is how organs are both nourished and detoxed. Spirulina is also notably high in iron, calcium, zinc, potassium, magnesium, selenium, and phosphorus, all of which play a tremendous role in our overall health and longevity.
Chlorella shines in its ability to enhance detoxification. Of all algae, chlorella is at the very top of the totem pole in terms of chlorophyll content. Along with detoxification, the high chlorophyll content supports oxygenation of our blood and consequent energy production in all cells (O2 = life-force). So, naturally, chlorella enhances physical stamina and energy. Studies have also proven chlorella reduces blood pressure and lowers cholesterol. Interestingly, the causes behind these benefits of chlorella have not yet been fully understood. Oh, the mysteries of nature!
I truly feel algae can play a significant role in our diet, and I’m confident the world will better understand why these foods are so important in the near future. Bottom line—gram for gram, algae have concentrations of nutrients unmatched by anything else. Now you know what makes these algae such an important part of Infinity Greens!
I truly believe algae are literally the antidote for us overfed, yet undernourished, modern humans. It is worth noting that today, even unprocessed plant foods do not have the same nutrient content they did just a few decades ago because of the soil depletion from mass agriculture. However, this is not the case for algae! It’s the same extraordinary nutrition that it was three and a half billion years ago.
I believe that before long, algae will be a much better understood and more utilized food on a global scale. As for how to introduce algae into your diet, might I mention that there is no better way than adding Infinity Greens to your daily smoothie. Already, smoothies play an important role in your diet if they’re made with genuinely healthy ingredients. More recipes here!
It should be noted that in the 1970s, grass supplements like wheat grass and barley grass came about as a low-budget green food. The theory was “greens for pennies.” But unfortunately the pretty price of grass supplements comes with drawbacks. Yes, grasses have some chlorophyll but nothing even close to that of algae. What many people are unaware of is that wheat grass (even juiced) is hard to digest and can be weakening for the gastrointestinal system. I say “pass” on these products. Algae and all other green foods are superior to wheat grass.
To sum it all up, introducing the right greens into your diet, ones that are high in chlorophyll and nutrients—whether kale, spinach, or algae—is about much more than just weight loss. You know, it’s interesting how our modern diets focus so heavily on getting the “right” calories and nutrients. But think about it. Getting the calories and nutrients in is only half the picture. The other half is getting the toxic funk out! Removing the wear and tear from your internals makes it well worth the small effort of adding more chlorophyll-rich green foods to your diet. The main idea here is, we are honing a diet to enable our body to rejuvenate faster than it would break down. That’s the ultimate key for longevity, life-force, and protection from disease.
Since 2001, the therapeutic power of the Infinity Superfoods has greatly enhanced the health of many thousands of people, and now more than ever, they are meeting a very important need. If you've had the opportunity to experience the guaranteed results when using these products on a consistent basis then share them with friends and family since naturally they will receive the same invaluable benefits that you have.
Yours truly, and at your service always,
Billy Merritt