Today we’re discussing how Superfood Raw can contribute to your overall health – specifically lower blood pressure, better brain function, stronger immune system, and fighting free radicals.

It has been reported that adults who eat more fruits and vegetables are healthier than their counterparts who eat little to none. This alone is one of the main reasons we created Superfood Raw – all the benefits of your fruits and veggies in one bottle.

But what is it exactly that seems to give them their magic health touch?

In one word – antioxidants. As we’ve discussed in previous posts, these substances may prevent or delay specific types of damage within cells, and you can get them from healthy doses of fruits and veggies. We’ve sourced the most nutritious and antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies, including wheat and barley grass, aloe vera, acai, apple, and berries of all sorts. Even our sea vegetables are unsuspecting sources of these antioxidants that can lower inflammation and support the brain and the heart. 

With those in mind, here are some of the overall health benefits our Superfood Raw offers, and the ingredients responsible for them:

• Lower Blood Pressure

Nearly 1 in every 3 adults in America suffers from high blood pressure, a condition that vastly increases your risk for heart disease and stroke. Thankfully there are a lot of tangible action steps you can take to lower it – losing weight, lowering stress, and consuming a healthy diet. Superfood Raw can help with several of those, down to the individual ingredients. 

Red beet, for example, contains betaine (an amino acid compound) and choline (a nutrient comparable to B vitamins), which are said to help reduce both cholesterol and blood pressure.

One study claimed that 200g of blueberries daily could improve blood vessel function and decrease systolic blood pressure [1]. Eating 200g of blueberries every day might be a stretch, but that’s where our greens juice powder comes in handy once again.

• Boost Your Memory and Brain Function

While there is still ongoing research to further support and conclude how antioxidants impact certain conditions, there is great promise for many of them – brain health included. 

Oat grass is one of our greens blend ingredients that has shown to improve concentration and focus [2] [3], as well as relieve stress and anxiety. Both can also put a huge damper on your mental and physical health.

Pomegranates are known to have a high amount of polyphenols, a type of antioxidant that reportedly helps with cognitive health [4]. Acai is another fruit that could impact cognitive health as you age and halt the pesky inflammation that targets our memory [5].

• Strengthen Your Immune System

We’re always told to eat oranges when we’re sick because of their high vitamin C content. But did you know that there are other fruits and vegetables with just as much vitamin C per serving? Two of these being strawberries and acerola. And it’s not only about the vitamin C – it’s the additional nutrients these fruits and veggies offer that helped them make the cut on our ingredients list. 

Aloe vera is another ingredient that can help the body battle against pathogens (also known as bacteria or viruses) [6]. Studies suggest that supplementing with vitamins A, C, and E and beta-carotene can help enhance your immune function, all of which you can find in our greens mix. Many of the resulting immune responses are necessary for the destruction of cancerous cells in the body and even protect against infection and harmful viruses [7].

• Fight Against Free Radicals

The term free radicals refers to atoms that trigger diseases by altering our proteins, DNA, and lipids. These atoms are deemed unstable and therefore break down cells. They are said to be generated internally, or from exposure to certain conditions or pathological states. We need antioxidants to balance these free radicals out to have proper physiological functions [8].

Foods that are said to fight free radicals are – you guessed it – foods that are high in antioxidants. 

There is no guarantee of these results – we live highly variable lives in unpredictable environments, not to mention our genetics play a vital role in our health outcomes as well. But, we DO have the power to control certain things, and that starts with our nutrition and supplementation. And this means taking your greens regularly – no, not just whenever you remember them.

For more details on all of our ingredients and their potential health benefits, head to our blends blogs:

Superfood Raw Fruit Blend: Nature’s Candy in a Bottle

Sea Vegetables: The Missing Greens and Reds in Your Diet

Blends Blog: Organic Greens

REFERENCES:

1. King’s College London. “The ‘blue’ in blueberries can help lower blood pressure.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 February 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190220112211.htm>.

2. Berry, Narelle M., et al. “Acute Effects of an Avena Sativa Herb Extract on Responses to the Stroop Color–Word Test.” The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, vol. 17, no. 7, 17 July 2011, pp. 635–637.

3. Dimpfel, Wilfried, et al. “Ingested Oat Herb Extract (Avena Sativa) Changes EEG Spectral Frequencies in Healthy Subjects.” The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, vol. 17, no. 5, May 2011, pp. 427–434.

4. Bookheimer, Susan Y., et al. “Pomegranate Juice Augments Memory and FMRI Activity in Middle-Aged and Older Adults with Mild Memory Complaints.” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 2013, 22 July 2013, pp. 1–14.

5. Poulose, Shibu M., et al. “Anthocyanin-Rich Açai (Euterpe Oleracea Mart.) Fruit Pulp Fractions Attenuate Inflammatory Stress Signaling in Mouse Brain BV-2 Microglial Cells.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 60, no. 4, 20 Feb. 2012, pp. 1084–1093.

6. Bendich, Adrianne. “Physiological Role of Antioxidants in the Immune System.” Journal of Dairy Science, vol. 76, no. 9, Sept. 1993, pp. 2789–2794.

7. Rahmani, Arshadh, et al. “Aloe Vera : Potential Candidate in Health Management via Modulation of Biological Activities.” Pharmacognosy Reviews, vol. 9, no. 18, 2015, p. 120.

8. Lobo, V et al. “Free radicals, antioxidants and functional foods: Impact on human health.” Pharmacognosy reviews vol. 4,8 (2010): 118-26.