Green foods - myths and facts

Green foods include algae, bacteria, and grass with a high content of micronutrients and proteins. In the media and promotional messages,

green foods are classified as superfoods and recommended for the prevention and treatment of numerous health problems,

including the most serious ones. However, the term green foods or superfoods is not clearly defined in the literature. There is a sufficient

number of studies which examine various partial effects of green foods. Yet, they are predominantly laboratory experiments

the conclusions of which have not been properly validated in extensive clinical studies on human subjects. This undesirable situation

is then reflected in popular media and on social networks which are flooded with news about the miraculous effects of these foods.

The nutrient content in relation to the amount of green foods that can be routinely consumed is, however, not so special. As a result,

despite high levels of many nutrients, the ultimate effect of taking green foods in the form of dietary supplements is dubious,

especially in view of their relatively high cost and in view of other common, affordable, and tastier sources of the same nutrients.

Keywords: chlorella, young barley, spirulina, superfoods, green foods