Perennial Greens

Trends in the nutrition industry are as common as cookies at a holiday party. Current trends on display at SupplySide West in October included antioxidants from “new” sources like corn or olives, gluten-free options, social networks and sustainability throughout the supply chain.

In contrast, one old standby still garners as much attention as the aunt who had too much eggnog at said holiday party: green foods. Green foods, i.e. plant-based nutrition with tons of chlorophyll and health benefits, will always be a topic of interest in this industry for two main reasons: consumers know they need them, and consumers don’t get enough in their diets. “Despite diet trends consistently changing opinions over the years, all trends ALWAYS agree that green foods are nothing but beneficial— and the public has ingested and wholly absorbed this information,” said Mike Dewey, marketing manager, AlgaeCal.

While getting greens in the diet is not a passing trend in the nutrition industry, interest in getting greens in the diet in novel ways has increased recently. “Interest in green food ingredients has increased dramatically in just the last few years,” said Bob Capelli, vice president of sales and marketing, Cyanotech Corp. “For example, we had more interest in spirulina at SupplySide West this year than we’ve had at any show in the last five years.”

Product manufacturers want to make green-food supplements and add them to foods and beverages because consumers are more interested. While consumers want more greens in their diets, they have been reluctant to add more snacks of broccoli and cooked spinach. “A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report released in September 2010 reported, in 2009 only 32.5 percent of Americans are meeting the USDA recommended fruit and vegetable intake,” said Jeff Wuagneux, president/CEO, RFI Ingredients. “Worse yet, consumption is actually down in the past decade, which tells us that even with the media and government telling us we should be eating more fruits and vegetables, we are not. This paradox may explain the interest by consumers in green-food products, which in turn is driving the manufacturer’s interest.”

Consumers would do well to increase their green food consumption, as numerous studies show their health benefits. Population studies suggest a reduced risk of cancer is associated with high consumption of vegetables, like cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage and broccoli; green tea; and asparagus.1 Specifically, intake of folate (found in vegetables) and green leafy vegetables may help protect smokers from gene action that promotes lung cancer.2 And, according to English researchers, increasing daily intake of green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, could significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.3

Many of green foods’ benefits can be attributed to chlorophyll. In fact, Guinevere Lynn, director of business development, Sun Chlorella calls it “the most important ingredient that can be found in all green foods.” Chlorophyll, as we all remember from seventh-grade science, is the pigment that gives plants their green color. It’s vital for photosynthesis, the process that allows plants to get their energy from the sun. For humans, chlorophyll is known as nature’s detoxifer because it removes impurities and harmful elements from the body. Studies have shown it exhibits anticarcinogenic activity,4 so much so that, in 2001, a group of researchers recommended it as means to prevent the development of liver cancer as well as other environmentally induced cancers.5

http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/articles/2010/11/perennial-greens.aspx

http://www.depsyl.com/ 

http://back2basicnutrition.com/

http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/