Hi everyone, Mike Stuchiner, Master Herbalist here with Z Natural Foods, and today's video will be on the topic of what are my top picks for fruit juice powders to mix with a green food powder. But before we get started, I think I need to mention two things. Number one is, if you'd like more information about me, go to my YouTube page, "A Master Herbalist's Perspective." And if you'd like to see more of my writing and my articles, and Z Natural Foods-based videos, you can go to ZNaturalFoods.com. But if you're watching this video, chances are you're already on ZNaturalFoods.com. The second thing that's important to mention is our health disclaimer. The information you're about to receive is for educational purposes only and is not intended to treat, prescribe, or diagnose any general or specific medical condition. It is not to be used as a substitute for your primary healthcare physician's medical information, treatment plan, or diagnosis. With that said, let's get started. So what are the top picks for fruit juice powders that you can mix with the green? Okay, in order to understand this, in order to answer this question, to understand this topic a little bit more clearly, it is vital to first understand what green powders are and the nourishing qualities they can potentially provide to us. Green powders are considered a modern food product created from an individual or wide variety of dried or juiced grass powders, vegetable powders, and seaweed powders to develop a quality source of concentrated nourishment for supporting metabolism. So, green foods have a tremendous reputation for providing high-quality nourishment, like micronutrients and phyto compounds. When prepared and utilized correctly, they can be an excellent and easy way to add concentrated nourishment to your diet. In this video, I will be discussing the following topics: 1. The nourishing qualities of green powders. 2. A traditional Chinese medical perspective on greens. 3. The difference between juice and whole food powders for the purpose of adding fruit juice powders to a drink. 4. Some of the compounds found in fruits. 5. Eastern traditional Chinese medical perspective versus a Western perspective. 6. My top picks for fruit juice powders. So yeah, you can see there are three good reasons you should be consuming green powder. The first is chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a compound in plants that gives them a vibrant green color. It is the primary compound that helps in what is known as photosynthesis, using sunlight to synthesize food from carbon dioxide and water. Simply put, the deeper green the vegetable, the more chlorophyll it contains. Two primary types of chlorophyll are found in plants: Chlorophyll A and Chlorophyll B, both of which are fat-soluble compounds with highly nourishing and protective properties. When chlorophyll is ingested, it moves through the body via what are known as molecular groups called micelles, which help the body absorb lipids and fat-soluble nutrients. They also help transport fat-soluble nutrients into the small intestines. Chlorophyllin is a compound produced from chlorophyll through a process called saponification. In simple terms, chlorophyllin is the water-soluble version of chlorophyll. Number two is Vitamin K. Unless you've been living under a rock for the past ten years, it should come as no surprise the vital importance of Vitamin K on human health. Vitamin K describes the family of K vitamins - K1, K2, and K3. The family of these fat-soluble vitamins is implicated in many essential biological processes like blood clotting, bone building, and reducing calcium deposits in arteries. Note that technically there are three forms of Vitamin K, but what we know is that the FDA has banned K3 due to its potential side effects. It seems that the nourishing qualities found in Vitamin K are K1 and K2. Number three is carotenoids. Phytonutrients are compounds produced by plants to help them resist external environmental threats. These compounds are believed to have nourishing qualities that may support various human health factors. Carotenoids are a class of red, orange, or yellow fat-soluble pigments, and there are more than 600 types of carotenoids, each with unique attributes that are researched for their ability to take on antioxidant-like qualities. These characteristics have been classified into two primary groups: xanthophylls, which primarily protect from too much sunlight and contain oxygen, and more yellow pigments are associated with nourishing your eyes, while carotenes have no oxygen and have been associated with yellow pigments. So when we talk about carotenoids, there are many things we can talk about, but carotenoids are clumped into a group that talks mostly about the yellow and the orange pigmentation foods. Green Food powders according to traditional Chinese medicine. To begin, it's vital to understand that while every individual green food can be cooling or warming according to traditional Chinese medicine principles, most green food patterns are a mixture of many different ingredients. The wide variety of ingredients often creates a product that is neutral in temperature by default. And that's one of the things that's very interesting about green powders and especially when we talk about traditional Chinese medicine; when you want to create something for the masses, yes, you can create a cooling product, you can create a warming product, but most companies are going to be very prone to wanting to create something that's more of a balanced product. Therefore, it can reach a larger demographic, and it can reach more people. One of the principles in traditional Chinese medicine is known as the five elements theory, which outlines the relationship between different elements of nature: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, and its relationship to the life force, aka chi, that flows through them. Different colors and seasons are also a part of this particular equation. For example, the heart is associated with the color red, which is associated with the season of summer. The spleen and stomach are associated with yellow, the lungs are associated with white and the fall, and the kidneys are associated with the color black and winter. Regarding green foods and green color, Traditional Chinese Medicine believes this represents springtime because this is when all plant life begins to really flower and is related to the wood element. The wood element resonates with the liver, the grand architect of our vision of the future and strategic planning, and is also related to the gallbladder, the center of our ability to decide and judge wisely. Our tendons, nails, eyes, the flavor of sourness, and the emotion of anger are also associated with the liver. TCM also believes the liver's primary function is to store blood and regulate the movement of chi, aka our life force within the body, and is partnered with the gallbladder. Therefore, focusing on nourishing the liver and gallbladder with foods that support our detoxification pathways, like greens, may provide a tremendous benefit to us overall. An interesting question on this topic is: are green food powders the same as green juice powders? While using foods in powder form has advantages and disadvantages, it's essential to understand the intrinsic facts that create those differences. Juice powder is one of the many versions of what is known as an extract powder. The umbrella term "extract powder" describes many different versions of plant, fungus, and animal foods in either powder or liquid form. These different versions create variables for their nourishing qualities. Some of these variables are defined in what is known as concentration levels. A full-spectrum extract concentrates a food or an herb, so you're getting all the constituents found in that food or herb at a much higher level than in its normal, natural state. Although the fiber has been removed from the juice powder, all of the nutrients and constituents are still perfectly balanced, just simply more concentrated. On the other hand, ingredients in a whole food green powder are dried and milled into a powder and left in their original whole foods state with all the fiber and constituents at their naturally occurring levels. The water has simply been removed, and nothing has been purposefully concentrated. You can count on the fact that there will be differences in color and taste between a juice powder and a whole-food powder. The whole food powder is more likely to vary from batch to batch. One is not necessarily better than the other. It's more of a matter of how you intend to use the product that will declare which one is more suitable for you as an individual. If you're a "throw in a shaker bottle and go" kind of person, you should know whether your green product is in whole food or juice powder form. Mixing whole fruit powder with juice powder may cause clumping. This is not to say you can't mix and match but to avoid the issue of clumping, which of course is probably one of the primary complaints most people have when it comes to powdered foods, using a fruit powder in the same form as your green powder is always going to be best to avoid that specific issue. So let's get down to why add fruit juice powders to your greens mix. Well, greens are incredibly nutritious, and balancing the effects of your green powder is essential. In simple terms, the effects of greens are to nourish your pathways of detoxification to allow your body to function at optimal levels. Adding juice powders that contain a wide range of polyphenolic compounds in their various colors in the various colors of fruits supports the repair process from the damage caused by stress, helping to create a more balanced, harmonious internal environment. By adding one or several high polyphenolic juice powders, it will ensure your body receives a powerful synergy from foods that flood the body with extraordinary nutrient levels. Greens and fruits are a true match made in heaven. Both groups contain a wide array of unique and potent compounds that profoundly affect our physiology. They work better together because they complement one another's effects. I want to give you four good reasons to add fruit juice powder to your green background. Number one is polyphenols. Polyphenols are a term used to describe a general category of compounds found in a broad spectrum of fruits, vegetables, and tea that work as what is known as reducing agents, along with other compounds known as antioxidants. They support a healthy inflammation response and the body's ability to protect and repair damaged tissue caused by the process of oxidative stress. While over 8000 polyphenols have been identified, some of the most common are flavonoids, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. The importance of discussing these various compounds allows you to more clearly understand the wide range and complexity of nourishment you are getting from these powerful foods. Number two is flavonoids. Flavonoids are a group of wild water-soluble polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, thought to provide health benefits through what is known as cell signaling. This is the process when a cell responds to a substance outside of the cell through signaling molecules found on the surface of the cell and antioxidant effects. Secondary metabolites are substances manufactured by plants to make them compete in their environment, exerting a wide range of effects on the plant itself and all the surrounding living organisms. Over 50,000 secondary metabolites have been discovered, and many modern medicines rely on them for their mechanism of action. Number three is flavonols. These are polyphenols belonging to the flavonoids family with a ketone group, studied for their wide range of biological activities: antioxidant, antimicrobial, hepato-protective (that means liver protection), modulating inflammation, and vasodilation. They primarily accumulate in the outer tissues, the skin, and leaves of fruits and vegetables and are the building blocks of proanthocyanidins, compounds that contribute to the colors of fruits and vegetables. These are also the most widespread compounds found in the human diet. And number four is anthocyanins, which are a part of the flavonoid family of polyphenolic compounds. They represent the pigments that exhibit the bright red, purple, and blue colors found in fruits and vegetables. So let's get to my top picks. Number one is Nature's Brain Food: Blueberry Juice Powder. Blueberries are well known for their bright, vibrant color and highly nourishing polyphenolic compounds. These powerful blue nuggets of deliciousness, also known as brain berries, are considered one of the world's most nutritious and well-studied common fruits. Blueberries are native to North America, and 90% of their production happens in just ten states within the US. There are four varieties of blueberries: highbush, hybrid high, hath, and lowbush. But there's only one true King, the lowbush, aka the wild blueberry. Because they are smaller and contain less water, they are considered to have more concentrated nourishment to match the uniquely sweet, tangy, and slightly floral flavor profile. Anthocyanins, as mentioned earlier, are flavonoids. These water-soluble pigments give fruits and vegetables that color, and they account for approximately 60% of the total polyphenols in blueberries, yielding 500 milligrams per 100 grams, ranking them at number 16 behind some pretty impressive contenders for foods richest in polyphenols. Other predominant bioactive components found in blueberries are resveratrol and quercetin, just to name a few. A survey of the antioxidant capacity and polyphenolic composition of blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries concluded that blueberries have exceptionally high values of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins. A study done in neuroregeneration research conducted on young and old participants that consumed blueberries on a daily basis showed an increase in blood flow to key brain areas and improvement in both memory and attention. Blueberries, a TCM perspective. According to TCM, blueberries are cool in temperature, have a sweet and sour flavor, and work through the lungs, stomach, and spleen channels. They are specifically used to clear what TCM knows as heat and dampness. In TCM, the liver represents springtime because blueberries are late spring through mid-summer fruit. In TCM, they are known to help eliminate toxins and nourish the liver and blood. Number two is pomegranate juice powder versus nature's herb: thyme. Nature's hard tonic. What pomegranate is mainly known for is its nourishing level of antioxidants and phyto compounds like polyphenols, tannins, and anthocyanins, which have been studied for supporting and nourishing the body, as I've mentioned several times earlier. All parts of the pomegranate plant, fruit, peel, leaf, seed, and flower are packed with these compounds. But one of the superstars is a unique polyphenol called punicalagin. It's a superstar compound found in pomegranates, and it's a polyphenol not absorbed into the bloodstream but instead hydrolyzed into a compound known as ellagic acid. Found in the peel of the pomegranate, this powerful compound has potentially proven antioxidant, hepato-protective, and anti-atherosclerotic nourishing traits. It has also been shown to inhibit inflammatory pathways, and human beings highly tolerate the action of toxic substances and it. One of the primary and most impressive things pomegranate has been studied for is its ability to protect aging arteries and possibly reverse what is known as endothelial dysfunction. In this condition, large blood vessels in the heart's surface constrict instead of dilating. A review discussing the vascular protective effects of pomegranate concluded that the daily consumption of pomegranate juice lessens hypertension and atherosclerosis in human beings. Overall, the study points out that pomegranate has the potential for broader effects and uses as an adjuvant therapy for a wide range of vascular issues. Another review discussing the protective effects of pomegranate on endothelial dysfunction concluded that the components found in pomegranate have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, improving parameters such as oxidative stress and the enzymatic antioxidant system, reducing reactive oxygen species formation, and acting in an anti-inflammatory way. Pomegranate, a traditional Chinese medicine perspective. According to TCM, pomegranate is neutral to cool in temperature and sweet, slightly bitter, and sour in flavor. It enters the spleen, lung, stomach, large intestine, and urinary bladder channels and primarily clears heat, tonifies the spleen and the lungs, circulates qi (also known as your immune system), and is known to help modulate pain. Number three is tart cherry' juice powder, nature's answer to a healthy inflammatory response. Tart cherry, in my opinion, is probably one of the more underrated foods that should be a first line of defense for supporting a healthy inflammation response. Unfortunately, modern medicine has yet to provide an appropriate solution for many conditions that plague our society and are affected by the inflammation process. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories suppress one specific pathway, leading to a cascade of adverse effects on the entire overall inflammatory response. Tart cherry, on the other hand, supports a healthy inflammation response by modulating the entire cascade via the suppression of what is known as nuclear factor kappa B. This food is exciting because tart cherries substantially affect both Cox-1 and Cox-2 pathways through their modulation of the inflammation cascade. Tart cherry has been shown to suppress nuclear factor kappa B, which is a protein complex that turns genes on and produces inflammation. This is the initial trigger in the inflammatory cascade. It also inhibits Cox-2 and Cox-1 enzymes. It suppresses interleukin-6, which acts as both a pro and anti-inflammatory and is the end stage of inflammation. It switches off genes involved in the inflammation process. And it lowers uric acid levels. A very interesting study talks about the effects of tart cherry consumption when tested in a double-blind, randomized trial of runners participating in a 24-hour relay race. These runners drank 355 milliliters, which provides 80 milligrams of anthocyanins and is the equivalent of about 90 to 100 cherries. This beverage contains either tart cherry juice or a placebo beverage for one week before and during the race. While both groups reported reduced pain after the race, the runners who drank the tart cherry juice experienced a substantially lower pain response. Scientists also conducted a controlled study on different aspects of muscle recovery using tart cherry juice. Participants were given tart cherries or a control drink for five days before, on the day of, and two days after a marathon race. Runners in the tart cherry group had significantly lower inflammation biomarkers interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein compared to the placebo group. The tart cherry group also recovered isometric strength faster than the control running group, demonstrating an accelerated recovery following strenuous exercise. Tart cherries, from a traditional medical perspective, are cooling in temperature, slightly sweet, and pungent in flavor. TCM believes that tart cherries promote urination, circulate qi, calm the Shen (which is your nerves), and restore the heart and lungs and dry phlegm. Tart cherry is also considered an excellent food for those who are dealing with what TCM knows as blood deficiency. A blood deficiency is described as a blood that lacks volume and nourishment and is, therefore, unable to nourish the organs and systems. In TCM, blood is governed and regulated by the liver. I realize that I gave you a lot of information to digest in this video. So here's where I'm going to tie it all together to make things a little bit more crystal clear for you. I've shown you many general reasons why adding fruit juice powders to your greens is a good idea. We have also talked in-depth about three fabulous fruit juices that you can take, a simple green with a simple green powder, and make into something really quite extraordinary. Each individual or a mixture of all three of these fruits brings a wide array of very nourishing compounds to the table. So no matter which one or combination of these you choose, you simply cannot go wrong. It certainly makes sense; the greater the variety of these compounds you consume, the better. I hope this video has been informative and helpful. If you have any questions or need more information about any of the topics covered, don't hesitate to visit my YouTube page at, "A Master Herbalist Perspective" or my articles and videos on Z Natural Foods' website. Keep in mind that the information I provided in this video is for educational purposes only and is not intended to treat, prescribe, or diagnose any general or specific medical condition. Always consult with your primary healthcare physician for any medical information, treatment plan, or diagnosis. Thank you for joining me in this video on my top picks for mixing fruit juice powders with green food powder. I wish you all the best in your journey to health and well-being. Stay nourished, stay healthy, and have a wonderful day!