Whole Foods Nutrition Vs Vitamin & Mineral Supplements
Barley Grass
Many consumers often wonder whether, since they are taking a multiple vitamin/mineral formula, they should also consume green foods. The enzyme rich live foods in barley grass provides vitamins and minerals as nature intended, with all the naturally occurring co-factors and synergistic compounds intact. These whole foods contain hundreds and possibly thousands of yet to be discovered nutrients that cannot be isolated and put into a vitamin/mineral supplement.
With whole foods and their concentrates containing complete nutritional complexes, the body is able to recognize these foods, easily assimilating what it needs and excreting what it doesn't. This is called "selective absorption". Most vitamin and mineral supplements however, are made from fractionated, isolated, or synthetic sources - leaving your body no choice but to deal with these incomplete substances, thereby creating a potential environment of bio-chemical imbalances and toxicities.
Benefits of Barley Grass
Barley grass is one of the green grasses. The true beauty of barley is found in the leaves; the young green shoots of power that form before the grain. The young leaves have a tremendous ability to absorb nutrients from the soil. When barley leaves are 12-14 inches high, they contain all the vitamins, minerals, and proteins necessary for the human diet, plus chlorophyll. These necessities are easily assimilated throughout the digestive tract, giving our bodies instant access to vital nutrients.
Large amounts of vitamins and minerals are found in young barley grass (Sante Pure Barley) leaves. These include potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, beta carotene, B1, B2, B6, C, folic acid, and pantothenic acid. Barley grass is said to have 30 times more vitamin B1 and 11 times the amount of calcium than there is in cow's milk, 6.5 times as much carotene and nearly 5 times the iron content of spinach, close to seven times the vitamin C in oranges, four times the vitamin B1 in whole wheat flour, and 80 micrograms of vitamin B12 per 100 grams of dried barley plant juice.
Barley grass is very high in organic sodium, which dissolves calcium deposited on the joints and also replenishes organic sodium in the lining of the stomach. This aids digestion by improving the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. People with arthritis have used celery juice for years because of the organic sodium it contains (28mg per 100grms), but compare this to the amount of organic sodium in barley grass (775mg per 100 grams)!
Barley grass, at the time it is harvested to make juice, is about 45 percent protein. It has almost twice as much protein as an equivalent amount of wheat germ and about five times the minerals which accompany animal protein, in addition the protein in barley grass doesn't come burdened with fat.
Enzymes (barley grass is believed to contain up to 1,000 of them) are the necessary regulators of the body, without them our cells could not function and we would perish. Barley grass has one of the highest natural levels of enzyme SOD (superoxide dismutase), which is a powerful antioxidant that protects the cells against toxic free radicals, thought to be a primary culprit in aging.
Barley grass also contains one of the most amazing nutrients: chlorophyll, a natural detoxifier that rids the intestines of stored toxins. You don't have to drink green grass juices to get chlorophyll; it is present in all dark green, leafy vegetables. But the question is "how many servings of spinach, kale, collards, mustard greens, or turnip and beet tops, do you eat everyday?" And for those who do eat them regularly, there is, after all, a limit to the amount of spinach, kale and the likes someone can eat.
Importance of green foods
The importance of green foods in our diet is now being validated scientifically. Dehydrated cereal grasses compare favorably with other greens in respect to both nutrients and cost. It is an excellent and convenient source of green food nutrients.
Green food nutrients support healthy blood and circulation. Iron, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin B12, pyridoxine and protein are all vital for the formation and maintenance of adequate levels of hemoglobin and red blood cells. Chlorophyll may also be beneficial in these processes. In addition, chlorophyll, vitamin K, and calcium are all involved in blood clot formation and breakdown.
Users of barley grass have also found it useful as an aid in weight loss and good for the heart, healing of ulcers, correcting blood sugar problems and, most of all, as a general tonic.
Amino Acids and Proteins in Barley Grass
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins; 20 of them are present in the body proteins in significant quality. Proteins are the major constituent of every cell and body fluid (except urine and bile) and are thus necessary for the continual cell building, regeneration, and energy production that we need for life. An added benefit of the Barley Grass leaf proteins is that they are polypeptides; smaller proteins that can be directly absorbed by the blood, where they promote cell metabolism (the chemical changes that we need to live) and neutralize substances that are bad for our health. Barley Grass contains 18 amino acids (including the 8 essential amino acids) - that is, the amino acids that we must get from out diets; the body cannot produce them by itself.
Alkalinity and More
Barley Grass leaves are extremely alkaline, so digesting them can help keep the body's alkaline and acidity ratio balanced. Our cells cannot adequately function if the pH range (which measures alkaline and acidity) is not in a very narrow range. Most processed foods are acidic, and when we consume too many of them, the acidity/alkaline balance is upset. This may result in possible fatigue.
Recently research has unveiled a wealth of other possible benefits of Barley Grass. Extracted compounds have found to have hypercholesteromic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-ulcer properties. A new antioxidant, 2"-0-GIV, has been isolated and reported to have antioxidant activity equal to or superior to vitamin E. Finally, studies have shown that when Barley Grass juice is added to injured cells, the cells' DNA repair themselves more rapidly. This may contribute to preventing the changes that often lead to cancer, rapid aging, and cell death.
The Medicinal Benefits of Barley Grass Powder
from "Barley Grass", by Betsy Block, NATURAL HEALTH Magazine - Oct 1999 pg. 44
WHAT IT IS - Barley grass (Hordeum vulgare) is the seedling of the barley plant. It is usually harvested about 200 days after germination, when the shoots are less than a foot tall.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE - A concentrated source of nearly three dozen vitamins and minerals, barley grass is particularly rich in vitamins A, C, B1, B2, folic acid, and B12; calcium; iron; potassium; and chlorophyll. Unlike most plants, barley grass provides all nine essential amino acids (those which your body can't produce).
HEALING CLAIMS - Barley grass is a powerful antioxidant that is believed to help the body kill cancer cells and overcome a variety of ailments, including acne and ulcers.
HOW IT WORKS - An antioxidant called alpha-tocopherol succinate - a potent relative of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) may be responsible for much of the plant's anti-tumor action, according to Allan L. Goldstein, Ph.D., head of the biochemistry department at George Washington University's School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C., who has studied barley grass. Though its mechanism is unknown, alpha-tocopherol succinate seems to inhibit several types of cancer, including leukemia, brain tumors, and prostate cancer.
According to Yoshihide Hagiwara, M.D., a researcher in Japan and author of the book "Green Barley Essence" (Keats, 1985), barley grass helps cure skin diseases and ulcers by promoting the growth of new cells. It is not known exactly how this happens, although barley grass is high in chlorophyll, an antibacterial green pigment.
THE EVIDENCE - There have been no clinical trials of barley grass. In an experiment at George Washington University, Goldstein and his colleagues exposed leukemic cancer cells to dehydrated barley grass extract. The extract killed virtually all of them. Encouraged, the researchers then subjected brain cancer cells to the extract. It eradicated 30 to 50 percent of these cells. In a third trial, the extract inhibited the growth of three types of prostate cancer cells by 90 to 100 percent. Compare Curing Massive Cancer With Green Barley Pills.
In Japan, where barley grass extract is popular, there is anecdotal evidence that it helps the body heal from many illnesses. In one informal study, a Japanese dermatologist observed a group of 7.5 patients with skin diseases ranging from melanosis (darkening of the skin) to eczema. The patients who took barley grass extract healed faster than did those who did not. They also noticed improvements in appetite and bowel regularity.
Our Barley Grass Powder
Alka Green is the highest quality of barley grass powder available. Alka Green contains all-natural barley grass juice. The barley grass in Alka Green is grown in organic conditions and harvested at peak nutrient density. To preserve the live enzymes in the barley green, Alka Green is freeze-dried. Alka Green contains alkalizing nutrients which balance the body's pH levels. Alka Green barley green powder is 100% pure barley green. This product has not been heat-treated; thus, it remains enzymatically active. Alka Green Contains no yeast, maltodextrose or preservatives. It is not diluted, so it provides the maximum concentration of the naturally chelated colloidal alkaline minerals so vital to health. Other barley products may be diluted up to 40% by maltodextrin and brown rice which means they may be 40% less effective than Alka Green in alkalizing the body.
Alka Green is available in our store in tablet and powder form at a very low price. Each bottle of Alka Green Tablets contains 300 tablets, about a month supply. Alka Green barley green tablets contain just enough natural binding material (4%) to form the 96% pure barley green tablets. Each jar of Alka Green Powder contains 10 oz, a 2 month supply. Click here to buy Alka Green Barley Grass Powder.
