The Complete Guide to Green and Red Fusion

Healthy Eating: What is a Superfood and what are considered superfoods?

Superfoods are those that contain a high amount of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins; nutrient-dense foods. For example, a chocolate bar has little to no nutritional value when it comes to vitamins and minerals, whilst eggs contain all nine essential amino acids.

Here are some examples of superfoods:

These foods contain various amounts of nutrients for only a small serve and relatively few calories.

Healthy eating and living: What is green superfood powder?

Green superfood powder contains some of the aforementioned superfoods broken down into a drinkable substance that can be easily absorbed and consumed when mixed with water. Common ingredients in green superfood powder are:

Research into barley grass reveals its high fibre content, with regular consumption potentially helping us reduce the risk of diseases like obesity and diabetes. Moreover, it has been found to promote good heart health. Other research into barley grass paints a very positive picture: it contains high levels of Vitamin A, B1, C, and E, whilst helping promote sleep, regulate blood pressure, and enhance immunity. It also boasts the ability to improves gastrointestinal function and improves cognition.

Australian Barley Grass and Wheatgrass: What are the health benefits?

Wheatgrass is another superfood with many benefits. Research shows it's a strong antioxidant due to its free radical attacking activity (free radicals are compounds that may cause harm if their levels become too high). Wheatgrass contains 297 proteins that can help us fight oxidative stress, and research suggests it "could be used in stress and nourishing human health."

Wheatgrass is also high in vitamins A, C and E, and iron, magnesium, calcium and amino acids -- all of which are "easily absorbed."

Another study into wheatgrass, which was given to 59 women (who had lots of fat in their blood) every day for 10 weeks, reported a 5.4% reduction in total cholesterol and a 9.5% reduction in triacylglycerols (fatty acids that can be harmful if too high).

Purple Carrots: What are the health benefits?

Purple carrots have been all the rage because they've been found to possess on average 9 times more polyphenols than other colours. Polyphenols are organic compounds found in high amounts in plants that may play a key role in health via the regulation of metabolism, weight, and healthy cells. This is due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Specifically, purple carrots have also been found to be rich in anthocyanins that result in high antiradical activity -- fighting off the nasties that can lead to disease.

Spirulina: What are the health benefits?

Spirulina or Arthrospira is a blue-green alga that first came to our attention when it was used by NASA as a dietary supplement for astronauts on space missions. It has a very high protein content (up to 70%) and contains a stack of vitamins, especially B12, A, and iron. It also contains polyphenols and is easily digestible because it lacks cellulose walls.

But what excites people most about Spirulina is its anti-inflammatory properties; which in one study significantly improved the release of nasties associated with allergic rhinitis.

Moreover, Spirulina has also been found to lower blood cholesterol, triglycerides and reduce harmful LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol (the good type!).

Chlorella: What are the health benefits?

Another form of algae, chlorella is a popular superfood consumed in the form of a dietary supplement. It boasts multiple vitamins and minerals like vitamin D, B12 that aren't found in plant-derived food sources! It's also higher in iron than other plant-derived foods, and also contains lots of fibre.

Research shows chlorella also helps us improve total cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and is reported to have antioxidant, antidiabetic, and antihypertensive effects.

If you can consume it regularly, it can only help!

Health and wellbeing: Is superfood powder good for you?

There's no question that when we factor in the aforementioned research, the bulk of it points towards us becoming healthier by consuming superfood powders (or superfoods) regularly.

Whilst balanced diet advocates still consuming "fast-food" and processed foods, it's critical that we get enough vitamins and minerals daily to support our health and well being. But this isn't always that easy, and so a superfood powder supplement is a perfect way to get what we need when we're on the go.

Our Bulk Nutrients Green Fusion superfood powder contains all the common aforementioned ingredients: Australian barley grass, Australian wheat grass, purple carrot, spirulina, chlorella, and contains 50 servings per packet, with two servings a day recommended.

Healthy eating and living: What is red superfood powder?

Another form of superfood powder is a different colour entirely: red! It generally has these ingredients:

Beetroot: What are the health benefits?

Beetroot is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent that has been used to promote good health since Roman times. It contains dietary nitrate which research suggests may have important implications for managing cardiovascular health. Beetroot is also high in health-promoting goodies like Vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid) carotenoids, polyphenols and flavonoids.

And beetroot's role in the prevention of oxidative stress impresses scientists too; oxidative stress is the imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in your body, and beetroot boasts "exceptionally rich" antioxidant compounds. We're talking about betalain pigments (nitrogenous red and yellow pigments found in a single order of plants) that can "defuse highly reactive radicals" targeting our cells.

Given that research says oxidative stress plays a part in the make-up of over 200 clinical conditions, you can see why foods so high in antioxidants like beetroot have been researched to discover their oxidative stress-fighting qualities.

Healthy eating: What are the benefits of Pea Fibre?

Pea fibre is a great way to potentially increase satiety and prevent overeating. Fibre is also important for the stimulation of gut hormones that regulate food intake and the modulation of gut bacteria.

Moreover, pea fibre has been found to lower blood triglycerides (the level of fat in your blood). Too higher a level of triglycerides puts us at risk of cardiovascular disease. Also, research shows cholesterol levels have also been lowered via pea fibre, and scientists say it can play a role in obesity management; subjects taking pea fibre lost weight during a trial.

The health benefits of Inulin

Inulin belongs to a class of non-digestible carbohydrates called fructans. Inulin is used as a prebiotic, sugar replacer, and texture modifier. It plays a positive role in our gastric health, leading to favourable modifications of our gut microbiota composition and function -- gifting us with a healthy gut.

Inulin has also been shown to help us absorb calcium better, and a recent study found inulin to deliver feelings of health and well-being. The research gathered 28 females and 19 males (mean age 23.0 years, range 19–30 years). Those who received the inulin were not as hungry, happier and felt fuller than those who didn't receive it.

Raspberry powder: What are the health benefits?

Raspberries are also packed with antioxidants, including vitamin C, which research shows is not only good for our immune systems a healthier skin!

Moreover, the antioxidants found in raspberries may induce anti-aging effects! Raspberry powder is also high in fibre, making it another ally when it comes to losing fat.

Blackberry powder: What are the health benefits?

Blackberries are high in calcium and manganese, which research shows can alleviate mental and physical PMS symptoms to support menstrual health. The vitamin K found in Blackberries is also good for your heart health and promotes healthy bones.

And back to our skin; the goodies found in blackberries (the compounds with antioxidant effects) called anthocyanins, can help protect our skin from UV damage!

Acai Berry Extract: What are the health benefits?

Acai berries are a real crowd favourite due to their potential positive effect on the health of our brain cells. Again, the heroes anthocyanins show up in this story, who also play a key role in heart health.

But if you're wondering why every cafe sells acai berries and extract -- it's because they contain, for context, three times the amount of antioxidants as blueberries! They definitely fit into the "Superfood" category! And when we remember that they also can help us lower cholesterol, we recall why they've shot to fame so much in recent years.

Acai berry extract is a key ingredient in all superfood powders. and one you shouldn't go without.

Maca: The health benefits of the South American superfood

Like Acai berries, the maca plant comes from South America. The plant is native to Peru and is largely available in powder or as a supplement.

It's rich in fibre, essential amino acids, fatty acids, and nutrients including vitamin C, iron, calcium and copper.

Moreover, Maca is known to have neuroprotective effects, and memory enhancement effects, with scientists suggesting it may also work as an antidepressant. It also boasts anti-inflammatory activities and assists in skin protection.

But Maca has got a lot of its attention from the evidence supporting its assistance in increasing sexual desire. A recent review that included four randomized clinical studies (the gold standard of scientific research!) with a whopping 131 participants, reported that maca improves sexual desire after at least six weeks.

Dandelion Root Extract

Dandelion root extract comes from the roots of Dandelion, a family of flowering plants that grow in many countries. It's popular due to its health bolstering goodness.

It is packed with vitamins A, C, D, E and B, and minerals like iron, magnesium, calcium, silicon, copper, zinc, and manganese.

Dandelion root extract also boasts a significant amount of beta-carotene, which can help with cognitive function, skin health, eye health, and lung health.

Superfood powder for better health: Bulk Nutrients Red Fusion

Our Red Fusion superfood powder contains all of these aforementioned ingredients, to help you stay as healthy as possible.

It boils down to this: it can be increasingly difficult to get all your vitamins and minerals and other goodies at the best of times.

By acquiring a superfood powder, you're ensuring that you get the goodness regularly and easily, to ensure you make the maintenance of your health as easy and convenient as possible!