In recent years, there has been a growing trend towards consuming green-colored fruits, unripe berries, vegetables, and herbal fresh juices made from green plants. Social media influencers and innovative restaurateurs have led this new approach to eating, making chlorophyll-rich dishes a hallmark of “advanced” menus. However, they haven’t introduced anything new to the world: chlorophyll has been recognized as a superfood for over half a century. This trendy direction is not groundbreaking for cosmetologists and perfumers either, who have been producing chlorophyll-infused products since the days of . Thus, the rapid rise in chlorophyll’s popularity seems more like a “second wind.”
What Are the Benefits?
Chlorophyll is a green plant pigment involved in photosynthesis, the process by which organic substances are formed from inorganic ones using light. Thanks to this vital chemical process, plants harness the energy of sunlight stored in organic compounds for their own life processes. For humans, the significance lies in the similarity between the chlorophyll molecule and the structure of hemoglobin, the essential component of blood that transports oxygen to tissues and removes carbon dioxide.
This similarity forms the basis for using chlorophyll in dietary supplements for sports nutrition: the green pigment boosts hemoglobin levels, enriches the blood with oxygen, stimulates blood production, activates nitrogen metabolism, and helps eliminate waste and toxins from cells. Nutrition experts value chlorophyll for its high fiber content, which is beneficial for digestion, bones, teeth, nails, and the immune system. Experts note that this healing phytochemical is found not only in specific capsules and tablets but can also be sourced from all green fruits and leaves.
Where to Find Chlorophyll
Obvious examples of foods rich in chlorophyll include green fruits (, apples, and ) and green vegetables (, celery, asparagus, peas, beans, , parsley, dill, and other leafy or aromatic greens). The champions in chlorophyll content are seaweeds (chlorella, spirulina), alfalfa, broccoli, , cilantro, and barley and wheat sprouts. However, the biological power of each of these healthy products is insufficient to meet human needs. We cannot consume enough food daily to obtain the necessary amount of chlorophyll.
Moreover, to benefit from this green pigment, everyone would have to adopt a raw food diet, as cooking can reduce the chlorophyll content in foods by half. Freezing and even prolonged storage can decrease its initial concentration by 15–50%. Therefore, it is more practical to consume chlorophyll in dietary supplements, where the active ingredient is derived from organic sources like alfalfa. Supplements containing water-soluble salts of copper and sodium based on chlorophyll (chlorophyllin) are easier to absorb compared to the natural pigment.
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