Chlorophyll in fruits and vegetables: what health benefits? | The USA Print

“Chlorophyll is the pigment who gives his green color to plants, with vegetables and fruits, explains Aurore Lavergnat, dietitian-nutritionist. Only one vegetable does not contain chlorophyll, it is the fungus.

There chlorophyll is also called ‘vegetable blood’. It contains many interesting substances such as vitamins A, VSE, K as well as minerals such as calcium, magnesium… Precious antioxidants for the cells of the body, hence its interest for health.

In plants, the chlorophyll plays a role in the photosynthesiswhich allows plants to live.

Chlorophyll has many health and beauty benefits! Aurore Lavergnat, dietician-nutritionist explains them to us.

1. It oxygenates all the cells of the body, which allows for better cell regeneration.
2. It stimulates the production of red blood cells and hemoglobin. What is particularly interesting in people who tend to be anemic. Certain populations are more prone to anemia: pelderly people (more than 20% of people over 85 are anemic, but also 10 to 15% of pregnant women).
3. It promotes good blood circulation which makes it possible to fight, when it is hot, against the feeling of heavy legs.
4. It ensures good cardiac oxygenation thanks to its oxygen supply and the fact that it thins the blood. This plays a positive role in blood pressure.
5. It brings oxygen to the lungs.
6. It has a detoxifying power : especially in the liver. It helps it to evacuate heavy metals such as mercury, lead, drug residues… Chlorophyll therefore ensures good digestion.
7. It regulates the intestinal flora by limiting the proliferation of bacteria, the production of gas and ensuring a good acid-base balance. It is interesting for intestinal transit which promotes good digestion.
8. It promotes healing by neutralizing toxins that may be present in the wound.
9. 9. By stimulating the production of estrogen, chlorophyll acts beneficially against painful menstruation.

What to put on your plate every day to fill up with chlorophyll naturally and enjoy its health benefits? The advice of the dietitian-nutritionist.

• Aromatic herbs (basil, mint, parsley, etc.) contain 25 mg of chlorophyll per 100 g.
• Green leafy vegetables contain interesting quantities of chlorophyll: 15 mg in 100 g of spinach, 10 mg in 100 g of watercress, 5 mg in 100 g of arugula or green beans, 4.5 mg in 100 g of leeks.
• The fruits : kiwi whose chlorophyll content does not deteriorate with ripening as is the case for tomatoes.
• edible plants : nettle contains a large amount of chlorophyll: 4.8 mg per gram of dry leaves, alfalfa also.
• Micro-algae: chorella contains 3.5 mg of chlorophyll per 100 g of powder, spirulina contains 1 g of chlorophyll per 100 g.

“It is beneficial to regularly consume foods rich in chlorophyll as part of a balanced daily diet, recommends Aurore Lavergnat. But there is no recommended daily allowance as for vitamins, minerals, etc. » However, it has, as we saw above, health benefits that should not be denied.

There chlorophyll being heat sensitiveit is therefore better to consume food raw when possible. This is the case for aromatic herbs, spinach, arugula, etc.

You can also take the chlorophyll in curein the form of food supplements in capsules, or liquid.

The best time to do a chlorophyll treatment depends on what you expect: is it to reduce the feeling of heavy legs, in which case, it will be necessary to do the treatment in summer? Is it to cleanse the body of its toxins and regain good digestion, spring is then the ideal season for a detox? Etc.

As for the recommended daily dose, it depends on the chlorophyll concentration of the capsules or the liquid form. It is therefore important to refer to the instructions for use.

As a dietary supplement, there are different types of chlorophyll.

There chlorophyll in capsules, chlorophyll is extracted from chorella, alfalfa, spirulina but also from white mulberry, spinach… It comes in magnesium or copper chlorophyll. It is preferable to choose magnesium chlorophyll, the second being mainly used as a food coloring.

There liquid chlorophyll mostly comes from purified alfalfa water.

“Consumed in the form of food, there is no problem with chlorophyll”, reassures the dietitian-nutritionist.

On the other hand, when taken as a food supplement, it can cause some undesirable effects: diarrhea, green color of urine and stools, yellow to blackish color of the tongue.

THE chlorophyll-based dietary supplements are also contraindicated in pregnant women and nursing mothers.

Rinse a handful of spinach and arugula under running water. Grate 1 cm of ginger. Squeeze the juice from a lemon. Mix everything. Enjoy chilled with ice cubes.

Rinse a bunch of watercress with clear water. Peel, rinse, dice a potato. Cook the watercress and the potato for 20 minutes in ¾ liter of vegetable broth. Mixer. Salt, pepper. Pour into soup plates. Decorate with alfalfa.

Peel 6 kiwis. Dice them. Place them in a saucepan. Split a vanilla pod in two lengthways and seed it on the kiwi cubes. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of coconut sugar. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Mixer. Let cool. Divide into the ramekins and garnish with washed, dried and chopped mint leaves.