By MICHAEL

POLLICK

Wealth of Geeks

The superfood powders market is expected to reach $11.50 billion by 2030, and Plant-Based Health News recently recognized a small family-owned company in Australia called Nuzest-USA as one of its most promising suppliers.

While these marketing projections for superfood powders sound promising, there has also been skepticism concerning the overall health benefits of these nutritional supplements. Superfood powders are proprietary blends of dried berries, herbs, mushrooms, and other natural ingredients recognized for their high nutritional and prebiotic qualities. The powders are often added to smoothies or sprinkled on healthier foods to boost their nutritional punch.

Nuzest-USA: Superfood Powder Success Story

Founded in 2013 in Sydney, Australia by Trevor Bolland, Nuzest-USA has become a leader in the plant-based superfood powder market primarily through its best-known product, Good Green Vitality powder. This superfood powder blend contains over 75 ingredients, including nutrient-rich “superfoods” such as pea protein isolate, organic spirulina, organic wheatgrass leaf, and red marine algae. This once-a-day nutritional supplement provides significant amounts of vitamins, probiotics, and adaptogens.

The inspiration for Nuzest-USA came to Bolland after his daughter Monique was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition multiple sclerosis (MS). Part of the treatment regimen for MS involved dietary supplements, and Bolland sold his real estate business to focus on the health benefits of homeopathic ingredients.

“We learned during that period that nutrition was particularly important,” Bolland says, “that nutrition and lifestyle were key to wellness. Not a cure – she still has multiple sclerosis – so changing her diet and her lifestyle certainly hasn’t cured MS, but what it did do, in the absence of anything else, was allow her to manage it. We managed to get her life back in balance.”

Nuzest-USA is continuing its mission to create plant-based nutritional supplements, many of which contain ingredients regarded as superfoods. Another Nuzest-USA product, Clean Lean Protein, provides essential amino acids derived from plant-based proteins.

The Benefits of Superfood Powder Supplements

Superfood powders typically contain vitamins E and C, biotin (also known as vitamin B7), and vitamin B12, as well as plant proteins like pea protein or brown rice protein powder. Additional ingredients may include stress-relieving adaptogens such as ashwagandha and ginseng. Here are other health benefits associated with superfood powders:

Anti-Inflammation

The ingredients in plant-based superfood powders do not include refined carbohydrates, processed red meats, or white sugar. Adding these supplements to foods provides the same nutritional boost without common inflammation triggers.

Acidity Reduction

Adherents of the trending “alkaline diet” believe that foods lower in acid will lower the blood’s pH level to a more alkaline state, with a list of health benefits as a result. While experts still debate the effect of foods on blood pH levels, the healthiness and naturally low acidity of superfood powder ingredients cannot be discounted out of hand.

Blood Pressure Stability

A common recommendation for high blood pressure patients is a heart-healthy diet featuring fruits and vegetables. The ingredients in most superfood powders include an array of dried fruits and vegetables, including nutrient-rich seeds and peels not often included in a standard diet.

Chronic Disease

Prevention

Greens-heavy superfood powders contain high levels of vitamins C and K, powerful antioxidants that may reduce the chances of acquiring chronic diseases such as diabetes or heart disease.

Energy Level Boosts

Nutritional supplements, in general, boost energy levels because the body’s nutritional needs are being met, but superfood powders containing green tea extracts also provide a natural energy boost.

Do Superfood Powders Live Up to the Hype?

The nutritional supplement industry is generally not highly regulated, and health claims are not always backed by rigorous scientific testing, resulting in skepticism about the effectiveness of superfood powders. Many ingredients do not survive the digestive process, and those that do reach the bloodstream are not always at therapeutic strength. Some superfood powders contain extremely high levels of supplements that exceed recommended daily allowances.

“This is like throwing the kitchen sink into a powder,” says Pieter Cohen, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School who studies supplements.

Superfood powder supplements are also promoted as nutrient-dense and vitamin-packed, which encourages users to replace a traditional healthy diet plan with one enhanced with superfood supplements.

“They’re so enticing,” shares Marion Nestle, an emeritus professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University. “You think, ‘Oh, this will be so easy.'” But you’ll likely need more than just a scoop of powder to improve your overall health, she adds.

Should Health-Conscious Consumers Add Superfood Powder to Their Diets?

Adding proven or unproven nutritional supplements to a diet plan has always been a personal decision for dieters. The proprietary blends of superfood powders would be difficult, if not impossible, to duplicate at home, so taking them in powder or capsule form is an effective way to boost nutritional intake with a single scoop or pill. Individual ingredients have been on health food store shelves for decades without ill effect.

Critics of nutritional supplements contend that the body only requires certain nutrients to function, and the rest is eliminated as liquid waste. Supplements such as multivitamins and superfood powers create little more than expensive urine.

The decision to add superfood powder to a daily diet is a personal decision in the end, but information on the efficacy and safety of these supplements is available, so consumers should do their research before making it.