Chlorophyll is found in all green plants. Leafy green vegetables are particularly good natural sources – you’ll find plenty of chlorophyll in spinach, rocket and many other plants. Chlorophyll is crucial to photosynthesis – which, as every biology student knows, is the process by which energy from the sun is converted into a form that can be used by the plants to grow. While chlorophyll won’t turn you into a human solar panel, it is an extremely healthy substance and is one of the main reasons why green vegetables are linked in the public mind with good health – even if most people are not sure exactly why!
Chlorophyll is a powerful anti-carcinogenic, and reduces the number of nasty substances that are absorbed by the body from cigarette smoke, exhaust fumes and other forms of pollution that most of us come into contact with in our daily lives. These include heavy metals like mercury and other toxins – these are often linked to the likelihood of developing various forms of cancer. Chlorophyll is therefore very important to just about anyone, but is particularly valuable to smokers and people who stay in cities.
Chlorophyll is very good for maintaining a healthy oxygen level in your blood, as it works to assist haemoglobin in carrying nutrients around your body. This means that it helps with a multitude of conditions and is essential for general good health and for eliminating toxins from the body.
Various vitamins are found in chlorophyll, including vitamins E, A and C. These help regenerate skin, maintain good eyesight, and stop a broad range of unpleasant diseases that flourish in people who have poor diets.
Chlorophyll is a natural antiseptic. If you eat high levels of raw leafy veg, you are less likely to end up with infections from any cuts or scrapes than someone who has a limited intake of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll also promotes clean and swift healing of wounds. These properties, combined with its use in promoting oxygen supply within the bloodstream, means that chlorophyll is very useful in assisting with the healing process in people who have recently undergone surgery. You should seek post-operative advice from your doctor in case there is any reason why you shouldn’t tuck into chlorophyll- rich foods as you recover, but generally green vegetables are often recommended as an important part of a recovery diet.
If you have bad breath, then upping your leafy green veg intake may be enough to sort the problem out. Chlorophyll neutralises odours in your mouth, but also works to improve your digestive system, which is where most of the underlying causes of halitosis arise. Bad breath is also linked to poor diet. By eating more chlorophyll-rich vegetables, you will be tackling three causes of halitosis.
While chlorophyll can be found in many, many plants, its worth bearing in mind that its destroyed during cooking – eat greens like baby spinach, rocket and lettuce as part of a salad to get the biggest benefit from them, or try green vegetables in a smoothie; chlorophyll can also be extracted from wheatgrass using this technique. If climate or other circumstances make it difficult for you to get a regular supply of fresh green vegetables, then chlorophyll supplements, in pill and liquid forms, can be found in health food shops.