What are these mysterious green powders, you ask? Well, quite simply green powders are vegetables, fruits, micro-algaes, wild grasses and other supplements that come in a powder form. You can buy them as individual powders such as spirulina or barley grass powder or you can buy them as combination powders that include a little bit of vegetable, fruit, micro-algae and other supplements all mixed together. Usually all of the different green powders are sold in the same section of your local health food store.

All green powders contain chlorophyll, the substance that makes plants green. Chlorophyll helps to purify the body, counteracts inflammation and rejuvenates all body systems. While not a substitute for eating whole vegetables, green powders do serve as an easy way to easily get two to three servings of greens per day.

Chlorophyll also helps to alkalize the body, which means that it counteracts body acidity, helping to restore balance. Caffeine, sugar, meat, alcohol and stress cause our bodies to become very acidic. Signs of over acidity include achiness, fatigue, headaches and unfocused thinking. Green foods alkalize the body and help relieve these symptoms.

The benefits from green powder are numerous. It can help to relieve headaches and body aches. It also serves as a great way to clean the body out, which is especially helpful if you suffer from constipation when you travel. Green powder also brings the body back into balance after a night of excess drinking and eating - and can be a great hangover remedy.

When used regularly, green powders can help your skin clear up and develop a nice healthy glow. Over time hair becomes shiny and healthier and you gain the ability to think more clearly and focus on tasks at hand. It also helps reduce your sugar cravings. Not bad for some powdered vegetables, eh?

Just for the record, I do believe that it is ideal to eat several servings of dark leafy greens per day and not have any need for powdered vegetables in your diet. But if you aren’t eating your daily greens, then green powder may be a good start.

I’ve been using green powders with my clients for a long time now and there a couple of problems with them. First is taste. Green powders have a strong vegetable taste that takes time to get used to. Second, there are some studies that do not recommend mixing micro-algae’s and vegetables together because they cause each other to ferment. Also, there is some evidence that micro-algae’s may not be good for the brain in old age.

As a result, I recommend using single ingredient vegetable or grass powders such as barley or wheat grass or mixed vegetable powders. The powder I use and recommend is called Core Greens. It tastes better than any other powder I’ve tried and contains only vegetables.

I usually start my morning off by putting a scoop of green powder in water, juice, or a shake. Usually your green powder container will come with a scoop. For some people, the taste of the green powder is too strong in just water. If you find that you can’t drink it alone, mix the powder in a shake or with about four ounces of juice and some water. You’ll need to keep mixing or shaking your drink as the powder will tend to settle. You can also put some green powder in a water bottle and take it with you to work. Just try to drink it within two hours.

If I am traveling, I buy green powder packets and packets of Emergen-C (powdered vitamin C) and mix the two together in a water bottle on the plane. This combination works wonders for relieving jet lag and fatigue.

Founder of Ideal Balance, Monica Shah is a holistic nutrition and life balance expert. She helps busy professionals find simple ways to eat better, exercise and find more balance in their lives. Often called “the irreverent nutritionist”, Monica’s approach to being healthy is simple, fun and long-lasting. To find out more about her program and to sign up for her FREE initial consultation and FREE nutrition tips please visit idealbalanceinc.com idealbalanceinc.com

Glycolic acid has been used for many years as a metal parts cleaner, but in recent years has been refined and made suitable for human application. In its refined or medical grade state it has been found effective as a light to mild strength skin peel acid. Glycolic is natural and based on sugar cane and is similar to other alpha hydroxyl acids (AHA) like malic acid. There are stronger skin peels like TCA Peel and the Obagi Blue Peel, but the glycolic peel is a good starter and touch up skin care treatment.

Some people when they hear of acids thing of hazardous and caustic chemicals that can permanently burn and scar. This is not the case with glycolic acid. When used as indicated or by doctors in their offices it has been found to be effective on light acne (pimples and blackheads)and light skin problems like freckles and light sun damage. Glycolic acid is good at reducing oil on the surface, restoring the skins natural pH and causing the outer layer of skin to exfoliate. Glycolic acid is highly soluble and when applied to the skin it breaks the intercellular bonds in the outermost skin layer. The skin will eventually peel or flake off and result in fresher skin. Regular exfoliation has been proven to make the skin healthier and have less of a chance for pore blockage.

Glycolic is not as effective on deeper skin issues like mild to severe acne, cystic acne, acne scars, wrinkles, etc. Deeper conditions like these require a stronger acid peel like the TCA peel or Obagi Blue peel by Dr. Obagi. Both of these have been found very effective against many deeper skin conditions. This is why, along with glycolic acid, doctors recommend a form of TCA peel skin peel in office or for in home skin treatments.

Many people have found glycolic acid added to an astringent like Sea Breeze, makes it 10X more effective in reducing pimples and light breakouts. Medical studies have proven that glycolic acid, TCA peel and the Obagi Blue Peel greatly enhance an astringent in acne reduction when applied daily as a cleanser. Of these the TCA peel was found most effective for reducing all forms of acne.

There are more powerful and effective skin peels available and most are now available for in home use, but glycolic is a good starter skin peel and should not be overlooked. It is also a good maintenance treatment for in between stronger TCA peel applications.

David Maillie is a chemist with over 12 years experience in biochemical research, clynical analysis and skin care. For more information on TCA peels for in home use and anti-aging products and ideas please visit bestskinpeel.com bestskinpeel.com