The Amazing Health Benefits of Spirulina

How often do you reach into your refrigerator or roll up to a restaurant and chow down on some algae? Probably never, right? But you should be eating this stuff. A certain type of freshwater blue-green algae called spirulina has incredible nutritional value. It’s been described as one of the most nutrient-dense foods on earth.

Aside from its impressive vitamin, mineral and antioxidant content, spirulina is a complete protein, meaning it has all the essential amino acids that your body needs. It’s even low in carbohydrates.

Spirulina is a great source of vitamin B1, which you need for energy, brain health, and for digesting fats and proteins. It’s also a phenomenal source of absorbable and digestive friendly iron. Spirulina even has about 25 times as much calcium as milk – without the sugar and gut irritants of a dairy product.

Spirulina gets its green color from chlorophyll, which is the key chemical for plants to make energy from sunlight. This is great news for your body because chlorophyll boosts red blood cells, fights cancer, and helps slow down the signs of aging.

Chlorophyll is a wonderful source of vitamins A, C, E, and K, as well as the minerals potassium and magnesium.

Spirulina is great for supplying fatty acids like GLA, which you need in your diet. GLA is difficult to find in food, so spirulina really saves the day here. GLA is a powerful anti-inflammatory and, along with the Omega-3 fatty acids in spirulina, can lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and the risk of stroke.

Spirulina isn’t merely some ancient remedy from a thousand-year-old book. It’s got modern science behind it to the tune of about 1500 studies, which detail a long list of health benefits.

As if you haven’t heard enough already!

• Blood sugar and cardiovascular health. The nutrition in spirulina helps to control both diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It does this by balancing blood sugar and reducing inflammation and high blood pressure. It also helps to repair damaged blood vessels.
• Candida. Spirulina is effective at controlling candida or yeast overgrowth. A typical sugary diet and overuse of antibiotics throws your gut microbiome way out of balance, so spirulina helps to restore good bacteria and prevent yeast from colonizing. This is a huge benefit since a healthy gut equals a high functioning brain and body.
• Energy. Spirulina can be an instant energy booster. In a study, participants who took 4 and 1/2 grams of spirulina per day and exercised saw improved cardiovascular fitness and greater endurance than the control group of participants who only exercised.
• Heavy metals. Spirulina removes toxic heavy metals from your body. This is especially important given the overload of toxins found in today’s water supply, food supply, and everyday products. That includes medications that most people come into contact with each day. These metals build up in your tissues over time and contribute massively to poor health.
• Antioxidant value. Spirulina has extremely high antioxidant value. It helps to fight fatigue and cell damage by reducing exercise-induced oxidation. You see, the downside of exercise is that it can sometimes create free radicals, but spirulina helps to offset that problem.

These have been just some of the reasons that I included spirulina in my protein shake formulation called Plant Protein Complete. You can get all the goodness without digging in a lake or swamp for algae. My product is a hypoallergenic plant-based protein free from soy, rice, whey, and any other common allergens. It includes 25 milligrams of spirulina per serving.

With its high chlorophyll content, spirulina cleanses your systems and boosts immunity. You’ll find spirulina along with an algae called chlorella in my formulation for the dietary supplement called Super Green Foods. 

Before I sign off, I should mention that some people need to be cautious in their use of spirulina. For example, those with phenylketonuria (PKU) or people with blood clotting issues. 

Otherwise, don’t waste any time getting some spirulina into your diet. 

I’ll see you in the next one.

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