Chlorella and spirulina may be the most nutritious foods that exist and are thought to contain every nutrient required by the human body, in near-perfect ratios. These dietary algaes are grown by commercial growers in huge aqua farms primarily located in hot tropical climates.
Chlorella and Spirulina are Whole, Natural Foods. This means that the nutrients they contain are easily and completely absorbed by your body. This makes these nutritional algeas more effective than isolated supplements or multivitamin capsules. These green superfoods can be replacements for many individual supplements, while also giving you the benefits of a whole food.
Are you eating enough vegetables?
I'm talking about 6-9 servings of fresh vegetables every day — most people don't. But did you know that just one tablespoon of chlorella or spirulina has about the same nutritional value, maybe even more? These green superfoods are a great way to ensure that you get the nutritional benefits of dark green vegetables daily, even if you ordinarily avoid them.
Nutritional Content of Chlorella and Spirulina
Chlorella and spirulina's unique preventive-health benefits are due to their significant amounts of polysaccharides, antioxidants, nucleic acids, and peptides. They're also rich in essential fatty acids, B vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium and zinc.
These two green superfoods are the world's richest source of chlorophyll, which makes them great detoxifiers. Chlorophyll is great for breaking down and eliminating toxins and heavy metals such as DDT, PCBs, mercury, cadmium, and lead.
Ensure a Healthy Alkaline Balance. Western diets tend to be highly acidic, due to the heavy reliance on foods like grains and animal proteins. These acidic foods can be effectively countered by the natural alkaline balance of chlorella and spirulina.
Rich in Essential Fatty Acids. Chlorella and spirulina are also good sources of gamma linolenic acid (GLA), an omega 6 fatty acid which is lacking in many diets. GLA is known for regulating blood sugar and providing important nutrients to the brain. It also has anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties that add to the nutritional benefits.
Best Vegan Sources of Vitamin B-12. A teaspoon of spirulina supplies 150 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamin B12 and contains over twice the amount than is found in an equivalent serving of liver.
Excellent Sources of Easily-Digestable Protein. Spirulina contains twelve times more digestible protein than beef, ounce-for-ounce. The protein in both of these foods is of the highest quality and biologically complete, which means they contain all eight essential amino acids in the proper ratios.
Other Beneficial Properties. Chlorella stimulates the growth of friendly bacteria in your gut by as much as four times the normal rate. Improving your intestinal flora is an important factor in helping your immune system resist disease.
Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF), a nutrient unique to chlorella, which boosts the immune system and helps in preventing cancer. CGF also helps repair nerve tissues throughout the body and is excellent for treating degenerative brain and nerve disorders. Chlorella Growth Factor offers many of the antiaging benefits found in natural human growth hormones.
Why Use Chlorella and Spirulina?
As you can see, both chlorella and spirulina offer a wealth of health benefits, many of which they share. This isn’t an argument about recommending one over the other. It’s a combination of the two that’s really going to be of the most benefit.
If you don't eat dark green, leafy vegetables every day, chlorella and spirulina can make up for it — and then some. They both contain concentrated, easy-assimilated nutritional benefits not found in any other food. Each one also has its own unique benefits as well as the ones they have in common.
You'll only need 3-4 grams (about 1 teaspoon) or more every day to get the full benefits they offer. Since they're whole foods, you can't really get too much.
Smoothies are a great way to get your chlorella and spirulina every day!
My favorite method to guarantee that I get plenty of chlorella and spirulina is to blend these two green superfoods into a smoothie every morning. My basic recipe uses coconut milk, a banana, two raw organic eggs or protein powder, and a tablespoon of chlorella and/or spirulina combined in a blender.
Bananas blend well with chlorella, and mask the bitterness very well — just make sure you use very ripe ones. You can add more ingredients to flavor the smoothie to your liking.
Superfoods can turn your ordinary smoothie into a nutrient-dense meal with the antioxidant benefits of 6 or more servings of fruits and vegetables in one large glass — more than your entire minimum daily requirement!
If you're not making smoothies yet, they're hands-down the best way to make a quick and amazingly-healthy meal without having to cook!
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