Spirulina – The Most Powerful Superfood?

April 26, 2024

I fear I am turning into my mother.

It is actually a little more than fear. I am pretty sure I am 95% of the way there.

I absolutely am guilty (on many occasions) of saying “because I said so”. I rarely really WANT to go into the cold water with my kids in the summer and if I do, I really really don’t want to get my hair wet. After a life long desire to have dogs around me all the time, after my last pups passed, I am hesitant to get more because I truly enjoy the lack of hair in the house and the diminished responsibilities. The list goes on and on but the most obvious clue about my morphing into my mother has become strikingly obvious in the last 3 years in particular.

I love me some supplements.

You show me an influencer who will tell me that product X gave them exponentially more energy and I am IN.  A friend of a friend swears by product Y for a liver detox? Show me the way. Extract Z made their hair stronger and grow faster? Where can I buy it?

You get the point.

For years, I have heard the glories of various “green” powders. And I have tried many. MANY. Some expensive, some not so much. And generally speaking, I will finish the tub of the greens that I buy, not really notice a big difference and then not use greens for a while. Until again, I hear whisperings of the life-changing effects of a new green product.

Fast forward to last week. I read an article about not a green powder that combines various different ingredients into one gross looking cocktail but rather, one main ingredient of the majority of those products. Spirulina. It touts spirulina as the singlular most powerful superfood on the planet. That a daily dose of this ingerdient alone will, in and of itself, be life-changing. And with little thought, I clicked it into my shopping cart and bought it.

I am on day 2 of drinking it, honestly gagging it down. And as I thought about what to write about today, I thought hey, this would be a perfect opportunity to do a little digging and determine if what I am doing is actually going to make me live to 115 or if I am unnecessarily causing myself a daily flagellation.

What is Spirulina?

Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, and antioxidants that can help protect cells from damage. It is believed to be one of the oldest life forms on Earth.

The crazy fact that I loved was that the Aztecs used Spirulina as an endurance enhancer while running marathons as well as to fight various diseases.

What nutrients does Spirulina have?

When you start diving into the nutrients, it becomes head-spinning. Spirulina is considered a “superfood” because it is kind of an all-in-one shop…. providing all the nutrients you need without having to consume much else. In fact, the protein content is higher than even eggs!

Here is a list of all the nutrients that I could find:

• Protein
• Magnesium
• Thiamine (vitamin B1)
• Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
• Niacin (viatmin B3)
• Copper
• Iron
• Phyococyanin (plant-based protein)

Health Benefits of Spirulina

So we all, I hope, know most of the nutrients above. The one that stands out to me is the last one – Phyocacyanin. It is a plant-based protein which has a number of awesome attributes like antioxidants, pain-relief, brain protection and anti-inflammatory. This protein has shown in studies to help block cancerous tumor growth and kill cancer cells.

As amazing as this is, it has also been shown to lower the body’s absorption of cholesterol, which in turn lowers heart disease rate and strokes. It lowers triglyceride levels, which in turn lowers rates of diabetes, heart disease and pancreatitis.

On top of all this, the protein helps with allergy relief, immune support,  and eye and oral health.

There are so many positives, I can’t help but think that I can muster through my drink every day. The one “negative” I found which I thought was interesting was that there can be toxins in Spirulina. Therefore all the articles I read advised to only buy from a trusted brand.

On that note – drink up… to your health!

As always, reach out to us with questions or comments:

email: clearskin@ninjaskincare.com

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