Those of you who are already into health and fitness will probably have heard about Spirulina by now, which actually sounds ridiculous as it has been on Earth since life began. Only this year though has healthy eating, fitness and especially the term ‘super food’ come to the masses and now we’re seeing people wandering around with healthy juices and hearing people talk about this amazing green powder called Spirulini, Spirulin, SpiriSpiri… or something like that!
In case you weren’t sure, it’s Spirulina, and this blue-green microscopic plant that has existed on our planet for 3.6 billion years is what has been getting me up in the mornings for the past five months. That, my job and my alarm clock… and so on!
The ‘magical’ superfood, which springs from warm, fresh water incorporates beta-carotene, iron, calcium, magnesium, Vitamin B complex, chlorophyll, complete protein, GLA and more. Spirulina’s ability to capture the sun’s energy is what makes it one of the most nutritionally dense foods in the world. That’s big talk from such an old plant, but it’s all true.
SLEEPY EYES: I have mine as part of my green smoothie every morning, but you can mix it with water or juice.
So what are the benefits of this so called ‘magical’ powder?*
- Boosts the immune system: Beta-carotene, chlorophyll, Vitamin B6 and iron in spirulina powder support and strengthen the immune system.
- Healthy brain, memory and concentration: Spirulina powder is rich in Vitamin B6 and iron that are known to promote concentration, learning, memory and reasoning. Studies showed that spirulina has a high neuroprotective effect due to its antioxidant action.
- Alkalising: With a high content of chlorophyll, spirulina powder is a powerful alkaliser that helps counteract the acidity of processed foods in our body.
- Weight management: Taken one hour before meals, spirulina powder can naturally promote satiety and therefore prevent over-eating. Due to its rich protein content it helps balance your sugar levels. Studies show that Spirulina helps support the liver leaving it to metabolise fat by preventing the build-up of triglycerides, lipid peroxidation and cleansing from toxins.
- Boost exercise results: A recent study in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise reported that taking spirulina enhances exercise performance. Men taking spirulina had significantly longer time to fatigue and 11% increase in fat burning rate.
- Healthy heart: In multiple scientific studies Spirulina was shown to create better lipid profiles and increase blood vessel elasticity. Subjects taking spirulina showed reduced total cholesterol, better HDL, and reduced blood pressure.
- Rich, complete and digestible protein source: Spirulina powder is very rich in protein (60-70%), containing 18 amino acids including all essential amino acids. According to studies, spirulina has a very high protein efficiency ratio (PER), meaning your body can efficiently use these amino acids. Protein in spirulina is four times more absorbable than protein in beef.
Even though it’s old and has been used naturally by people since the 9th Century, it wasn’t until that 1970’s that it was actually produced commercially. Today though, you only need to Google the word and a list of shopping results for the immune boosting green powder appears.
Here are my top three brands for Spirulina powder:
1. My absolute favourite Organic Burst: 100g – £10.99
2. Pukka: 190g – £18.95
3. Synergy Natural: 100g – $18.95
I massively recommend adding Spirulina to your day – you’ll really notice a difference! x
*Thanks to Organic Burst for helping provide the benefits. After doing my research, Organic Burst had the most definitive list, so rather than write my own, I thought it would be better to stick with what the experts say! 🙂