Spirulina is a green-blue algae. Odds are you’ve never heard of it, but it has many important benefits that you should be aware of. In fact it’s often called a “super-food”, or a “food of the future”.
First, spirulina has huge amounts of protein. In fact it’s one of the most protein rich foods on the planet, containing more protein than beef or eggs. It’s a complete protein, which means it contains portions of all nine of the essential amino acids necessary for humans. It also contains more Vitamin B12 than any other vegetable source.
Not only that, it can help you lose weight simply because eating means you’re avoiding other, protein heavy foods with much more fat.
Another well-known benefit of spirulina is in managing cholesterol levels. It both lowers bad cholesterol and raises good cholesterol.
It’s also known for producing quick energy — think of it like coffee, only better for you. How does it do this? It contains glycogen. Also because it can be dissolved into water, it’s also very easy for the body to absorb. Compare this to something like a steak, which although it has a lot of protein, your body also has to use up a lot of energy just to digest it because it’s a solid. Also, any foods that are cooked means that the heat has removed up to 50% of the protein already.
Spirulina has also been known to improve your skin, keep you looking young, and boosting your immune system.
It’s also completely natural. In fact, people in Africa and other parts of the world have known about its amazing benefits for many years. But it’s just now starting to become popular in other parts of the world.
It also has great benefits in third world countries or with people with bad nutrition. In fact, it’s provided amazing benefits for people with HIV, by inhibiting HIV replication in human T-cells.
You can buy spirulina in either powder or pill form. On its own, it has a somewhat, shall we say, “unique” taste, which takes some getting used to. A common way to take it is by dissolving it into water, and further adding something sweet like honey. Adding a citrus flavor like lemon juice can also help.
So, you can think of spirulina as providing both short term benefits (such as quick energy) as well as long term benefits (cholesterol level, skin, and youth).
