Spirulina - The Detoxifying, High Protein Super Food, Perfect for Juicing.
At Juicy Retreats we are always recommending ways to make your juices even healthier, tastier and more nutritious. Well....spirulina might be an aquired taste, but after you have added it to your green juices a few times you will soon love it and after you have read the following information you will see why Spirulina is an unbelievable superfood which can help you to improve your health in so many ways.
Spirulina? Never heard of it!!
Spirulina is a type of Blue-Green Algae which grows in warm fresh water. It is not a 'Plant' in the conventional manner which grows in your garden.
This miracle food is one of the few food sources on the planet which can provide our bodies with nearly all of the protein it needs. (So much for needing to eat meat for protein hey?!) It is also a complete source of all the 'essential' amino acids in varying amounts (those which are essential are not made by the body and therefore need to be consumed through food) and it has the ability to help prevent cancer, boost the immune system, control high blood pressure and as an added bonus also help to prevent general sniffs and sniffles from allergies and detoxify the body.
The complete proteins in Spirulina make it an excellent addition to juice only diets and for vegans as a way to supplement the variety of proteins found in fruits and vegetables. It is also a fantastic alternative protein source for meat eaters and athletes looking for a higher protein source to fuel intense workouts and training regimes.
Spirulina had been shown to be one of the most potent nutrient surces available. Although it does taste to some people a bit like a pond, it truly can have the ability to help prevent and ease so many ailments and illnesses.
Candida
Candida is an opportunistic yeast which flourishes in and on the human body given the right conditions. It is essential for many internal functions, however, left unchecked by competing internal bacteria or fed by our regular western high sugar, high fat diets, this little yeast can grow and take over our whole internal system.
Candida can be the direct cause of, or indeed result from, so many of our western illnesses. Either way, it is something which can cause its host (you) a whole host of issues.
Spirulina has been shown to promote and support the healthy growth of internal 'friendly' bacteria which can help to keep candida in check. This is good news for those suffering with autoimmune illnesses such as ulcerative colitis, rheumatism, crohns and fibromyalgia amoungst others.
HIV & Aids
One of the most impressive traits of this detoxifying algae is its potential ability to help prevent and supress the HIV virus. (Yes Really!!)
Articles published in 'Medical Hypothesis' and 'Annals of nutrition and metabolism' show that regular spirulina consumption might help prevent HIV infection and supress the virus in the already infected.
Allergies
Spiruline has been shown to stop the release of histamine from mast cells. This is excellent news for the many, many people in todays society who suffer every day with allergies.
Instead of constantly reaching for the over the counter or prescription antihistamines which are designed to suppress the immune system, which in turn can lead to side effects and lowered resistance to disease, try having a tasty green juice with added spirulina next time you feel the itch coming on.
Cancer
With the war on cancer getting stronger and stronger and the unfortunate reality that is the ever increasing dignosis rate, it is vital for us to find more ways to help prevent and treat this terrible disease. Firstly, changing your diet from the standard western diet to a detoxifying plant rich diet with added juices and plenty of excercise will go a very long way to lowering your cancer risk. The inclusion of Spirulina into your juices can also help greatly.
Spirulina has been shown in various studies to boost the immune system to kill off cancer cells before they develop. Spirulina is also abundant in Chlorophyll which gives it the green part of its colour. It also contains a fantastic sourse of phycocyanin which provides the blue tint. These chemicals have been shown to actually prevent the formation of cancer colonies. We all know that prevention is certainly better than a cure!!
Stroke Risk
The anti inflammatory and antioxidant properties in Spirulina have been shown in studies to not only help to prevent stroke but also dramatically reduce the damage caused by a stroke.
In a study reported in the 'Journal of Experimental Neurology', rats fed on a diet supplemented with spirulina suffered 50%-75% less damage from an induced stroke than those fed with a standard diet.
Blood Pressure and Cholesterol
Now then....statins.....a drug used to treat high cholesterol in adults and now with a recommendation that even some CHILDREN should be taking them!! Cholesterol is actually essential to human health and is actually a fuel source for the brain. However, problems occur when the LDL bad type of cholesterol is raised higher than the HDL good type and also when the overall level of damaging triglycerides are raised in our blood stream. (the topic of cholesterol is a mindfield which we will cover in another post) The bad LDL cholesterol is directly affected by our poor choice of foods especially sugar and processed grains. Spirulina, in addition to a healthy lifestyle, including nutritious raw fruits and vegetables and juices, has been shown to help lower the overall level of LDL cholesterol in our bodies. This is great news for those who are currently taking statins. We HIGHLY recommend those who are on statins to change their diet to a plant based one with the inclusion of nutritious detoxifying juices and smoothies. Statins have a long list of potentially dangerous, horrible side effects including anemia, immune supression, acidosis and liver dysfunction amoungst others.
Another reason that many people are taking dangerous medication is high blood pressure. The British heart foundation report that in England alone, a staggering 32% of men and 29% of women have high blood pressure or are being treated with high blood pressure medication. This is a staggeringly high statistic which leaves a huge number of people at a very high risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.
The addition of spirulina into your juice regime has the potential to dramatically lower your blood pressure. The reason for this is that spirulina has been shown to increase nitric oxide production in the body which can widen blood vessels which improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure.
Other Spirulina Quick Facts
Extremely high calcium. Gram for gram over 26 times the calcium of milk. Another reason to vary the diet from animal products.
Spirulina can bind with heavy metals in the intestine making it a great detoxifyer.
Helps to increase fat burning during exercise.
A fantastic source of Iron and other minerals making it great as a treatment for anemia and great during pregnancy without the constipation side effect of iron supplements.
Has been shown to provide over 4 times more antioxidants than blueberries (another incredible superfood)
Choosing and Taking
It is vitally important to choose spirulina from a reputable source and choose the organic variety. Poor quality spirulina has the potential to be contaminated with toxic substances.
(Make sure you keep visiting back to the JR website as our range of supplements will be coming soon)
Taking around 6 grams (2 teaspoons) a day is ideal although higher doses are considered to be safe. If you are very brave you can just mix spirulina with water but lets be honest, it doesn't taste that nice!! The best way to take it is to check out the recipe pages on this site, choose a nice green juice recipe and add a couple of teaspoons of spirulina to the mix. You will detox, heal, nourish and re-hydrate all in one go.
Spirulina is completely natural and a real miracle food. However, even natural sunstances need to come with the odd warning. Do not take spirulina if you have found you are allergic to it or have a severe seafood or iodine allergy. Also be sure to consult your GP before taking spirulina if you have a history of hyperthyroidism.
Let us know you thoughts on spirulina. Have you added it to your juices yet? What is your favourite spirulina recipe? Do you even like the stuff at all? Make sure to add your thoughts and of course follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more stories, juicing info and recipes.
Of course if you like this article then give it the thumbs up.
You can find over 100 delicious juice and smoothie recipes here >
You may also like:
Sources:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/479748-hiv-spirulina/
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/01/spirulina-the-amazing-super-food-youve-never-heard-of.aspx
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006295297006783
http://www.naturalnews.com/008421_spirulina_cancer.html
http://www.worldhealth.net/news/spirulina_blocks_stroke_damage/
http://www.bhf.org.uk/research/heart-statistics/risk-factors/blood-pressure.aspx
http://www.livestrong.com/article/519162-spirulina-blood-pressure/
,
