Spirulina is a blue-green algae with three and one-half billion years of life on this planet encoded in its nucleic acids. Many people refer to it as a miracle food. It is a primitive organism and among the first life forms and as organic food sources become increasingly jeopardized, people are turning increasingly to these original life form for nutritional support. 

I first heard about Spirulina several years ago from a friend of mine who lives in Australia. She said she loved taking it when she wanted to watch what she eats and that it gave her loads of energy. She also said it was a great source of protein and all the new agers were swigging it back in smoothies. It all sounded intriguing and I asked a friend of mine who was flying to California to bring me back some to try.

Spirulina is definitely an acquired taste and I realize for many it is far beyond the realms of popping a multi-vit and hoping for the best. But this site is dedicated to giving you valuable information and spirulina is unquestionably a valuable source of Chloropyll, protein, beta-carotene, omega-3/GLA fatty acids and nucleic acid.

I would not necessarily replace spirulina with meat but it can be viewed as a powerful adjunct. In protein equivalence, one teaspoon of Spirulina = one ounce of beef. But it is important to note that if you over do it with protein (the recommended daily quantity is approximately 3-4 oz) it can be at the expense of losing calcium. A good way to handle this is to look at your daily consumption of protein (meat, fish, dairy, nuts, and legumes) and replace it with Spirulina on days when your protein consumption is low.

In Paul Pitchford’s book, ‘Healing With Whole Foods,’ he outlines the cleansing properties and actions of Chlorophyll (a powerful ingredient in spirulina and all the green algae supplements):

Purification

• Stops bacterial growth in wounds, and anaerobic yeasts and fungi in the digestive tract
• Deodorizes: eliminates bad breath and body odor
• Removes drug deposits and counteracts all toxins; e-activates many carcinogens
• Halts tooth decay and gum infection (when used as a tooth powder)

Anti-inflammation (counteracts the following inflammations):

Sore throat/pyorrhea/gingivitis/stomach and intestinal inflammations/arthritis and pancreatitis

Renewal

• Builds blood
• Renews tissue
• Counteracts radiation
• Promotes healthful intestinal flora
• Improves liver function
• Activates enzymes to produce vitamins E, A and K

Spirulina can be consumed in many different ways. I found this great Spirulina Cookbook by Sonia Beasley which involves adding a tablespoon or two (or whatever your tastebuds can handle) to practically any dish. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Spirulina smoothie

3 cups of apple juice (if apple juice is too sweet for you add the equivalent in spring or filtered water) 3 frozen bananas/ half a cup of blueberries (or any other berry)/1.5 tbs of Spirulina/2 tbsp of bran. Stick it all in the blender and drink immediately. Serves 3. Don’t be turned off by the blue/green color - the taste will be great!

Walnut Spirulina Rice

• 1 cup of brown rice
• 2 large onions chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp sage (preferably fresh)
• 1 tbsp parsley (preferably fresh)
• 1 tbsp chopped celery
• 4oz ground walnuts
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 tbsp spirulina
• Sliced almonds
• Coconut flakes
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook rice in 2 cups of water in usual manner (it usually takes about 45 mins - bring rice to boil and then simmer with lid on - then let rice to sit with lid on for an additional 20 mins)
2. While rice cook fry onions until soft
3. Add tomoato puree and fry a little
4. Add sage, parsely, celery, salt and pepper
5. Add rice to tomato/sage mixture
6. Add spirulina and all the other ingredients (except almonds and coconut flakes)
7. Cover and keep warm
8. Garnish with sliced almonds and coconut flakes

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February 8th, 2006 | Permalink