Spirulina - heavy metal chelator & super detoxifyer
Most of you probably remember the spirulina craze a couple years back and how it was incorporated into all health related topics. If you don’t, let me refresh your memory. Spirulina is a blue-green freshwater algae that is PACKED with basically every major essential nutrient. To date, there are over 1700 peer-reviewed scientific articles evaluating its immense health benefits. It is widely used as a supplement, a whole food, and even as livestock and fish feed.
As far as we know, spirulina is the single most nutrient-dense food on the planet. One ounce (2 tbsp) of spirulina contains 39g protein (including all essential amino acids), 1g dietary fiber, 3% of your DV fat intake (including the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acid), and a whole arsenal of minerals (copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, sodium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, calcium, selenium) and vitamins (A, C, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B6 and B9). How’s that for a superfood!
The most prevalent health benefits of consuming spirulina on a daily basis include chelation and detoxification of heavy metals, especially arsenic and mercury, balancing of the gut microflora and eliminating of the fungus Candida Albicans, improvement and strengthening of the immunesystem alleviating allergy symptoms and infections, and improvement of cholesterol levels and overall cardiovascular health. Needless to say, from a skincare point of view, all of the above will have a great effect on the skin as well, improving it from the inside.
Here are 3 of my favorite ways to easily incorporate spirulina powder into my daily life.
VEGETABLE JUICE: celery, cucumber, parsley, green apples, lemon, black kale + aloe vera juice + spirulina powder.
PARSLEY PESTO: finely chopped fresh parsley, lime juice, dijon mustard, whalnut oil, black pepper, garlic + spirulina powder. This pesto is delicious to drizzle on top of soups, chicken, veggies, pizza and well anything really!
SMOOTHIE: ripe banana, frozen mango, spinach, tamarind paste, almond butter, almondmilk + spirulina powder + marine collagen.
As a nutritionist if i had to pick one single supplement to recommend to my clients for general health maintenance purposes it would spirulina. It is just such a powerhouse on so many levels, and unless you’re allergic to it, i don’t see why you shouldn’t include it in your diet. Hope you all have a wonderful start of the year!
In health,
