Spirulina: An Excellent Way to Boost Your Immune System

What if there were a food that contained all eight essential amino acids, almost all the vitamins and minerals you need each day, a variety of trace elements, enzymes, protein and antioxidants? Sound too good to be true? Well, there is a type of simple, blue-green algae that contains all of these things and it's called spirulina.

Spirulina has been around for about 3.5 billion years. It is a simple-cell alga that grows in warm, fresh-water. It has the ability to synthesize high-quality food more efficiently than any other algae. And, despite the fact that it is an alga, spirulina is one of the cleanest and most sterile foods found in nature. You might be concerned at this point about the taste and texture of spirulina. Rest assured that it has very little in common with the algae that grow in stagnant waters in North America.

What does the medical community have to say about spirulina? Most clinical trials using spirulina involve the use of animals. One study involving rats showed that spirulina improved recovery of movement after a stroke, and could even reduce the severity of a stroke. In another study involving rats, spirulina was found to reverse age- related memory and learning decline. Spirulina was also found to stop weight gain and correct anemia in children infected with HIV and, in particular, undernourished children who were HIV-negative.

You can find spirulina in most health food stores. It comes in both capsule and powdered form. It's also added to many food bars as a supplement. These products are usually advertised as "green bars," so check the label -- most likely spirulina will be one of the main ingredients. Mix spirulina in powdered form with juice. Try a tablespoon full of spirulina with guava, pear, apple or orange juice. If you'd like to make a spirulina shake, add bananas or berries fo r thickness. To give your spirulina drink a nutty taste, try adding almonds or sunflower seeds. A drop of vanilla or lime can also add flavor. Or drink spirulina as part of a veggie cocktail. Add a tablespoon full to tomato, carrot, celery and/or beet juice. Try adding spices or herbs to change the taste.

One more note of interest about spirulina: it is also a crop that is easy on the environment. Because it is 60% protein (higher than any other food), it yields 20 times more protein per acre than soybeans, 40% more than corn, and over 200 times more than beef! And spirulina uses less water to grow than other protein crops. Spirulina is cultivated in ponds where the water is constantly recycled.

Spirulina prefers brackish water to valuable drinking water. It uses 25% of the water required to grow soy, 17% of the water to grow corn, and only two percent of the water required to raise cattle. Spirulina also requires less energy to manufacture. So give a spirulina shake a try -- it could make a healthy meal replacement one or two days a week.

Your Health and Mine