Spirulina and its benefits for fitness diets

Those who take spirulina feel more energized, vital and mentally awake. It stimulates our health, vitality and energy apart from strengthening our immune system and reducing the appetite. It is one of the most nutritious products available.

What is Spirulina?

It is a greenish blue seaweed with a spiral shape. Its green color is due to its chlorophyll content while phycocyanin is responsible for its blue color. Moreover, spirulina is one of the supplements with more protein content. In fact, it has 20 times more protein than soy and 400 times more than beef.

Spirulina is a very important “chlorophyll reserve” when it comes to regenerating the liver cells. In addition, it dilates the blood vessels, increasing the blood flow to all the organs. This micro algae is a powerful intestinal flora regenerator and it activates cell detoxification mechanisms.

Due to all this properties, we could say that it will become very relevant in the future

It is hard to imagine a source of nutrients as concentrated as spirulina. However, it barely has fats and calories, just a 7% of fats which are actually essential fatty acids.

Use throughout history

Spirulina has been used for many years, in fact, the studies have shown how the Mayas and Aztecs already consumed it. Thanks to spirulina, the Aztecs had a correct and balanced nutrition, since they had a primitive agriculture system and a poor variety of foods.

It is currently cultivated in the whole world, for example in California, Hawaii, Asia and India.

Composition of Spirulina

Its composition is made up by a great variety of nutritious elements such as multiple vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Moreover, it has all the essential amino acids. It is made up by a 65% of a complete vegetable protein that provides 8 essential amino acids and five times easier to digest than meat protein or soy.

Apart from its great protein supply, spirulina has essential fatty acids and between a 15 and 25% of sugars. Therefore, it provides a great amount of energy quickly without causing hypoglycemia.

Spirulina is rich in iron, potassium, calcium and with barely any sodium. It is a fundamental seaweed that you can include in athlete diets.

This seaweed can suppress the appetite. In fact, it is often used to support weight loss diets.

Therefore, spirulina is perfect for those who have higher requirements of vitamins, minerals, trace elements and amino acids. Athletes will benefit a lot from this seaweed, since it also provides energy, enhancing the physical performance.

Main benefits of Spirulina

All the benefits of spirulina are mainly due to its composition. For instance, it helps to lower the cholesterol levels since it has gamma-linolenic acid. Moreover, it also protects against the harmful effects of radiation thanks to phycocyanin.

Spirulina has a great protein content to meet the needs of the human body. This is due to the fact that it is necessary to build cells and develop antibodies.

Moreover, spirulina helps to prevent anemia and problems like arthritis, rheumatism and osteoporosis. This is due to its high levels of iron, phosphorus and antioxidants.

Its characteristic green color is due to a high chlorophyll content. This substance will help to regulate the acidity and create a more alkaline environment, reducing the risk of inflammation, cleaning the digestive tract and nourishing our cells.

Which are the nutrients from Spirulina?

Spirulina is one of the highest natural protein sources. In fact, it is better than meat, fish or poultry. Moreover, its main advantage is that it is 100% vegetable and made only of natural protein. It does not have fat or other substances that increase the cholesterol.

Spirulina has many vitamins and trace elements which are usually missing from our diet. For instance vitamin B12, vitamin E, selenium, folic acid and iron. Actually, its iron content is higher than that of meat and the body absorbs it very easily.

It also contains omega-6 fatty acids like gamma-linolenic acid. This element is crucial for the proper functioning of the cells and the exchange of information between them. In addition, these fats are essential to produce vital hormone for our organism.

Like we said before, it also contains chlorophyll, a characteristic pigment responsible for its greenish color.

Spirulina and sport

We can use spirulina if we are following a weight loss diet or if we do physical exercise. Mainly due to its mucilage content and great protein percentage that produces a feeling of satiety.

Its iron and magnesium content improve the recovery, reducing the cramps and preventing joint and muscle injuries. Moreover, its essential fatty acids and vitamins protect the cardiovascular system as well.

How can we include Spirulina in our diet?

The recommended amount of spirulina will greatly depend on the physical exercise that we do. For most people 4g daily distributed in the meals will be enough to enjoy its properties and benefits.

Like we said in previous paragraphs, its intake is quite beneficial for vegan athletes. Although any other athlete who takes different protein sources will benefit from its properties. For instance, they can take a spirulina smoothie with whey protein.

We will have to drink more water when taking spirulina, apart from doing physical exercise to enhance its benefits. Consult a professional if you have any question.

The Importance of Spirulina

In the last few years, spirulina has played a very important role against malnutrition worldwide. The O.N.U., though the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of micro algae Spirulina, suggests taking this algae in extreme situations of malnutrition and for a sustainable development.

It is advised for…

Spirulina can effectively treat demineralization, anemia and tiredness. It will help us feel in shape, energized, increasing our vitality and detoxifying the organism.

What are the symptoms of a deficiency of a vital substance?

What do the experts think about Spirulina?

1. Spirulina supplements to treat allergies: it can be used to heal allergies like hay fever because its ingredients inhibit the histamine production.
2. Spirulina can inhibit the acid production: if we take a supplement on an empty stomach, it will help to regulate an excess of acidity. This can happen due to nutrient deficiencies, medicines or a lack of physical exercise.

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