Friday, March 26, 2010

The Superfood Experiment! Spirulina and Blue-Green Algae! That' right...

Superfoods: ... by David Wolfe

Ok – since my last post I found Royal Jelly in Honey and Coconut Water at Whole Foods. The nice thing about the royal jelly being in honey is I get the benefit of the honey and the royal jelly in one product, plus the honey helps sweeten my smoothie, which it needed.... and the coconut water... well you'll have to stay tuned for that one.....

Let's get to it...
Spirulina - also known as the Protein Queen. Spirulina is an algae superfood that is 65 -70 percent protein, the highest concentration of protein found in any food… It contains 18 amino acids including all eight essential amino acids, and is so rich in nutrition that some believe you can actually live on it for quite some time. (pg. 109) It is also said to be a blood builder since it contains as much iron as red meat - sounds like a must have for vegetarians!

Since the absence of certain amino acids can cause many different issues for our bodies, the high concentration of protein in this superfood is said to help balance the brains chemistry. For example - the absence of tryptophan can lead to a deficiency in serotonin. Serotonin helps us deal with stress, and deficiencies in serotonin have been associated with depression, and other disorders. (pg 111) (Wouldn’t it be nice to get everyone off SSIRs?)

Lastly – this food is rich in a little thing called brilliant blue polypeptide – know as phycocyanin. This blue pigment helps induce the production of stem cells, which are basic cells that can turn into both red and white blood cells. (pg 112) Spirulina is also high in several antioxidants that have benefits known to increase life span and improve the immune system, build and purify the blood, improve vision, is a health-enhancing metabolic enzyme, and lastly has the blue pigment known to help stimulate stem cells production. (pg 113)

Next up - AFA Super Blue-Green Algae – AFA is made primarily of soft proteins that are easily digested by our intestinal bacteria which in turn feed our blood and cells. (pg 126) This makes it one of the most digestible and utilized protein food in all of nature.

AFAs have an extraordinary concentration of the blue-pigment which helps preload the immune system by stimulating the production of more stem cells. (pg 126-7) It is also high in protein, second to Spirulina at 60%, and has a high concentration of PEA, like Cacao, which increases the brain chemicals that control our ability to pay attention and stay alert (ok – I’ve been saying I’ve felt more alert lately haven’t I?) In fact the synergy between the two (AFA and Cacao), is said to form a strong ability to focus and pay attention even for those with ADD. (hmmm - Wouldn’t it be nice to give kids chocolate and algae instead of the drug Riddlen?)

PEA is also said to be part of the endorphin induced “runners high” that enhances energy, mood and attention. (Again, I agree with this due to my personal experience lately – I feel amazing!) Lastly and more importantly, as with Cacao, PEA appears to be the primary active ingredients that inhibits appetite and helps people to lose weight. 

Ok – I’m starting to see a pattern here… It looks like nature has given us everything we need to live a long life and be healthy – I have to wonder why most of us don’t know about this…..

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