{"id":15199,"date":"2022-06-06T20:49:25","date_gmt":"2022-06-06T20:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/?p=15199"},"modified":"2023-04-17T16:17:05","modified_gmt":"2023-04-17T16:17:05","slug":"5-reasons-spirulina-is-a-super-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/5-reasons-spirulina-is-a-super-food\/","title":{"rendered":"5 reasons spirulina is a super food"},"content":{"rendered":"When it comes to so-called \u201csuper foods\u201d it is hard to know what\u2019s legit and what\u2019s not. A quick google search will turn up hundreds of foods that promise you the world and more. But fear not! We sorted through the options, checked them against peer-reviewed science and found one that actually lives up to (most of) the hype. Super Spirulina! Let\u2019s chat about what it is, and how it might help you stay healthy.\u00a0What is spirulina?\u00a0Spirulina is a dark green alga that grows naturally in mineral-rich alkaline lakes. It\u2019s incredibly rich in nutrients like protein, essential amino acids, minerals, essential fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants\u2014all things your body needs daily to thrive. Heck, NASA has even used spirulina to support astronauts&#8217; health during space explorations.1\u00a0 Who needs space food when you have super-algae ready to go?\u00a0So what prompted the (literal) rocket scientists at NASA to feed spirulina to their best and brightest? A long list of health benefits. Here are just a few:\u00a01) Ease your allergies\u00a0Spirulina has been shown to inhibit the release of histamine, a chemical produced by your white blood cells when they attack a potential allergen.1 While it\u2019s good that your body is trying to protect you, too much of anything tends to be a problem. Spirulina may help keep this reaction in check and those mild sniffles at bay (although more research is needed).\u00a02) Support a healthy heart\u00a0Spirulina may help maintain a healthy balance of LDL cholesterol (aka the \u201cbad\u201d cholesterol) and HDL cholesterol (aka \u201cgood cholesterol\u201d) in your bloodstream.1\u00a0Well balanced blood chemistry is good news for your ticker.\u00a0 \u00a03) Give your gut a helping hand\u00a0Your digestive system is home to trillions and trillions of bacteria that together make up your gut microbiome. These are the good guys that help digest your food, make certain vitamins and keep your gut generally healthy. A disruption in your microbiome can cause all kinds of issues with your digestive system, your heart, your sleep\u2014even your mood. Spirulina may help\u00a0address these issues by increasing the growth of the beneficial bacteria in your gut.2\u00a04) Defend your cells from damage\u00a0Spirulina is rich in antioxidants that help reduce free radicals, substances that can cause damage to your body when they start to build up in large amounts.3\u00a0By taking on these microscopic bad guys, spirulina may\u00a0support your long-term health.\u00a05) Punch up your protein\u00a0Spirulina is an excellent source of plant-based protein, delivering about 50-70 grams of protein per 100 grams of dried algae. Compare that to 13 grams of protein per 100 grams of whole egg. Now that\u2019s a lot of bang for your buck!\u00a0How much spirulina should you take?\u00a0So how much spirulina do you need each day to get all these benefits? That\u2019s harder to answer than you might think. Studies have reported benefits from dosages as low as 400 mg daily and as high as 5,000 mg per day.1,2\u00a0To hedge your bets\u2014especially if you want to use it as a source of protein\u2014you might want to consider a dosage at the upper end of that range. Since spirulina is widely available as a supplement, in drink powders and as an ingredient in prepared foods, hitting that high number can be easy. One tablespoon of dried spirulina contains about 5 grams of protein!\u00a0When should you take spirulina?\u00a0If you\u2019re looking to use a spirulina supplement on its own, you can take it on a full or empty stomach at any time of day. But if you plan to combine it with other supplements, it\u2019s best to take it with a complete meal and plenty of water. This maximizes the absorption of all the nutrients involved.\u00a0\u00a0How do you make it delicious?\u00a0Try adding a tablespoon of spirulina powder to a smoothie or yogurt bowl; combine a few teaspoons with nutritional yeast, garlic powder and pepper and sprinkle it on popcorn; or add a tablespoon of spirulina to baked goods as a natural food dye!\u00a0About Hayley\u00a0\u00a0Hayley is a Licensed Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) with a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from Florida State University and a Master of Science in Dietetics from the University of Rhode Island. Hayley is dedicated to empowering individuals to achieve their nutritional goals through evidence-based practices.\u00a0Interested in supplements, but not sure where to start? Reach out to one of our experts, or take our free nutrition assessment, to learn exactly what nutrients would work best for your diet and lifestyle.\u00a0*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.This information is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional, or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. Do not use the information from this article for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal, or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of something you have read in this article.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to so-called \u201csuper foods\u201d it is hard to know what\u2019s legit and what\u2019s not. A quick google search will turn up hundreds of foods that promise you the world and more. But fear not! We sorted through the options,","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":15203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1827,675,1891,1933],"tags":[38],"class_list":["post-15199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-aging","category-immunity","category-vitamin-101","category-vitamin-101-immunity","tag-food"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15199"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15213,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15199\/revisions\/15213"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}