SUPERFOODS: CHLORELLA

Today I will talk about a super food that is never missing in my home. Not only that, but I talk about it to everyone who comes visit, and even made my mom buy a couple of bottles. I drink it every single morning in my smoothies (because it tastes a bit funny), usually mixed with spirulina. I'm talking about chlorella. Remember, as I had mentioned in prior posts, the body's pH must be balanced to keep us in good health and with optimal cellular oxygenation, chlorella not only helps you be alkaline but has so many benefits! This is truly a magical food.

Chlorella is a single celled freshwater microalgae, which throughout history has been able to survive thanks to its tough outer shell, which protects her genetic integrity. It's one of the most efficient foods on Earth because of the way it uses and concentrates sunlight. Able to reproduce four times every 24 hours, it's the fastest growing plant, with the highest content of chlorophyll on the planet. With it's dark green color, it's truly a super food because it is composed of ⅔ protein and ⅛ of chlorella growth factor (CGF), a complex of nucleotide-peptide made from beta glucans, nucleic acid, amino acids, polysaccharides and peptides that is only found in this plant.

It also contains high amounts of essential fatty acids, carotenoids, vitamins, minerals and enzymes, plus vitamin B12 (excellent for those who follow a plant-based diet and could easily be deficient). It has 19 amino acids (including all the essential 10) which, in conjunction with natural enzymes, are the easiest form of protein for the body to use and absorb. In fact this algae is 65% alkaline protein due to it's high levels of chlorophyll. Not only that, but it's also the richest source of nucleic acid (DNA , RNA, etc) that exist, which are the "building blocks" of life, helping cells to replicate, build proteins and also transmitting genetic information.


Benefits:

• Great detoxifier, having nearly 10 times the amount of chlorophyll than alfalfa, which is where the majority of commercial chlorophyll is extracted.

• Helps reduce stress in the body generated by environmental pollutants.

• Accelerates cell regeneration and promotes tissue repair, slowing aging, improve tissue healing, and accelerating muscle recovery after exercise.

• Provides alkalinity in pH.

• Revitalizes your body thanks to it's high contents of nucleic acid.

• Normalizes bowel function, improves digestion and  provides friendly bacteria with an ideal environment to reproduce.

• Helps lower cholesterol levels due to it's content of omega 3 fatty acids, plus normalizes blood pressure.

• Reduces cell damage caused by free radicals.

• Provides the body with energy throughout the day due to it's high concentration of nutrients.

• Boosts your immune system, preventing diseases.

• The cleaning action of chlorella through the bowel and other elimination channels, as well as the protection it provides the liver, helps keep the blood clean and oxygenated. This ensures that metabolic waste is efficiently transported out of the tissues.

• Assists the body in removing heavy metals and toxins such as mercury, lead, cadmium, PCB's and DDT.

• Is used in cancer therapy for removing radioactive particles from the body after radiation treatments.

• Freshens breath and reduces body odor. It's an internal deodorant!

Unlike other green foods, chewing and digesting chlorella will not release it's powerful health benefits. This is due to their hard outer cell wall, therefore it's necessary that when you purchase a chlorella supplement you make sure it says on the package "with cracked cell wall" because it's the only way to make sure that the benefits of the plant will be biologically available for the body and digestible.

Another aspect to consider with chlorella, is that some people tolerate it better than others so I recommend that you dose it gradually, remember it's a strong detoxification tool, and you don't want to upset your GI tract with a high dose too soon, your body is not used to it. I started with half a teaspoon for two months, and then went up to a full one. If after a while you feel you can take more, you can increase the dose to one tablespoon.

As expected, we know that not all supplements are created equal, chlorella grown in China is supposedly the most contaminated with aluminum and other metals (even if it's certified organic). According to laboratory tests the purest comes from Taiwan and then Japan. If you are going to get them in tablet form remember that some companies mix their pills with calcium fillers to save money. This is visible in the pills when viewed up close (white dots), if you get one of these, return them. I prefer powder form.

I also found this and thought it was some pretty cool info, so you guys can have an idea. Gram for gram chlorella has :

5 times more protein than egg.
15 times more phosphorus than spinach.
30 times more magnesium and 10 times more potassium than milk.

If you have the possibility to acquire it I recommend with eyes closed, it is truly a gift you should give to yourself and family (even children). I've been talking so much about it that now I want some!

With Love,

Romina

The photo was not taken by me. References: Glaser Organic Farms pamphlet, naturalnews.com and thrive - Brendan Brazier