Beauty Foods: Blue-Green Algae, Part 1

In the world of beauty, we are so accustomed to considering a top down perspective, that when we actually think of beauty, most of us begin to think of the immense world of lotion, soap, toothpaste, conditioner, shampoo, makeup, and so much more… Since beauty expresses itself on the surface, we relate to it on the surface. It’s not often that we consider beauty as coming from inside, from a cellular level. Any treatment that is applied and has lasting benefit does so because it is absorbed by our skin into our body and used as the nutrients for the production of new cells. This would of course mean that the very first and best thing that we give ourselves in the name of self care is a whole and nourishing diet. That’s why this week and next week, I wanted to explore one of my most favorite foods and one of the most nutrient-dense foods on planet Earth – Blue Green Algae. Blue-Green Algae includes Spirulina, Chlorella, and Klamath Lake Blue Green Algae. Not only does it play an important role in the evolutionary history of life on this planet, but it is naturally brimming with all of the building blocks necessary for our cells to thrive.

Blue Green Algae was born nearly 2.8 billion years ago, when the atmosphere of Earth began rapidly filling with oxygen. Known more technically as cyanobacteria, Blue Green Algae are actually microscopic organisms that are capable of photosynthesis, and were responsible for the worldwide transformation of the planet from a largely barren place into one that can readily support life. This change in the atmosphere resulted in an explosion of biodiversity, eventually causing the appearance of every living, growing thing that we see in the world. Even today, cyanobacteria are still responsible for between 20 and 30% of the oxygen in our atmosphere.

Like all living things, blue green algae is made up of carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals. What makes blue green algae so unique is that almost all of the essential components of its cells are the same essential components of our cells, making it up to 98% assimilable by humans. That means that the health benefits that come from a daily regimen of organic blue green algae are both vast and profound.

A Deeper Look

Blue Green Algae is:

• composed of 60 to 70% protein with a complete amino acid profile – it contains the same eight essential and ten nonessential amino acids as the human body. These are absorbed up to four times more readily than those found in meat protein.
• incredibly nutrient rich, containing 64 different vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Not only is it a good source of selenium, zinc, manganese, copper, iron, calcium, vitamins B1, B6, B12, C, and E, but 97% of all of the nutrients found in Blue-Green Algae are readily available for absorption in the human body. By contrast, the average multi-vitamin is between 5 and 25% absorbable.
• made up of 7% lipids, 45% of which are essential fatty acids – those that we cannot synthesize and must get from our diet. Even though Blue-Green Algae contains alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), it has been shown to raise the levels of good fatty acids (ALA, EPA, and DHA) significantly more than can be explained just by what it contributes in ALA.
• filled with more biologically active chlorophyll than any other food source. Chlorophyll is an important phytonutrient and acts as a powerful antioxidant.
• also filled with phycocyanin, a photosynthetic pigment like chlorophyll that gives it its bluer shades. It also acts as a powerful anti-oxidant with many additional anti-inflammatory properties.

Health Benefits