Is Spirulina good for you, or is it just some hippie health food crap?

Question

Seriously, I can't find a decent, unbiased answer anywhere. Does that stuff really do anything special?

Answer 1

Spirulina is a good source of minerals and nutrients, but if you are eating a well balanced diet, its not necessary. You should be able to get all the nutrients you need by eating plenty of fresh green leafy veggies, a variety of fruits, and good whole grains

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Wikipedia has a good answer. Seems there is some research that this algae stuff is good for you, but still not as good as those health hippies are saying. Personally I'd rather get my vitamins in some form that doesn't take like bleh, but if you're in to suppliments this one seems legit. They even use it as a supplement in chicken feed, so at least you know it isn't all water and sand like some supplements.

Answer 4

I eat Raw Revolution Spirulina and Cashew Organic Live Food Bars almost every day. I have no idea about the science behind it, but they're good and I feel quite healthy. Once you get past the fact that your breakfast is an intense green color, they are pretty tasty!

http://rawindulgence.com/onlinestore/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=5

Answer 5

It's a good source of protein and omega-6 fatty acid which is helpful if you are a vegetarian, but it has not been shown to do any health miracles.

Answer 6

These are the facts:

Spirulina is the common name for human and animal food supplements produced primarily from two species of cyanobacteria: Arthrospira platensis, and Arthrospira maxima (Which aren't good for you.). These and other Arthrospira species were once classified in the genus Spirulina. There is now agreement that they are distinct genera, and that the food species belong to Arthrospira; nonetheless, the inaccurate term "Spirulina" remains the popular name. Spirulina is cultivated around the world, and is used as a human dietary supplement, available in tablet, flake, and powder form. It is also used as a feed supplement in the aquaculture, aquarium, and poultry industries.

Spirulina are free-floating filamentous cyanobacteria characterized by cylindrical, multicellular trichomes in an open left-hand helix. Spirulina occurs naturally in tropical and subtropical lakes with high pH and high concentrations of carbonate and bicarbonate. A. platensis occurs in Africa, Asia and South America, whereas A. maxima is confined to Central America.

Spirulina is believed to have been a food source for the Aztecs in 16th century Mexico, as its harvesting from Lake Texcoco and sale as cakes is described by one of Cortés' soldiers. The Aztecs called it Tecuitlatl, meaning stone's excrement. Spirulina was found in abundance at the lake by French researchers in the 1960s, but there is no reference to its use there as a daily food source after the 16th century. The first large-scale Spirulina production plant, run by Sosa Texcoco, was established there in the early 1970s.

Spirulina may have an even longer history in Chad, as far back as the 9th century Kanem Empire. It is still in daily use today, dried into cakes called Dihé which are used to make broths for meals, and also sold in markets. The Spirulina is harvested from small lakes and ponds around Lake Chad.

Most cultivated spirulina is produced in open-channel raceway ponds, with paddle-wheels used to agitate the water. The largest commercial producers of spirulina are located in the United States, Thailand, India, Taiwan, China, and Myanmar.

Spirulina has been proposed by both NASA (CELSS) and the European Space Agency (MELISSA) as one of the primary foods to be cultivated during long-term space missions.

Spirulina contains unusually high amounts of protein, between 55 and 77% by dry weight, depending upon the source. It is a complete protein, containing all essential amino acids, though with reduced amounts of methionine, cysteine, and lysine, as compared to standard proteins such as that from meat, eggs, or milk; it is, however, superior to all standard plant protein, such as that from legumes.

Spirulina is rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), and also provides alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), linoleic acid (LA), stearidonic acid (SDA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and arachidonic acid (AA).

Spirulina contains vitamin B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinamide), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), B12 (cyanocobalamin), vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E. The bioavailability of vitamin B12 in Spirulina is in dispute. Several biological assays have been used to test for the presence of vitamin B12. The most popular is the US Pharmacopeia method using the Lactobacillus leichmannii assay. Studies using this method have shown Spirulina to be a minimal source of bioavailable vitamin B12. However, this assay does not differentiate between true B12 (cobalamin) and similar compounds (corrinoids) that cannot be used in human metabolism. Cyanotech, a grower of spirulina, claims to have done a more recent assay, which has shown Spirulina to be a significant source of cobalamin. However the assay is not published for scientific review and so the existence of this assay is in doubt.

Spirulina is a rich source of potassium, and also contains calcium, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, sodium, and zinc.

So partner, you can see that a person could live on spirulina. Many people put it in their 72 hour emergency kits as their main food supply. They work great in a survival pack. So it is definately not Hippie Health Hype! lol

Answer 7

even miracle foods couldnt help
someone much if he has crappy spiritual attitudes,,,,,,,,,