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Published in Healthy & Natural Journal, June 1997. Seems like life in the 1990's is just another definition for faster emerging technologies, changes, responsibilities, stress, complications... stress, poor diets, depleting sources of nutritious foods, and more stress. Could be why there's so many educational sources of information on how to cope with all the information we're being fed already. And even that's getting stressful. How much marketing can an individual filter through in the effort to stay healthy? If you leave the rhetoric behind, eating green superfoods as part of one's daily diet is a pretty simple way of dealing with at least some of the physical stress our bodies take by just being present on the planet earth in the 1990's. In the 1960's the Jetson's, a cartoon with George, Jane and their boy Leroy, were presented at every meal with a plate of tablets. Astronauts were being introduced to the "tube food" they were going to have to live off of in outer space. This was the stuff of science fiction. But, eating algae in the 21st century? How Many Vegetables? Three to five servings a day of fresh vegetables is the minimum consumption in order to stay healthy, regular and prevent serious illness, such as cancers and heart disease. However, more than sometimes, one or more of those servings of vegetables are french fries or perhaps fried zucchini! For survival The green superfoods (algae and grasses) fill a void in any diet today. Algae and grasses provide easy to metabolize protein which body builders and physiotherapists use for soft tissue healing. Vegetarians are supported by the high protein and vitamin B-12 (which is lacking in many common vegetables). These greens also have powerful anti-oxidants (you need them; your lifestyle is irrelevant...your alive in the '90's) and minerals which are easy to absorb. (Eating enough isolated vitamins to achieve the amount of minerals my health practitioner assumes I need does not set well with the digestion! ) You Can't Fool Mother Nature (or Your Body) Don't confuse synthetic vitamins with the natural vitamins derived from food. The American Cancer Society says that food is the best source of vitamins and minerals as it provides other potential cancer -protection benefits not offered by synthetic and isolated supplements.1 Our bodies will not metabolize the synthetic vitamins as completely and properly as whole foods. Chinese researchers discovered that zinc deficient children ages 3 and up, recovered better with high zinc spirulina tablets than with common zinc sulfate. More than twice as many children were cured through the use of high zinc spirulina. The researchers theorized that high zinc spirulina had many bioactive and nutritious substances which improved mineral absorption, and hence, resulted in better general health and a stronger immune system.2 Why Take Algae and Grasses? (what makes these foods superfoods?) Chlorella, spirulina, and aphanizonmen flos aqua and wheat and barley grasses are protein packed nutritious foods. Chlorella starts with about 57% digestible protein. Both spirulina and the aphanizomenen range upward to 65% protein; the grasses run around 25%. They are all high in anti-oxidants and various minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients. To get the amount of beta carotene one gets from 10 grams of spirulina, you'd have to eat about 1/2 a pound of raw carrots. (on the basis of 9 mg. per serving of 3 1/2 ounces of carrots).4 Six ounces of milk gives you 6 grams of protein. But with that serving of whole milk, you also get 8 grams of fat and 150 calories. Not for people on high protein, low calorie diets, those who are lactose intolerant or strict vegetarians. How To Choose The Food of The Future (Because the Future is Now) It's not that tough! The choice of which algae is probable the biggest issue. The barley and wheat grasses are predominantly the same in their nutritional analysis. The microalgae: Chlorella, Spirulina and Aphanizomenen Flos Aqua. Two blue green algae are spirulina and Aphanizomenon flos aqua (which is also known as AFA, Super Blue Green® and Wild Blue Green; can you blame anybody, it's way too hard to pronounce!). These easily absorbed, soft celled algae have typical analysis' that are comparatively close. The similarities are closer to each other than the green algae, chlorella. You will notice different smells, tastes and textures with each of these foods. So remember, price means nothing unless like what you bought. An extremely important point to make here is the quality of the product being ingested. Ask for Spirulina grown in the U.S.A. There are two farms that grow the majority of spirulina in the world marketplace. The quality of US. grown spirulina is internationally accepted, well respected and meets international quality standards. Companies harvesting AFA have been hit hard with adverse publicity regarding the safety of their algae. Unfortunately, wild harvest of algae, at the mercy of the lake environment, seems a long shot for a future as a commercially affordable and viable world food. Cultivating algae in harmony with the environment can ensure the safety of the product. Growing in controlled, pure cultures along with strict testing standards, guarantees quality and safety. Both spirulina and chlorella are farmed in this manner. Chlorella is an imported green algae (there are no farms here in the America's) with a hard cellulose wall that is broken in the harvesting and drying process. Some people claim it has a milder smell, grassier taste and is easier to blend in juices, than blue green algae. It's higher in chlorophyll than any of the green foods mentioned here, and is often used for detoxification (some claim the chlorophyll makes their breath sweeter!). Which Algae Is Right for You? The degree of effectiveness differs from one person to another since the physiological needs are different. A little patience is required to determine which one is best for you. Major benefits reported are higher energy, more stamina, less illness, and maybe even regularity (it still surprises me what simple, good nutrition can do). Some people find they digest the green superfoods better or benefit more when they take the two types of algae together. (Even my mother says that.) Keeping it simple: There are three commercially grown and marketed algae. Make your choice and if it doesn't set well, try another one. We are all unique in the way we metabolize our food. Grasses Were the Original 'Vitamins' Wheat and barley grasses were first sold in the 1930s in the United States as "vitamin" supplements. But, when pharmaceutical and other companies started marketing synthetic, isolated vitamins, the interest in grasses declined until the 1970s. Popularity is growing again as we realize that it is not always in our best interest to use pharmaceuticals or isolated synthetic vitamins. Barley and wheat grasses are easily digested, mild in smell, color and flavor. Look for whole grasses, those that include the whole plant fiber. The less processed, the more nutritious. The serving size may exceed that of the algae, however, depending on the person.6 With the amount of fiber the grasses provide daily, the average person should not be as hard pressed to eat the amount of raw vegetables and fruits suggested by health practitioners. The fiber in grasses helps achieve and provide colon regularity. In fact "adding fiber to the diet helps us reduce the risk of heart disease, colon disease and some cancers. The Healthy Solution for High Tech, Unhealthy Lifestyles I want to make sure that onion rings and ketchup are not my only vegetables for the day. While I'm setting my microwave tonight, I will wonder about how protected I am from the invisible waves emanating from this wondrous machine. As I should wonder about the monitor I sit in front of as this article is being written. I surf the Internet for answers to dietary problems; it's kind of funny to see Web Sites with information buttons in the image of a spirulina bottle, set next to the image of the Web Site Master in front of his computer. We are given the whole planet's information stored there, on the Internet. There's a lot of it. It's very complicated. It's very stressful.. So I'm grateful for some of the simple things in life. Go for the algae and grasses. It's easy! Take those tablets, make those smoothies and keep on going. I tell my mother to do the same thing. "Keep it simple sweetheart and eat your greens!". References 1.Eating Smart, p. 13, 1995, The American Cancer Society. 2."The Study on Curative Effect of Zinc containing Spirulina for Zinc Deficient Children," W. Yonghuan, Z Changjin, Q. Deyl, W. Liszhi, Zhensen Blue-Green Algae Biotech Corp., Guandgdong, China Department of Pediatrics, hospital attached to Capital Medical College, Beijing, China. Presented at the 5th International Psychological Congress, Qingdao, China, June 1994. 3.Planet Newsletter, Superfood Provision Co. Dec. 1996. 4.EarthFood Spirulina. R. Henrikson, Ronore Press. 1997 New Edition. 5.USA TODAY Aug. 2nd 1988. 6.Cereal Grass, What's In It For You! R. Siebold, Wilderness Press Foundation, 1990. 7.Vegetarian Times June 1st, 1996. |
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