Spirulina

I've asked a few people: what is spirulina, anyway? And a lot of people don't know. Then I heard from a friend that it is a nutrient from the sea. So today I googled it and found Spirulina.com. I learned that spirulina is an algae, or an aquatic plant, with tiny green spiral coils that harvest energy from the sun. It is a blue-green algae, too. Hmm, this confused me. So wild blue-green algae is collected from lakes, and spirulina is grown in controlled water ponds on farms. Spirulina is potentially better for you because it is more pure, whereas blue-green algae might have toxins in it from the lake.

As for the benefits of Spirulina, it boosts your energy, it is absorbed by the body quickly, and it is loaded with nutrients, including protein (and all of the essential amino acids). So it is great for vegetarians. It has beta-carotene, vitamin B-12, and many other vitamins including A, C, D, E, K, B1, B2, B3 & B6. It has 16 minerals including Iron, Magnesium, and Calcium. It also has phytonutrients, which are pigments that have potent antioxidants. The odor and taste is described as mild like seaweed.