What is Spirulina? The Spirulina is ancient bluish-green algae. Spirulina is the source of vitamins, carotenoids, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, pigments, and fatty acids&lipids.
Who heard about Spirulina?
I talked with a few of my friends and colleagues about Spirulina. They did not express interest in this nutritional food source. They are in good shape and do not seek any solution to enrich their daily food intake.
My interest in Spirulina
I read a lot. I have plenty of books waiting for me until I finish what I started. I use the computer and phone a lot. It means that my eyes do not have rest during the day. I began searching for nutritional supplements that would be digestible and delicious in vital nutrients. I know that nutrients can help my body and, at the same time, my eyes.
I started to dig for some more information. Scientists, doctors, and journalists published reviews and books about this miraculous algae.
Spirulina’s costs versus food costs
The price of food at the store is not the price we would like to think is a real value.
There are many hidden costs for conventional food.
Medical expenses from unhealthy food
Everybody knows how many spoons of sugar are in a glass of soda drinks. Products on the shelves can stay long thanks to added chemicals. Everything looks good till we see our weight climbing and vital signs change. US Surgeon links two-thirds of death to diet. Here medical bills, health insurance, and home care bills show up.
Government helps farmers
The government subsidizes farms through taxes. This contribution encourages farmers to use soil and water. The farmer pays less for water, and the government pays the difference between the actual water and the farmer’s prices. According to Robert Henrikson, in 1989, Farmer’s Home Administration had loaned over 20 billion dollars.
The danger to the environment and resources
Growing agro-business threatens the environment. The population of human beings grows. It requires more and more food. The soil is used and reused without giving back minerals. Countless herds graze. Soil erosion occurs.
According to Robert Henrikson, the author of Earth Food Spirulina, an inch of topsoil takes 200 to 1000 years to get back in shape.
Who will wait so long? People are hungry, and they want to eat now.
How is good cheap food?
The food grown using pesticides and fertilizers is inexpensive compared with organic food. Stores prefer to have sustainable food. There are preservatives used. I guess that in this food are not so many nutrients left. Our bodies can be weaker. Few cups of coffee do not help to restore energy and vitality.
Advantages of Spirulina
According to Robert Henrikson, there are facts in the book Earth Food Spirulina.
- Spirulina could be cultivated on unusable land.
- Protein production from Spirulina requires 20 times less land than soybeans and 40 times less area compared to the property used for corn.
- For the growth of the Spirulina, the water can be alkaline or salty. The algae do not compete with the water used to grow conventional food.
- Energy efficiency is higher compared to corn and soybeans.
- Algae consume carbon and release oxygen. I think that it is a significant point. Nowadays, when climate change is visible, Spirulina can be a savior.
- Spirulina does not need plenty of places to grow. Spirulina can grow in a hot climate where other crops do not survive. In countries where food distribution does not work correctly, Spirulina could help sustain thousands of people in developing countries.
- Spirulina does not do any harm to the environment. Spirulina enriches the air with oxygen.
Conclusion
Spirulina can play an essential role in helping people get rid of malnutrition. It is a cheap source of vital nutrients.
Spirulina generates oxygen and fixes carbon.
To grow Spirulina commercially does not need a Nobel prize winner to find out how to accomplish these tasks. Commercial farms grow Spirulina as healthy food on the six continents.
Spirulina can improve the well-being of people who live in emerging countries.
An update
This text was written a few years ago when bad people did not take over food supplies and did not burn food processing factories. Bugs weren’t on the menu, and nobody thought this craziness would last three years.
Thankfully, Spirulina is around, and we must remember that nutraceutical food is a hundred times better than insects.
This was a very interesting post. I have never heard of spirulina although I have read about the benefits of other types and algae and the plankton in the ocean. Your point out the actual cost of “normal” food on our health and on the environment was well taken. it seems that something like this algae could solve much of the world’s nutritional problems. You article has stimulated me to do a lot more research. I am wondering about the growth period, harvest methods and primarily about how spiraling is delivered. From your article, it looks like it is in pill form. I am also wondering if it could be used as a supplement with daily food intake. Does it replace our proteins or provide vitamins and minerals. You have definitely got me thinking about the benefits of this algae. I have some cardiac problems which require a fairly strict diet. I plan to research to see if this might be something that can help these problems. Thanks for the article.
Hello, Anastazja. Spirulina is a miraculous algae. There are plenty of algae, but Spirulina is a winner. When you consume Spirulina, you will get all vital nutrients, proteins too. For example, Clorella is an algae, but it is too difficult to digest.
Spirulina comes in various forms. It can be powder, pills, tablets. People in Africa dry Spirulina on the hot stones and make something similar as pancakes.Dr. Christopher Hills is an expert of Spirulina.
You mentioned heart problems. In Dr. Carolyn Dean book The Magnesium Miracle you can find information about benefits from magnesium.
All the best, be wealthy and healthy, Nemira.