By George Nava True II
Hi George thank you for sharing your article on Spirulina,
with the crew at Yoga.org.nz. The Yoga.org.nz responses
are below in blue. We think Spirulina is a excellent food ( so
we felt we had to stick up for this amazing life form with no voice.
"For a health food, spirulina leaves a lot to be desired. It looks bad,
is very expensive, and tastes terrible. "
All yogis know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder
and we think the rich greens and blues of a quality Spirulina look fantastic
symbolising health and vitality along with being calming to the mind.
As Spirulina has become more popular economies of scale have come into play and Spirulina is now affordable for all economical. True it can taste very strong if you are out of balance and overloaded on Sugar , Processed Diary and other junk food. Now you can take a spirulina tablets to avoid the taste.
But people are buying this blue-green algae because they believe it will cure a litany of ills ranging from diabetes to depression. Since spirulina promoters don’t want to disappoint their customers, their risk of claims is growing daily.
Yes a truly healthy diet can fix a huge range of aliments weather it be Spirulina or other fine organic foods
Cure-all
Aside from being an energy booster, spirulina is said to treat obesity, is good for the skin, and is purported to be rich in vitamins and protein. Other conditions that supposedly respond to spirulina are alcoholism, herpes, diabetes, arthritis and cancer.
"A dose of one to two grams will supposedly cure everything from wrinkles and shortness of breath when climbing stairs to hives, asthma and white hair in young people," wrote Arnold Bender, vice president of the International Union of Food Science and Technology in Health or Hoax?
Long before spirulina became a favorite of the health food industry, it was eaten by North Africans and Mexicans centuries ago. The plant was discovered by the Western world in 1962. Since then, it has been cultivated in several countries, including Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States.
Yes North Africans and Mexicans have known about spirulina benefits for centuries.
Survivor
Part of man’s fascination with spirulina stems from the fact that the plant is a survivor. It grows almost by itself on lakes and ponds and doesn’t need any special care from the farmer.
Apparently, those who buy spirulina products hope they will be as strong as the plant. Unfortunately, most of the claims made for spirulina are baseless if not ridiculous.
Some promoters of products do go over board and make un substantiated claims. But to say that all of the claims are untrue because of a few over zealous promoters is baseless in facts
Low protein source
For instance, it’s claimed that spirulina is a rich source of protein. True, the plant contains 62 - 68% protein but you’ll spend less by eating white fish which has 97% protein, Fish, Actually has around 26 % chicken (80%) Chicken Actually has around 25 % or white lean beef (79%) White Lean Beef has actually has around 28 % We are not sure where you get your figure from? . Here are some Moreover, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said most spirulina products provide only negligible amounts of protein when taken as directed by their labels. Some products advertised as spirulina have no spirulina at all.
Another sales pitch is that spirulina is packed with vitamins. But nutritionists say you’ll get more vitamins from broccoli and other green vegetables.
Dieters may be enticed by ads which say spirulina only has 3.9 calories per
gram. They may be surprised to know that sugar contains 4 calories to the gram
while bread has only 2 calories per gram. Both are cheaper than spirulina.
Comparing the vitamin & mineral rich Spirulina to Sugar,
a poisonous substance which contains not one vitamin or
mineral and has to leach these life giving substances from your bones and internal
organs to metabolise it for energy ,( if the body does not have them bioavaliable)
, causing massive damage over time .
Bread is a highly processed product and the are many
studies to show that wheat cause numerous
allergies. Plus has other effects on health that we will not go into.
There is a saying in New Zealand compare apples
with apples. DO WE NEED TO SAY ANY MORE .
Contaminated
Because it has a considerable amount of vitamin B12, spirulina is usually recommended to strict vegetarians who can’t get this vitamin from plant sources. But Dr. Varro Tyler, a world renowned authority on herbs at Purdue University, said spirulina’s vitamin B12 content is due mainly to contamination with insect or animal fecal matter. This is not surprising since spirulina grows in open lakes and ponds and is not thoroughly washed before it’s dried.
Spirulina is well know to have very high levels of B12 . True there is spirulina grown in the wild, but not all spirulina is grown in open lakes, there can be a large difference between Wild Algae and Spirulina grown in Controlled environments There are many quality facilities around the world that grow Spirulina in environments that are free of other contaminants. Not all controlled environments have safety standards in place. So be sure that you use a Quality Brand. Go Certified Organic to be sure you are getting a premium product . .
In Health Schemes, Scams and Frauds, Dr. Stephen Barrett, a psychiatrist and board member of the National Council Against Health Fraud, Inc. said an FDA analysis of one popular product called Blue Green Manna contained "15 whole or equivalent adult flies, 164 adult fly fragments, 41 whole or equivalent maggots, 59 maggot fragments, one ant, five ant fragments, one adult cicada, one cicada pupa, 763 insect fragments, nine ticks, four mites, 1,000 ostracods, two rat or mouse hairs, four bird feathers, six bird-feather barbules, and 10,500 water fleas." Some strains of spirulina also have toxins that can cause nausea, diarrhea and throat infections.
We have had a bit of a search and can't find any details in the above study but would certainly like more information on it. There are some Low Quality Brands of Spirulina on the market . That is why it pays to go with reputable brand that tests every batch of Spirulina for Microcystins
"In test animals injection of the toxic algae causes tumors, and larger doses can cause death within minutes. Batches of contaminated spirulina have been seized by the FDA. Since the toxins are not routinely tested for by all manufacturers, it would seem that using the algae is like playing Russian roulette," according to nutritionist Kurt Butler in A Consumer’s Guide to Alternative Medicine.
As we have said some spirulina suppliers do in fact test every batch for toxins again that is why it pays to go with a reputable brand
Spirulina promoters are apparently aware of this but tell their customers that these side effects are signs that their products are working and "cleansing" the body. In truth, you’re probably poisoning yourself without knowing it.
George that is why there are standards so consumer can be sure they they are getting the real deal.
To protect consumers, US law enforcement agencies have taken actions against several multilevel companies making fraudulent claims about spirulina. One American distributor was fined $225,000 by California authorities for false and misleading advertising. Again we would like to see proof of the claims and where this happened . One bad apple does not mean the whole bunch is off.
Here in the Philippines, little progress has been made against spirulina peddlers who are free to fool people. For your safety, ignore them. Until the health claims of spirulina are validated by the scientific community, don’t pin your hopes on this plant.
In New Zealand things are different . People can purchase quality brands, feel free to visit one of the most beautiful countries in the world.
We sell a Certified Organic Spirulina that we can stand behind 100% .