Lead in the time of Chlorella

Chlorella is a mighty single-cell green algae found in fresh or seawater and loaded with 19 essential amino acids, more than 20 (easy to digest) vitamins and minerals, fiber and a range of antioxidants. Being 60 percent protein, it is not surprising that farmers in Indonesia are having tremendous success growing Chlorella in the water used to manufacture tofu. Wrap your mind around that symbiosis!  

As someone who does not consume any animal products, I’m conscious of the need for dietary vitamin B supplementation. While there are plenty of B vitamin pills on the market, such highly processed supplements are no substitute for what Mother Nature so abundantly provides. Chlorella is naturally super-rich in B vitamins so when I saw a Chlorella latte on the menu in a local café, I thought I’d give a try. I immediately fell in love with the subtle, almost nutty flavor, and after the “honeymoon phase” I decided to delve deeper. Here is what I discovered.

Scientific studies published in Nutrition Journal have proven that taking Chlorella significantly boosts your immune system and helps fortify your defenses to fight off viruses – something that’s more important than ever in the age of Covid-19. Specifically, chlorella helps increase NK (or natural killer) cell activity and initiates an early inflammation response in healthy humans. After just 8 weeks, subjects showed major improvements in test results. According to the study, “Chlorella or Chlorella extract are involved in the modulation of immune responses against tumors, bacterial and viral infection.” Results also show that it helps regulate lipids (fats) in your blood and glucose levels for those with diabetes.

Another important factor is Chlorella’s bioactive compounds – or extra-nutritional components. Acting as a functional food that offers health benefits beyond their nutritional value, Chlorella is considered a heavy hitter. As one scientific journal stated:

“Microalga, like Chlorella and Spirulina are rich in bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, terpenoids, carotenoids, and tocopherols, which have antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor properties.”

Chlorella is also nature's most powerful eliminator of heavy metal toxins from our bodies. (Blog: Adult Exposure to Lead). It might be surprising to know that we may have toxins like mercury, arsenic and lead in our system. We know that fish can contain alarming levels of mercury. And that arsenic has been found in irrigation water. The threats to our health also come from ordinary products in our homes - from beauty products (lipsticks and creams) to packaged foods.

Eating well, exercising and staying away from highly processed foods, saturated fats and refined sugar is a great start to improving your overall health and wellbeing. But it may not be enough for some of us. During his last check-up, my partner’s doctor told him that his LDL (bad) cholesterol was slightly elevated. He was shocked – and angry - since, like me, he has been a vegan for years and naturally figured it was enough. Suffice it to say that we now have our Chlorella-laced lattes together a couple of times a week and he is looking forward to the results of his next blood cholesterol test!

We are the kind of people who will try almost anything natural to improve our heath and overall well-being.  And the more we research we have done on Chlorella the more we have found to like.  Here are some benefits: 

• Eliminates heavy metal toxins
• Helps with hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Reduces blood glucose levels
• Lowers LDL/triglycerides
• Anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-tumor properties 

And if you’re like us, eating and drinking a little more than usual, then it might be time to look for something to help repair whatever damage we may have done. So, try reaching for the Chlorella. We bet you’ll feel (and look) a lot better in the morning and weeks to come.  Yes, Chlorella actual makes your skin look and feel younger. More to come . . .

 (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3511195/)