Supper Greens : Spirulina

Spirulina powder is derived from microscopic blue-green algae. It is rich in protein, essential fatty acids, B-vitamins, and vitamins C, D, and E. It has also found popularity as an energy food that helps athletes perform better for longer periods of time. Spirulina also contains significant amounts of the minerals potassium, copper, chromium, iron, selenium, and zinc, just to name a few. Spirulina has been shown to boost the body’s immune functions to the point that it actually inhibits the spread of the HIV virus in the immune system. The powder’s essential fatty acid content helps protect the heart, prevent strokes, and promote muscle and tissue development. Scientists have found that it effectively lowers blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels. Additional laboratory studies show that it reverses age related declines in memory and learning. It is also a significant source of antioxidants, which means it can also help slow down aging. Spirulina benefits so many people that in 1974, the United Nations Food Council moved to declare spirulina to be the best food for the future. Spirulina powder is a versatile food item to work with. It can be sprinkled directly on food or blended into beverages. It is best used as an extra healthy ingredient for soups, salads, pastas, and even yogurt.

Spirulina Powder: Uses and Recommended Intake

Spirulina has been hailed by many as the superfood of the future, used by the United Nations and other aid organizations to feed millions in the developing world, and currently being studied by NASA as a sustainable food source for astronauts going on multi-year missions. Spirulina provides some of the best nutrition available in one convenient package. It’s one of the best non animal sources of protein available, and it also contains every essential amino acid our body needs to grow, heal, and develop. It’s full of many essential vitamins and minerals, along with a unique combination of phytochemicals and macronutrients that enhance the body’s immune system.

This makes spirulina very useful to a wide variety of people. Athletes and elderly people can look to its protein and amino acids to help keep their minds and bodies sharp. Athletes can use it to bulk up their bodies and speed up the building and healing of their muscles and joints. The elderly can keep their minds sharp and alert, and prevent memory loss thanks to spirulina’s ability to protect our brain from the ravages of time. The uses of spirulina do not end there. This blue green algae has unique components such as phycocyanin and calcium spirulan, which are very effective in battling cancer and enhancing our immune functions. Spirulina has also been shown to help speed up the repair of damaged DNA – the number one cause of genetic disorders. Some people have remained skeptical of such functional foods. The utilization of all natural foods and plants to treat illness is an idea currently being rediscovered by western science. For centuries, eastern medicine men have taken advantage of the uses of herbs and other naturally occurring substances to treat and cure many different conditions. However, rigorous scientific analysis has proven the therapeutic and curative value of foods like spirulina time and time again.

The recommended minimum dosage of spirulina is about one tablespoon a day. There really is no maximum spirulina powder dosage that you can consume daily. This is because spirulina is an all natural food item and not an artificial compound or medicine. There is however, a maximum amount of nutrition that your body can absorb in one day. Eating a lot of spirulina in one sitting won’t necessarily have a larger effect than just eating a smaller amount. Keep in mind that consuming over 50 grams a day may also result in some minor unpleasant side effects. This includes a slight fever caused by the body burning excess protein, and some minor stomach pains. Overconsumption of spirulina may also lead to extreme thirst and constipation, probably due to spirulina having an affinity for water. This is why anyone on a diet of spirulina should take care to consume plenty of water to avoid this. Eating too much spirulina on the order of 100 grams a day could also lead to elevated uric acid levels, which could, in extreme cases, lead to kidney problems. Again, drinking plenty of water will go a long way towards mitigating these effects. Most of these side effects can be traced to an inferior batch of spirulina that has been improperly handled and packaged. This is why you should only buy spirulina from trusted suppliers.

Spirulina powder is an extremely flexible food to work with. It can be eaten on its own, and its flavor is something akin to nori seaweed. People who don’t like how spirulina tastes like need not worry because it can easily be masked by other stronger flavors. A little apple or pineapple juice should cover up the taste just fine. Spirulina also blends well in soups, sauces, and other beverages. Most people who have added spirulina to their diet eventually develop a liking for its unique flavor. Spirulina also adds a nice aesthetic quality to any food it is added to – it turns them into a bright and vivid blue green color.

Healthspring is a premium supplier of some of the most potent all-natural foods available on the market today. We believe that these superfoods of great civilizations past have now become the bright future of our health and nutrition. We make sure that our spirulina powder comes only from the cleanest sources and then handled and packaged under the highest health and safety standards. This is done to ensure the best quality and maximum potency of our products, and that our customers get to enjoy the many spirulina health benefits without any worries.

Geo Farm also produce and supply Spirulina. For more info txt (0919) 2127190.

This article is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional.

Superfood : Moringa "Malunggay" & Bee Pollen

Super Foods found in the Philippines !


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Moringa, also known as the Miracle Tree is widely known in various Asian and African countries for its numerous health benefits.

It is known as the Miracle Tree for many reasons. Each part of the tree comes with its own set of health properties, starting from the root and all the way to the leaves. Crushed moringa seeds are used to purify water. The moringa tree can grow in barren soil and survive with very little water. Its leaves which are consumed as a vegetable, can grow in abundance even in the harshest growing conditions. Because of this, it is a top candidate for alleviating hunger in some of the world's most poverty-stricken areas.

The leaves, which when cooked tastes similar to spinach, is a complete food source; containing over 90 nutrients and 46 antioxidants. It is rich in protein, iron, and calcium, and contains a significant amount of nearly everything else the body needs for proper function.

Tea made from the dry leaves is relaxing and raises alertness. The powdered leaves may be mixed in smoothies to create a supercharged energy drink. Regular consumption of the leaves promotes increased production of milk in lactating women.

Moringa: Keeping the Liver Healthy

One of the most important yet often overlooked major organs of our body is our liver. It detoxifies our blood, synthesizes essential proteins, and produces chemicals that are needed for digestion. It also plays a key role in the production of certain hormones and the storage of glycogen, which serve as our long term energy stores. As important as our liver is, though, it can be vulnerable to damage and disease brought about by a large number of factors. Viral infections, and hepatoxic chemicals absorbed through the consumption of large amounts of alcohol, food toxins, environmental factors, and even the very medicines we take can all harm our liver in the long term, leading to potentially dangerous conditions later in life. These hepatoxic chemicals lead to the formation of lesions on our liver, which can over time severely impair its functions. Fortunately, there is an effective and all natural remedy for this kind of liver damage: Moringa.

Moringa has been observed by scientists to contain unique compounds and enact mechanisms that help purge the liver of these toxins and even reverse the damage that they cause. Silymarin is a flavonoid or specialized molecule found in moringa that has been shown to help reduce the effects of hepatoxins on the liver, improving its resiliency. It also protects the liver from the toxic effects of rare earth metal salts such as praseodymium, cerium, and indium, which are known to cause the degeneration of the liver. Scientists theorize that moringa somehow causes the body to get rid of these poisonous compounds in a more rapid manner. This same mechanism also helps make moringa effective against several known poisonous compounds such as a-amanitin and phalloidin. Moringa prevents such toxic cell damage from occurring in two ways. First, it somehow alters the composition of our cell membranes, which only allow a small amount of toxin to seep into our cells. Secondly, the same cell regeneration mechanisms that moringa employs to reduce aging also ensures that there is a large number of healthy cells to replace those that do succumb to the toxins.

Moringa has also been observed to be an effective treatment against a wide array of liver diseases, such as both chronic and acute hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, fatty degeneration of the liver, and the metabolic liver disease brought about by alcohol and drug use. This is because moringa not only stops the toxicity that causes these diseases, but also helps reverse it. On its own, the liver is a very resilient organ, able to regenerate its cells and grow back even after over half of it is destroyed or removed. Moringa accelerates this regeneration process by about four times the normal speed, eventually helping the liver regain full functionality.

The best part about moringa is that as an all natural health food, it can be used in conjunction with medication, and even help enhance its effects. The drugs and medication we normally take can place a lot of toxic stress on the liver, which prevents its optimum recovery. With moringa adding an additional layer of protection for the liver, these drugs can now work faster and more effectively. Moringa is safe for consumption for people of all ages. By adding some moringa to your diet, you can enjoy all of its other benefits of improved nutrition, a more youthful appearance, and the knowledge that your body is well protected against whatever toxins we may encounter in the air, on our food, and in the water.

Bee Pollen for Fighting Multiple Sclerosis

Sunday, May 01, 2011

One of the most harmful diseases that can affect us is multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is an inflammatory disease in which the sheaths of fatty myelin that are wrapped around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to a whole host of neurological symptoms, such as loss of muscle strength, intermittent muscle spasms and difficulty in moving, visual impairment, fatigue, and acute or chronic pain. This makes it a very unpleasant and potentially fatal disease to have on its own, but what causes it is even more frightening.

Studies have shown that MS is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors that cause the immune system to attack the sheaths of myelin on our nerve cells. Essentially, the body's own defenses are turned against itself, causing plenty of damage and long term health effects. Fortunately, one superfood can step up to the plate and slow down if not halt and reverse this self-destructive process: Bee Pollen.

One of bee pollen's most popular properties is the ability to help the body build a resistance to allergies. It does this by acting as a minor irritant that allows sensitive immune systems to learn how to deal with irritants and allergens. It is this same property that can help MS patients manage their disease better. When bee pollen is ingested, its minor allergen properties come into play, which triggers the immune response. While the immune system is busy dealing with this perceived threat, it is essentially distracted from taking apart the myelin sheathing of the axons. This has the net effect of slowing down the rate of deterioration as well as the onset and worsening of symptoms. In mild cases, it can even stop the deterioration completely. This strategy of 'distracting' the immune system is the same principle that drives MS patients to be voluntarily stung by bees in a controlled environment - of course simply eating the bee pollen is much more convenient for most people.

Most medication for MS simply stops at slowing down the deterioration and onset of symptoms, and to get such medication means dealing with their unpleasant and inconvenient side effects and their higher expense. Bee pollen goes one step further - it helps repair the myelin sheath that covers the axons of our nervous system.

Bee pollen is one of the few natural foods that is abundant in the compound lecithin. Lecithin is used by the body in the formulation of amino acids and proteins, and is the key ingredient in the synthesis of myelin itself. Taken as a whole, this means bee pollen approaches the problem of MS from two different directions: its mild allergenic properties distract the immune system from stripping the axons of their myelin coatings while the lecithin it contains help repair any damage done in the first place.

Taken together with bee pollen's other benefits, such as boosting brain function and protecting cardiovascular health, as well as the ease with which it can be consumed by anybody, it's hard to think of any reason not to try out this most unique and beneficial superfood.

• Bee Pollen products are available at Ilog Maria
  
• It is also available at (0919) 2127190