Spirulina Nutrition: Which One is Best?

Spirulina nutrition is a term we will coin for intake of spirulina as a regular dietary supplement to meet the body's nutritional needs. Spirulina is known all over the world for its health and medicinal benefits. It is recognized to be the most complete food source: meaning, no other food contains as much nutrients as spirulina has.

Basic Facts About Spirulina

But what is spirulina anyway? Spirulina is simply a single-celled, microscopic blue greem algae that is part of the cyanobacteria family. It grows in alkaline waters of South America and Africa. Spirulina contains the most remarkable concentration of the most essential nutrients from natural sources.

Benefits of Spirulina

Spirulina contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals. Not only that, it is a rich source of protein, the form of which is easiest to digest and absorb.

Spirulina contains ten times more beta carotene than can be found in carrots, making it the best antioxidant. Spirulina nutrition can assure you of adequate supply of B vitamins, which are very important in maintaining cardiovascular health and in the breakdown of lipids and carbohydrates.

Furthermore, spirulina contains the essential fatty acid gamma-linoleic acid, which can help prevent conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, and even cancer.

Forms of Spirulina Supplement

The process of growing spirulina is much like culturing bacteria. However, the spirulina that we know now have gone through natural processing. It is different in so many ways, but it has largely retained its original nutrients as well as its dark green color.

Spirulina supplements come in the form of powder, tablet or capsule (pill form) or liquid extract. Spirulina health products are made from live spirulina which is freeze dried to preserve all the nutrients contained in the algae. They are then powderized into the spirulina powder that we know.

To make them into tablet form, most spirulina supplement manufacturers subject them to cold compression or add some inert substances to hold them together firmly. The capsule form is simply made of micronized powder encapsulated in a thin sheet for oral intake, while liquid spirulina is its pure water liquid extract, occasionally added with probiotics, honey or some form of sugar.

Spirulina Powder vs Pills

If you are wondering which particular form is better, let us just say that there is no exact answer for this. All forms of spirulina are equally nutrient-rich and there is no significant difference between one of the other; the effects of spirulina (whatever the form) are all comparable.

The preference of spirulina nutrition depends on each individual. If you do not mind taking 10 pills each day or even more, then spirulina pills can prove convenient. On the other hand, if you prefer having spirulina with fruit juice, as a smoothie or in your salsa, you can get the powderized or the liquid extract form.

Advice

When choosing the best spirulina supplement, it is not much so in the form as it is in the brand. Take note that there are a wide number of spirulina manufacturers these days due to the increasing demand of these supplements. Each manufacturer adopts its own processing procedure, the amount of nutrients and the effectivity of its action may differ significantly. If you want to go for a trusted brand, you should try Nutrex Hawaiian Spirulina which are available in all forms to adapt to your idea of the best kind of spirulina nutrition.