Supplementing with Spirulina, Chlorella, Vitamin B12, and Healthy Oils
– by a guest blogger
On any given day, if you were to look next to my bed into my bookshelf/night stand you’d find at least 3 or 4 books on health, nutrition, meditation, vegetarianism, yoga, or how the body functions, all of which I’m currently in the midst of reading. I read any and everything I can get my hands on! Health and the human body fascinate me.
There are so many of us that are vitamin and mineral deficient due to the lack of eating fresh living vibrant produce. (Fruits and veggies, People! They don’t grow out of the earth in abundance for nothing!)
While I was at work a recent Friday morning it crossed my mind that maybe it would be beneficial to share with everyone what I’ve learned about vitamin supplementation. I wanted to share with you how easy it can be and why its important to add this habit to your daily life.
Should You Supplement Your Diet with Vitamins?
In today’s world it’s much easier to pick up a burrito at the nearest Taco Bell than to actually whip up something fresh and nurturing like a salad or a green smoothie for lunch.
Because of this, we aren’t eating the proper foods so we are lacking in many essential vitamins and minerals. That’s why it’s important to make sure we are supplementing our diets with body worthy vitamin tablets.
Not all vitamins are created equally, so make sure you purchase the best quality vitamins that your budget will allow, as this will prevent a lot of the vitamins and minerals from being wasted (as you release them out in your urine whatever your body doesn’t recognize, and many of the cheaper brands are less absorbable). But something is better than nothing, so rather than fretting about getting the best of the best, just worry about starting a vitamin habit to begin with and you can progress from there.
4 Top Vitamins for Supplementation
My vitamins are rotated out on a regular basis depending on what I’ve learned most recently, but there are a few staples that I never go without. These are the supplements that I’ve read about again and again in almost all of the health books as being the most beneficial. We all want more bang for our buck and with these few vitamin choices that is just what you’ll get!
The 4 Top Recommend Vitamins for Supplementation are:
- Spirulina
- Chlorella
- Esential Fatty Acids
- B12 (for us veggie friendly folk!)
Spirulina
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Spirulina is a microalgae that comes from the sea.
- Spirulina helps boost energy and mental clarity, is high in vitamins and minerals, rebuilds our cells, and helps get rid of toxins in our bodies.
- It’s a complete protein source.
- It contains 60-70% complete protein.
(Meat consists of only about 25% complete protein.) - It helps curb your appetite, so it is very diet friendly.
Chlorella
Chlorella is a freshwater algae.- It’s rich in many nutrients including: protein, B12, EFAs, chlorophyll, iron, and zinc.
- It can help reduce cholesterol and boost your immune system.
- It removes toxins and heavy metals from your body.
- Most importantly, it has ALL essential vitamins and minerals needed for your well being. POWER PUNCH!
- Bonus: It’ll also help regulate your bowel functions.
Make chlorella and spirulina your new best friend! Amazing what nature provides, eh?!
Essential Fatty Acids
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), which are important for your body and over all wellbeing.- Healthy fats help regulate your metabolism and are essential for weight loss (yes! I said weight LOSS!).
- It helps your hair and nails grow healthy and strong.
- If you have dry skin or a dry itchy scalp its possible that you are not getting enough of EFAs in your diet.
- You can also find these in good healthy fats like nuts, seeds, and avocados.
My source of choice is Flax Oil, as its easiest for me. I just put 2 tablespoons in my morning shake!
Vitamin B12
Remember the saying “God made dirt so dirt don’t hurt?!” Well, it seems our childhood selves were on to something!
B12 is produced by microorganisms in the soil.- When B12 is ingested, the overage is stored in the body for future use over time.
- Animals eat grass directly from the soil. Omnivores eat the animal’s flesh and therefore get second hand B12 that was stored in the animal’s tissues. The reason its important for vegetarians to supplement is because human beings no longer eat vegetables straight from the ground.
- Nowadays it is very uncommon to eat anything with soil traces as we obsess over washing everything (which is actually a good thing due to our soils being contaminated with pesticides and chemical residues! Always wash your produce! Even organic!).
- Nutritional Yeast is known to be a good vegan dietary source of B12, but even if you include nutritional yeast in your diet, it’s a good idea to B12 supplements anyway.
- The damage of being B12 deficient is irreversible and effects your neurological system. It can cause damage to your memory, vision and hearing! Not only that, but lack of B12 in your diet will hinder your ability to absorb iron properly. Yowza!
I for one, am not a fan of eating mud pies or chowing down on dirt and I‘m pretty sure it is uncommon for many of us, so we need to supplement. This vitamin is important for vegetarians, but omnivores as well, as it tends to be under consumed in most.
Aloe Vera
I have also been adding in Aloe Vera juice to my diet.
It’s a great healing tool for any inflammation or distress internally.- Its known for its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral properties.
- It’s an immune system booster containing many many vitamins and minerals.
- If you have irritable bowl syndrome, colitis, or ulcers, Aloe Vera should be your new best friend.
It has a very distinct taste, one of which I wasn’t initially a fan of, but now I cant get enough of it! Its easily incorporated into your diet.
My Mega-Vitamin Morning Shake Recipe
Its easy to knock out all these supplements in one fell swoop. I take my supplements by mouth every morning and wash it all down with my morning shake. I just add the Aloe Vera and flax oil to the shake and POW! I got my vitamin fill for the day!
The shake is really easy to do.
Ingredients:
- 1 frozen banana
- 2 tablespoons flax oil
- several shakes of cinnamon
- a pinch of stevia
- Aloe Vera juice to taste
(I’ve come to love the taste so I use about half a cup).
Directions:
Just place all ingredients in a blender, and blend it up!
Perfect way to start my morning! Its light and refreshing and keeps me energized and focused!
Other Important Vitamins and Supplements
Other note worth supplements are probiotics and Vitamin D.
Most of us work in-doors for the majority of the day, so we tend to not get adequate vitamin D, which we absorb through our skin from the sun.
The point is we are ALL vitamin and mineral deficient. And with very little effort its easy to sneak in a few easy tweaks to your daily routine that will be immensely beneficial to your health!
I hope this helps, and if you have any questions just leave me a comment below. I’m more than happy to help you as much as I can or at least point you in the right direction! Thanks for taking the time to read my post!
The information above is a summary of what I’ve learned throughout the years and is what I have been incorporating into my own personal life. This is what works best for me and is all based off of my personal knowledge gained through reading many many books. I’ve had no professional or medical training.