Why Chiropractic Needs Algae Nutrition
NUTRITION
Catharine Arnston
Recommending nutrition to patients is a complicated but increasingly important role of chiropractic. Some patients understand that good nutrition will help them maintain, protect, or recover their health. But most don't. And compliance is tough. Some might say impossible. Telling patients to eat more organic greens and fewer processed foods is the easy part. The hard part is getting them to do it, especially when they travel or follow vegan or ketogenic diets. But what if you had a nutrition solution that improved patient outcomes every time and was so easy for patients that you had 100% compliance? Would you be interested?
Good. Welcome to algae.
You may not know much or indeed anything about algae, but algae isn't new. It's been a multibillion-dollar agricultural crop in Asia for 50 years and is now rapidly gaining attention in the United States because its dense nutrition and long list of health benefits are finally in the spotlight. Algae is also part of the exploding interest in plant-based nutrition and growth of the vegan diet. According to The Economist magazine (20), 25% of American consumers between the ages of 25 and 34 are vegan. If you currently don't have vegan options for this rapidly growing patient community, algae could be your solution.
If you Currently don't have vegan option for this rapidly growing patient community, algae could be your solution.
NASA [21] has said that "algae has 1,000 times more nutrients than any other fruit or vegetable," and the United Nations [9] says spirulina algae is the answer to world hunger. With endorsements like this no wonder the buzz about algae is growing. It also explains why the White House just passed the first Algae Agricultural Act [22] as part of the 2019 Farm Bill (to encourage American farmers to grow algae). The bill also reinforces the fact that algae is food and not a supplement, which is why many practitioners prefer recommending it to their patients instead of vitamins.
Algae is a nutrient-dense [23], high-protein, plantbased, sustainable, keto/vegan food that quickly and safely satisfies hunger, helps with intermittent fasting or weight loss, provides virtually all macroand micronutrients, improves energy and focus, removes toxins, boosts athletic performance, speeds recovery from sports or surgery, improves heart, brain, and bone health, and helps improve overall longevity and wellness. Catharine Amston, the Founder/CEO of ENERGYbits, a Boston-based algae company said, "Algae is desperately needed because our world is toxic, our oceans are polluted, our soil is lifeless, our children are nutrient-deprived, our bodies are fueled with sugar, and our rates of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are skyrocketing/’
Algae has also been the most scientifically studied food in the world, and there are almost 100,000 studies documenting its long list of therapeutic, sports, and nutrition benefits. Until recently, though, these benefits haven't found their way out of the scientific community and into the mainstream or practitioner community.
There is a lot to leam about algae, including the fact that not all algae is high quality, so you want to be sure you purchase yours from a highly reputable company. Algae also comes in different forms, including powder, capsules, frozen gels, and pressed tablets. Powders are easy to add to smoothies but impossible to travel with. Frozen algae has significant limitations because it needs to be kept in the freezer, which limits how you can use it and where you can take it. Capsules are questionable because you don't know what else has been blended with them, and you can only swallow them. That's why we recommend the pressed tablets because they are easier to travel with, have less likelihood of containing binders or other artificial ingredients, can be swallowed or chewed, and can be added to other foods, such as salads or trail mix.
Algae contains such dense nutrition you could probably live on it forever. Not sure you would want to, but you could because algae is a whole food with just one ingredient, 40 vitamins and minerals, and 60% protein. That's why it's referred to as "efficient nutrition."
There are two main categories of algae:
Seaweed
This category includes brown and red algae, both of which are grown in the ocean. Seaweed contains fiber and iodine but has one-hundredth of the nutrients found in the second category of algae called microalgae.
Microalgae
This category includes blue-green and green algae. There are tens of thousands of types of microalgae, most of which grow wild in the ocean, swamps, lakes, or in your aquarium or pool, all of which are toxic and should not be consumed.
The only safe microalgae to recommend to your patients are spirulina (a blue-green algae) and chlorella (a green algae), which are both grown in fresh water under controlled growing conditions. If you source spirulina and chlorella from a reputable company, they are the safest, purest, most nutrient-dense foods in the world, but there is a wide range in the quality and purity of spirulina and chlorella products on the market. For example, you may want to avoid algae grown in China where most producers use high heat for drying (which kills the enzymes) and where they are known for adding binders (which can be toxic). Algae from China also tends to be lower quality strains, which reduces the nutritional value. Algae from Hawaii has been referred to as weak; algae from India tends to be "pungent"; and you may want to be wary of algae from Japan where there may be lingering quality issues from the Fukushima nuclear disaster. On the other hand, Taiwan has been recognized for decades as having the best algae in terms of its purity, quality, and safety because it is a major agricultural crop. They use fresh mountain-spring water to grow their algae, and the quality control standards are very high with oversight done by the government.
Spirulina and chlorella offer vastly different health benefits, so it is important to understand what each algae does so you can recommend them properly.
Spirulina
Spirulina algae is a blue-green algae and is regarded as one of the most nutrient-dense functional foods of the twenty-first century with unmatched nutrients and benefits [1]. Spirulina has the highest concentration of protein [2] in the world, and its 40 vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and nutrients 3 work synergistically and naturally to elevate energy, improve mental focus [4], enhance skin and hair health [5], improve athletic performance [6], boost vitality, reduce inflammation [7], and support optimal health. In 1974, the United Nations [8] even identified spirulina as the answer to world hunger [9]. Spirulina's health benefits have been documented in more than 50,000 scientific studies, so its benefits are all evidence-based. With our food supply and environment so toxic and our health suffering, instead of asking yourself why you and your patients should be taking spirulina algae every day, maybe you should ask why wouldn't you? Spirulina is a great vegan food-based replacement for your multivitamins, fish oil, coffee, sports nutrition, and snacks, and a great way to help improve weight loss, stop hunger, and improve skin and hair health. Spirulina is safe for all ages, from babies to retirees and pets, and is often referred to as the jewel of nutrition.
Chlorella
The other important algae is chlorella algae. Chlorella is a green algae, world recognized for its wellness and medicinal properties [10], including its unique ability to remove metals [11], such as mercury, lead, and radiation. Chlorella algae has the highest concentration of chlorophyll in the world. Chlorophyll makes plants green and is essential for cellular health, cleansing your body and helping prevent wrinkles. Some research has suggested it even helps reduce or prevent chronic disease [12], including lung disease [13], Chlorella also has high amounts of bioavailable iron, RNA/DNA, chlorella growth factor, and 40 other vitamins and minerals that help boost your immune system, speed cellular renewal, support mitochondria function, reduce aging [14], accelerate recovery [15] from athletics, and improve eye health 16. Chlorella even detects alcohol as a toxin so it removes it within a few hours after drinking and helps prevent hangovers. Chlorella algae is also a rare source of natural vitamin K2, which supports heart health [17], bone health [18], and skin health [19], Recent research has found wrinkles are partly due to calcification of elastin and heart disease is partly due to calcification of blood vessels. Only vitamin K2 can remove calcium from your soft tissue like skin and blood vessels and move it into your bones where it should be, so it also prevents osteoporosis. Chlorella algae contains your daily requirement of vitamin K2. To learn more about vitamin K2 and why it is so critical to your health, and why virtually everyone is deficient in it, check out the book called Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox. [24] Take chlorella every night or after a workout to help your body with cleansing, detox, cellular renewal, longevity, and healing.
In short, recommending algae to your patients is a fast, simple, nutrient-dense, whole-food solution that improves health, nutrition, and longevity. Just be sure to source algae from a reputable company that can provide third-party lab tests that confirm their algae's safety, purity, and nutrient density. Algae seems to be a wellness solution that is long overdue. Since it is expected to be even bigger than CBD oil, it might be prudent to add it as an adjunct therapy for your practice. It took four billion years for algae to be noticed, but its benefits are felt in mere hours
Catharine Arnston is the CEO/founder and chief scientific officer of ENERGYbits Inc.—www.energybits.com. Her mission is to help the world improve wellness naturally with Mother Nature's oldest and original food—algae.
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