Deep Blue Sea Smoothie
Ingredients : Serves 1
- 1 large frozen banana
- 1 cup frozen blueberries or blackberries
- 3/4 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp spirulina
- 2 tsp chia seeds
- 1/2 tsp ginger
Blend all ingredients in a good blender till smooth. Serve!
As you can see, the color is very arresting—almost black!
What’s a food you’ve always meant to try, but never have? The list isn’t long for me: I’ve eaten every vegetable under the sun, loved almost all of them, and there’s nary a dish I haven’t veganized to perfection (or at least to edibility). So what remains? Not much, or so you’d think.
But you’d be wrong. You see, the thing about raw foods is that they open you up to ingredients and dishes that you never knew existed, let alone functioned as the centerpieces of a whole foodie movement. But they’re out there: maca. Goji berries. Golden mulberries. Yacon. Lucuma. Irish moss. Chia. Dulse. Acai. I mean, even wheatgrass is exotic territory for most people. When you start to explore raw foods, you find yourself mesmerized by these exotic and unusual foods, and the health properties they promise.
One superfood I’ve always wanted to try is spirulina, mostly because of its beautiful, blue-black-green color. I’ve seen it in smoothies, and I’ll admit, it’s a mesmerizing shade. It’s also known to be incredibly nutrient rich. Some fun facts, collected from the interwebs:
- Spirulina contains 8 essential amino acids, 10 Non-essential amino acids, Potassium (15,400 mg/Kg), Calcium (1,315 mg/kg), Zinc (39 mg/kg), Magnesium (1,915 mg/kg), Selenium (0.40 ppm), Iron (580 mg/kg), Vitamin B12, Folic Acid (0.5 mg/kg), Niacin ( 118 mg/kg), Riboflavin or B2 (40 mg/kg), Thiamine or B1 (55 mg/kg), and Tocopherol or Vitamin E (190 mg/kg).
- Several years ago, the National Cancer Institute announced sulfolipids from blue-green algae like spirulina were remarkably active in test tube experiments against the AIDS virus.
- In 1993-95, research showed natural polysaccharides in spirulina increased T-cell counts, strengthened the immune system and raised disease resistance in chickens, fish and mice. The animal feed industry is embracing spirulina as a new probiotic to replace overused antibiotic drugs in animal feeds. In 1994, a Russian patent was awarded for spirulina as a medicine for reducing allergic reactions from radiation in the Children of Chernobyl.
- Its deep green color comes from a rainbow of natural pigments – chlorophyll (green), phycocyanin (blue) and carotenoids (orange).
- Spirulina is often described as the most complete food source in the world because of its nutrient density and an impressive 60 – 70% protein content. In fact, NASA includes it in the diet of astronauts and plans to grow Spirulina in its space station.
- Some researchers claim that Spirulina is useful in helping diabetics control their food cravings and decrease their insulin intake.
- 1 tsp. of Spirulina will meet your RDA of B12, and spirulina contains over twice the amount of B12 found in an equivalent serving of liver.
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