Both doctors and nutritionists tell us that we must eat more green leafy vegetables for our health.
However, green leafy vegetables are a kind of food with very low nutrient density. If you want to supplement enough nutrients, you need to eat a lot of vegetables every day.
For people who don't like vegetables, eating vegetables is like taking medicine, which is very painful, and it is also time-consuming to cook, and the juice is too dark.
There is an ancient superfood that can kill almost all vegetables in seconds, and its nutritional value is even comparable to that of meat .
Can you guess what it is? If you can’t guess, just keep reading.
Chlorella is a chlorophyll-rich green algae, a cousin of the well-known spirulina.
Chlorella is widely used in Asian countries, and its powerful efficacy gives it a layer of oriental mystery.
It is a favorite of traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine and is often used as a life-enhancing nutrient.
It wasn't until World War II that the Western world saw chlorella from the East, and it's believed to be a food source that helped boost the population after World War II.
The nutritional content of chlorella is even comparable to that of meat. It contains 50%-60% complete protein , and contains all 9 kinds of essential amino acids . It is an excellent source of plant protein.
It's also an excellent source of B vitamins , including riboflavin (B2), thiamine (B1), folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12).
Chlorella is also one of the few plant-based B12 foods . Studies have found that consuming chlorella can help vegetarians solve the problem of vitamin B12 deficiency.
Apart from that, chlorella is rich in antioxidants like vitamins A and C, Omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and chlorophyll.
Chlorella is rich in nutrients, which endow it with numerous health benefits:
→Natural detoxifier
We live in an era full of environmental toxins. Heavy metals in the air, water, food, skin care products, and everyday household items , among other toxins, are constantly accumulating in the body.
We need the liver, intestines, lungs, kidneys and other organs to continuously filter toxins, decompose them, and try our best to excrete toxins from the body.
Still, we cannot guarantee that the body will be able to flush out all toxins , so providing the body with detoxification support is critical to good health.
Studies have shown that chlorella is able to bind to heavy metals and stay with them in vitro ; some laboratory studies have also shown that it helps prevent heavy metal build-up in tissues and reduces heavy metal toxicity .
Chlorella's detoxifying powers don't stop with heavy metals, it also helps remove BPA (a hormone-like chemical) from the body, as well as other chemicals like dioxins.
In addition, chlorella is rich in chlorophyll , which can also promote liver health, balance intestinal flora, and help the body detoxify .
Chlorophyll, which protects the body from UV radiation while removing radioactive particles from the body , is therefore also used for detoxification during radiation therapy for cancer .
→ Enhance immune function
Chlorella is rich in vitamin C , an important nutrient for maintaining immune function and boosting the production of white blood cells, which are necessary for the body to fight off infections, especially respiratory infections .
Lowering the toxic load in the body through the detoxifying effects of chlorella helps to reduce the burden on the immune system and maintain optimal functional status.
Studies have shown that chlorella can enhance markers of immune activity , promote antibody production , stimulate the immune system, and support immune function .
→ Fight chronic inflammation
Environmental toxins, stress and other factors have brought us a common health problem of this era: chronic inflammation.
Acute inflammation is a healthy response to tissue damage, while chronic inflammation is persistent and harmful , mainly due to free radical damage caused by various factors, such as environmental toxins, stress, diet, etc.
Chronic inflammation is a vicious cycle of problems where free radicals cause inflammation, which in turn produces more free radicals.
One way to stop this vicious cycle is to consume foods, herbs and spices rich in antioxidants ; antioxidants neutralize free radicals, stop their damaging effects, and reduce chronic inflammation .
Chlorella is rich in nutrients such as beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, vitamin C, and chlorophyll , which act as antioxidants .
Studies have shown that the antioxidant composition of chlorella can reduce the incidence of chronic diseases and inflammation .
Studies have also shown that chlorella can specifically increase antioxidant levels in smokers , a population at high risk for free radical damage and chronic inflammation.
→Improve the health level of the elderly
A high-quality elderly life is inseparable from reasonable nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, and good interpersonal relationships .
Chlorella, which is rich in nutrients and has antioxidant properties, plays an important role in improving the health of the elderly.
Studies have shown that chlorella can reduce the production of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) , which can accelerate the aging of the human body and lead to the occurrence of many chronic degenerative diseases.
AGEs are the product of excess sugar and protein binding and have two sources in the body:
1. Excess sugar and protein synthesize AGEs in the body;
2. Intake the AGEs present in the food into the body through eating, such as fried food.
In addition to reducing the production of AGEs, studies have shown that chlorella can protect brain function and ward off cognitive decline and diseases such as dementia .
→ Boost energy and stamina
In a 2014 study, researchers gave one group of young adults 6 grams of chlorella per day for four weeks, and another group a placebo.
It was found that the subjects in the chlorella group had a significant increase in lung oxygen saturation, which can improve endurance and exercise performance .
This may be because chlorella provides the body with rich branched-chain amino acids and vitamin B12 ; helping the body detoxify is also beneficial to improve the function of mitochondria .