Chlorella?

[Pro Radii]

Does anyone here supplement with chlorella? Have you noticed any benefits? I suppose some of the benefits are probably hard to detect, but maybe things like lowered blood pressure or an improved immune system have been noticed? Do you feel it's worth supplementing with chlorella?

[powerlifer]

Chorella is a decent supplement much like wheatgrass, barley grass, maca root, bee pollen and so on. All have there own individual benefits aswell as there good nutritional profile.

but they are that(supplements), to supplement a good diet but ive had great benefits with these "superfoods" aswell as the herbs ive supplemented with. Mostly the adaptogenic herbs such as jiaogulan which is great for all round health.

[Marcel]

Chlorella is a great additive to smoothies for vegans if ONLY for the fact that it's a source of B12. A single teaspoon of chlorella covers your daily required intake of vitamin B12 (around 3 micrograms). It's also helpful in post-workout recovery drinks/smoothies.

Chlorella possesses 19 amino acids (10 of them essential), is 65% protein that is highly alkaline which is excellent for balancing the blood's ph balance, reducing acidity and stress. It's super easy to digest which saves physical energy.

I use it every single day.

[baldy]

Chorella is a decent supplement much like wheatgrass, barley grass, maca root, bee pollen and so on. All have there own individual benefits aswell as there good nutritional profile.

bee pollen doesn't sounds very vegan.

[hardcore iv]

Chorella is a decent supplement much like wheatgrass, barley grass, maca root, bee pollen and so on. All have there own individual benefits aswell as there good nutritional profile.

bee pollen doesn't sounds very vegan.

That's probably because it isn't

[hardcore iv]

Chlorella is a great additive to smoothies for vegans if ONLY for the fact that it's a source of B12. A single teaspoon of chlorella covers your daily required intake of vitamin B12 (around 3 micrograms). It's also helpful in post-workout recovery drinks/smoothies.

Chlorella possesses 19 amino acids (10 of them essential), is 65% protein that is highly alkaline which is excellent for balancing the blood's ph balance, reducing acidity and stress. It's super easy to digest which saves physical energy.

I use it every single day.

I don't think there is yet enough evidence that chlorella can treat and prevent B12 deficiency. A pubmed search turned up a whopping 4 results for 'chlorella B12'. No reputable vegan orgs or dietitians are recommending it either, so I wouldn't risk my long term health when I can just as easily, and much more cheaply, take a B12 supplement.

[powerlifer]

Im not sure if bee pollen is vegan or not, i will need to look into that. Although ive had some say it is in the past.

Either way its great for health, a complete food but one rich in vitamin B complex specifically vitamin B5 which is great for the adrenal glands.

I wouldnt rely on anything other than a sublingual b12 for b12. But chlorella is making me feel great, i often wonder if the source of my health problems is heavy metal toxicity from past smoking. I take chlorella in about 3-4g dose in the morning and at night and ive been making some great improvements. Believe me ive spent easily 20k trying to rectify my health problems. Wheatgrass powder is also great i usually advocate fresh wheatgrass but this new zealand premium grade type ive been taking that i also sell(link below) is taking away alot of my symptoms also which for some reason even juicing fresh wheatgrass daily for months didnt.

Not tried the spirulina yet, i tried it a while back in some smoothies but have come to realise its much easier just putting a teaspoon in an ounce or two of water mix then swallow. Rather than trying to drink full glass smoothies of horrible tasting algae lol.

[fredrikw]

bee pollen and honey are not vegan. have a look at this link for some good information about this issue
http://www.vegetus.org/honey/honey.htm

let's keep VF vegan

[vegan_bohemian]

As far as i am aware the pollen gets collected off the bees legs without harming the bee.

but still...i wouldn't use it no matter how super it is.

I have spirulina tablets but they are so big and taste gross i never take them.

I have heard great things about it though!

[fredrikw]

As far as i am aware the pollen gets collected off the bees legs without harming the bee.

Harm or no harm, it's exploitation and that's what makes it non-vegan (and wrong for many vegans). Talking about whether something harms of not is animal welfarism, and that has little to do with veganism.

[vegan_bohemian]

As far as i am aware the pollen gets collected off the bees legs without harming the bee.

Harm or no harm, it's exploitation and that's what makes it non-vegan (and wrong for many vegans). Talking about whether something harms of not is animal welfarism, and that has little to do with veganism.

I was simply saying what i had read about bee pollen. I did not say it was right, or vegan, nor was i advocating it.

[Marcel]

"I don't think there is yet enough evidence that chlorella can treat and prevent B12 deficiency. A pubmed search turned up a whopping 4 results for 'chlorella B12'. No reputable vegan orgs or dietitians are recommending it either, so I wouldn't risk my long term health when I can just as easily, and much more cheaply, take a B12 supplement."

Wow, Hardcore IV--you are absolutely correct! Credit given where credit is due.

I'll explain why I made the comment: in Brendan Brazier's "Thrive" book he cites chlorella as a natural source of B12, which it is, and it should thus be consumed for this property (as well as a couple of others). However, after having read your post I checked another source, "Becoming Vegan" by Drs. Davis and Melina and they support your position with the following explanation:

"Some B12 reported in . . . algae and spirulina [chlorella is an algae] has been shown to be analog forms. These are somewhat similar to cobalamin but are not useable to meet human requirements, unlike real vitamin. These analog forms will not prevent B12 deficiency in humans. In fact, analog forms may even interfere with the action of real B12". (My emphasis)

I didn't know this and am so glad that you posted so I could check. You learn something new everyday: don't rely on a single source for important diet information.

[fredrikw]

Worth noting is also that Thrive is a book that makes quite a lot of claims without any references at all, so it's very hard to know whether they are based on research, anecdotes, myths or misunderstandings.

[MikayP]

I have spirulina tablets but they are so big and taste gross i never take them.

they solid tablets or they clear with the powder inside? if theyre powder id suggest just dumping it into a smoothie. i get the powder from from a health store and usually put a small spoonful in the smoothie after a hard workout. ive read that too much of that stuff can be damaging to the liver

interesting about chlorella and b12. to be safe i think ill go back and use my b12 powder little more often now. it is true that braziers thrive book makes many statements without a lot of information backing it up. some may be bogus, but overall that book really change my views and actions when it came to nutrition

[Marcel]

I used to buy chlorella in a powder form. However, here in Japan it's always sold as solid tablets. So what do I do? I put 'em in my coffee grinder and grind 'em up! Powder, baby!

I also agree that "Thrive" has a lot to offer. There are a few mistakes here and there, such as his repeating the common claim that spinach is loaded with plenty of bio-available iron. This is not the case. To become bio-available, the spinach must be consumed along with a source of vitamin C. But overall, the "Thrive" book is quite amazing and I also highly recommend it for every vegan's library.