Spirulina, a True Superfood

Have you ever tried spirulina?  I have some in my cupboard and have heard that it is a "super food", but I didn't know why.  It wasn't until tonight that I got really excited about using it.

Dr. Mercola has some great information on his website about spirulina.  Here is one quote:

"Imagine a plant that can nourish your body by providing most of the protein you need to live, help prevent the annoying sniffling and sneezing of allergies, reinforce your immune system, help you control high blood pressure and cholesterol, and help protect you from cancer. Does such a "super food" exist?"

He goes on to talk about a host of benefits from this tiny, simple plant.  Spirulina is 67-71% complete protein, while beef is 22% and lentils are 26%.  Wow, that is fascinating.  He states that we could end world hunger with this superfood as it is a complete food. What are we waiting for?

I have used spirulina in my green smoothies at times and it will make it very green, almost blue green.  It does not have an overpowering taste, at least not with the 1/2 - 1 tsp. that I have used. 

I found a few recipes on a website called www.rawglow.com.  They look interesting and I plan to try them this week.

Spirulina Green Juice

1 English cucumber
2 medium sized apples (I like Fuji apples best, but any variety will do)
1 small lemon or lime
1 teaspoon Spirulina powder

Juice the produce in a juicer and then add 1 teaspoon of Spirulina powder to your juicer. I prefer to blend the Spirulina with the juice in a blender, but you can mix it well if you don’t have one. Makes 16 ounces of juice, double the recipe for 32 ounces.

Spirulina Mango Pudding

3 cups ripe mango, chopped
zest from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon Spirulina powder

Blend all ingredients in a powerful blender until smooth. If not sweet enough, you can add your sweetener of choice such as dates, honey, or stevia powder to taste.

I have tried to use spirulina by mixing it with water, but it always seems to get lumpy for me and I can't seem to swallow it.  How do you use it?  Have you found an easy way to prepare it? Please share!