In our last article, What is Chlorella, we went over the very strong nutritional profile of Chlorella. In this article, things get a little more exciting as we look at the potential health benefits of including Chlorella in your diet. What Can Including Chlorella In My Diet Do For Me?
The real question might be, what can't Chlorella do for you! We really don't want to over hype Chlorella, but when you eat foods that are incredibly nutrient dense, you can feel significantly better.
Here are some of the potential health benefits from Chlorella:
- Naturally Detoxify Your Body*
- Increase Energy and Endurance*
- Boost Your Immune System*
- Aid in Digestion*
- Promote Tissue Growth and Repair*
- Aid in Maintaining Healthy Blood Pressure*
Starting to see why people are so excited about Chlorella?
How Can Chlorella Really Detoxify My Body?
In our article on What is Chlorella, we threw out a term that only a plant biologist could love – polymerized carotenoid. You have to admit, that is one sexy sounding term. Okay, while polymerized carotenoid doesn't exactly roll of your tongue, it does play a key role in getting toxins out of your body.
Chlorella has a unique outer layer of polymerized carotenoids and it is the polymerized carotenoids that actually bind to toxins and carry them out of your body! In addition, Chlorella also has compounds within its cell walls that bind to heavy metals such as cadmium, lead and mercury - and remove these toxic heavy metals from the body. But wait, there's more! Tiny fibers and polysaccharides in chlorella have been shown to bind to dioxins, insecticides and other carcinogens and pull them out of body tissues.
In total, Chlorella works in three different ways to pull heavy metals, toxins and carcinogens out of your body. If this were a commercial for Chlorella, it is right about here that they would hit you with a line like "Triple Action Chlorella – Not One, Not Two, But Three, Count Them, Three Ways Chlorella Detoxifies Your Body" We are not going to get caught in that hype, but the science of how Chlorella can help remove toxins and heavy metals from the body is impressive.
Have There Been Studies Done on Chlorella and Detoxification?
You don't think we would be telling you all this about Chlorella if there was no science behind it, do you? Chlorella has been extensively studied over the years. In fact, a search on PubMed shows over 3,300 studies on Chlorella! More specifically, a search on just Chlorella and Heavy Metals shows over 300 studies on this specific topic.
It is true that many of the studies involving toxins and heavy metals have been done with rats, but would you want to volunteer to be pumped full of toxins for a human study on Chlorella? Even worse, would you like to be the control for that study (the group that gets toxins, but no Chlorella)? So, unfortunately, not a lot of human clinical studies on chlorella and detoxification, but the animal research does show that Chlorella may speed the rate at which toxins, pesticides and heavy metals can be removed from the body.
I'm a Pretty Healthy Person; I Doubt I Have Any Toxins in My Body
First, congratulations on being healthy – that really is great. However, if you think that people who eat healthy and lead a healthy lifestyle don't have toxins in their body, you might want to take our "Do I Have Toxins in My Body Test" -
The Test is Easy - just answer these three questions:
- Have You Ever Breathed?
- Have You Ever Eaten Anything?
- Have You Ever Had Something to Drink?
If you answered YES to any of these questions, you probably have toxins in
your body!
There are trace amounts of heavy metals and other toxins in almost everything we eat, drink and breathe. Over many years, these trace amounts can build up in the body and cause problems. In large amounts toxins can cause MAJOR health problems, but even in trace amounts toxins can negatively impact our health.
Here are some signs you may have excess toxins and heavy metals in
your body:
- You Get Sick Often
- You Feel Tired and Fatigued
- You Lack Stamina
- You Feel Stressed
- You Have Trouble Recovering From Exercise
- Your Body Feels Out of Balance
We want to be 100% clear about something - we are NOT doctors and we are NOT trying to diagnose you or provide medical advice. You should always consult with your doctor on any medical issues. Our point is that many people may have issues with heavy metals and toxins, but they are not aware of it, since the symptoms are the same for many other health issues.
What About The Other Health Benefits of Chlorella?
As we stated at the start of this article, Chlorella goes well beyond detoxification benefits. Chlorella can boost the immune system, increase energy and endurance and balance the body, among other things. How does Chlorella do all this? Chlorophyll and phytonutrients!
Chlorophyll Sounds Boring, Let's Call is Plant Blood!
As we discuss in our Spirulina Health Benefits article, Chlorophyll is what allows plants to transform light into nutrients that the plant can use. This process is called photosynthesis. It is chlorophyll that gives plants and algae their green pigmentation.
Let's be honest, that last paragraph was boring – but what if we just replaced the word Chlorophyll with Plant Blood. Watch how cool that first sentence sounds now – "Plant Blood is what plants use to transform light into nutrients that the plant can use" – much better!
Chlorophyll basically is the blood of plants. Interestingly, Plant Blood is very similar to human blood. Plant Blood has magnesium as the central atom while human blood has iron in the middle - but besides that, they are basically the same chemistry! Numerous studies have shown that chlorophyll can help grow and repair tissues, act as a powerful antioxidant, boost the immune system and help maintain healthy blood function.
Phytonutrients – Small in Size, But Big in Function
We are not going to get all plant biology crazy on you here, which would even put us to sleep – but let's just quickly give a shout out to the phytonutrients in Chlorella. Phytonutrients are important, micro nutrients that make up plants. In the case of Chlorella, the high concentration of phytonutrients helps explain the immune boosting and energy promoting aspects of Chlorella.
Chlorella has outstanding health benefits on its own but when combined with nutrient packed Spirulina, the benefits nearly double! Chlorella and Spirulina come together as Perfect Aquatic Greens to create a combination that’s the best thing since peanut butter and jelly! Read more about this nutrient packed super combo here.
Looks Like I Would Be Crazy Not To Include Chlorella in My Diet, Is There a Catch?
Of course, don't you know there is always a catch! Seriously, including pure, broken cell wall, Organic Chlorella – grown in a pure pristine environment – is a great idea. The only catch is that much of the Chlorella on the market is not pure.
In our next lesson, we look at some of the potential side effects of Chlorella and the dangers of eating contaminated Chlorella.
