Alright, so...
like the faithful little raw veggie-head I am,
I had to try it.

Spirulina, the superfood of superfoods, hahah

So... Not really knowing how to eat this stuff, I, of course, went to youtube and watched the first video of Wolfe, and he instructed his viewers to mix a spoonful with water and drink it down.

Hahhahaha wow... It was so gross, I'd say sort of like how a sidewalk would probably taste if you licked it. A bit salty, but more like a cardboard taste with a bit of a "fishy-smell"-aftertaste.

Now, I have heard only good things about this superfood- it makes people feel so good and healthy, so I would really like to learn to love this stuff. But how do you people drink/ingest it? What sort of fruit smoothie hides the taste?

I'll be very happy to try all your suggestions, or listen to any other experiences

Thanks,
xxpeisi

~I've tasted of the fruit,
it's opened up my eyes...~
-Infected Mushroom

how about juicing 1 head of celery and 1 cucumber and mixing it in with that.
Thats what i do with my wheatgrass powder.

I used to take the pills which were revolting but i've since moved on to no powders, pills or potions. For me nothing is as good as the real thing - fresh fruit and veggies.

You have to ask yourself the question - If it is that disgusting do i really want to eat or drink it?

The seaweed/algae I pick fresh and eat on the spot tastes much much better than when I take it home and try to store it even for a day. What is green in the sea turns brown and fishy very quickly in my refrigerator. I think it's the zooplankton going off. Fresh is better.

I am not usually such a fan of the powders either, but some of my closest raw vegan friends swear by the stuff (spirulina), and they aren't trying to sell something to me to make a profit. I believe them that it works! Oh but at such a cost, haha.

Honestly though, if I can't make the stuff taste better, then I won't stick to it.

I was thinking, maybe make a clamato-type raw drink with it, tomatoes, celery, cucumbers, some sea salt and spirulina. I'll get my new juicer next week so I will try it then.

It just has that fishy taste to it that I hate. Like in nori sheets. Something about seaweed and algae. Maybe it is an aquired taste. I know there are so many minerals in it, which I can really benefit from as Swedish produce is very... well, "northern" (which means we get the worst pick of the lot), and I would like some more boosting foods in my diet.
xxPeisi

~I've tasted of the fruit,
it's opened up my eyes...~
-Infected Mushroom

My spirulina tastes not so much fishy as egg yolky. Hmmmm . . . maybe flipperjan is right . . .

Pond scum.

Fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables are superfoods.

"Vegetarian Fish Free Omega 3 DHA EPA could save the Sea"

[veganworldwidenews.blogspot.com]


That's one of the ideas of Spirulina isn't it? A vegan source of DHA and EPA?

"Spirulina is rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), and also provides alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), linoleic acid (LA), stearidonic acid (SDA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and arachidonic acid (AA)"

[en.wikipedia.org]

I put it in raw soups.

Sweden has so much coastline.. is local seaweed an option? I've been finding an oily sea-algae that tastes alright, but I don't even know the species :/

"One dietary option for increasing dietary intake of EPA is seaweed, which is incorporated into dishes growing in popularity, such as sushi. Kelp, laver, and wakame are types of seaweed that range in EPA content from 0.004 to 0.186 g per 100-g portion (60).

"Another option for increasing the intake of EPA and DHA for persons who do not consume fish is DHA-rich microalgae supplementation or fish oil supplementation. DHA-rich microalgae, which is available in supplement form, provides 10–40% DHA by dry weight (64). When supplementing with DHA-rich microalgae capsules, a direct DHA source, 100–300 mg/d is suggested."

[www.ajcn.org]

..an EPA content of "0.004" g/100-g portion does not sound like much...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2009 05:40PM by loeve.

I really liked sprinkling spirulina on my salads. Chorella can be good that way too.

Can't imagine drinking spirulina, but I can see how it might be good in raw soups.

I don't eat spirulina, blue-green algae, or chorella now because the dried algaes made me feel thirsty after eating them. Loeve probably has the best idea of picking and eating them (and seaweeds) fresh.

Almost all my salads now have some kind of seaweed in them - either kelp, nori, dulse, or a fresh seaweed.

I used to squeeze lemon onto fish when I ate fish growing up. Now I like lemon and olive oil on my salads, and the lemon seems to go well with the taste of the seaweeds.

I think the taste of Emerald Cove untoasted nori is far superior to another brand (forgot the name) of raw nori. The other brand is so fishy, it's repulsive to me; but I often see it in the "raw" section of my health food store.

mmm, lemon juice! That is a good idea.
Maybe I can try some sort of lemonade-spirulina drink...

Thanks!

~I've tasted of the fruit,
it's opened up my eyes...~
-Infected Mushroom

Spirulina grows primarily in fresh water, not salt water, so the Swedish coast line wont be of much help as for Spirulina.

I'm allergic to it. It makes my heart race and I'm not able to relax and that was when I was SAD. I wouldn't touch it again as Raw.

LOL I am allergic to spirulina also! It gives me dry fever and nausea!

For everyone's info: Spirulina is not actually an algae. Blue Green algae was its old name for it. Now its known as as cyanobacteria.

>
> For everyone's info: Spirulina is not actually an
> algae. Blue Green algae was its old name for it.
> Now its known as as cyanobacteria.

..it must be harder to market spirulina as cyanobacteria than to keep the old name 'blue green algae'.

I'm curious to know what exactly is in processed spirulina tablets and powder. The processed form must lose most of the omega-3 fatty acids because they don't keep well. That leaves protein, chlorophyll, vitamins and minerals.

"SPIRULINA SUPPLEMENT FACTS
"Amount per serving is 3- 10 gs. This contains no sugar, starch, salt, yeast, corn, soy, egg, milk, artificial colors, or other additives.
ADMINISTRATION & DOSAGE varys on what you want to achieve.

"Spirulina farms and marketing agencies are aware that these green products are working and "cleansing" the body. Hence demand is growing world wide."

[spirulina.org.uk]

My spirulina is from EarthRise: [earthrise.com]. It's certified organic and California-grown in artificial canals. Since this thread was started, I've paid more attention to my body's response to it. I don't feel fantastic after consuming it, like "Avocado" Wolfe insists one should on superfoods But I do feel vaguely good after isolated consumption of spirulina. Also, it seems to have appetite suppressing effects. Weird. It seems quite nutritious(high Vit A, K, Superoxide Dismutase)so I shall keep taking it. I wonder why life 101 and VeganLife are allergic to it? Spirulina's bacterial composition? Shall research further, as I am curious to find it's allergenic to some individuals.

hi...one idea is to make a green smoothie with it, like a couple frozen bananas and an apple in some water with ice...blend it up. the fruit masks it totally, you won't even taste it. that's how I get around it, on it's own it tastes terrible to me. but I do actually feel quite good having it.

I take chlorella, and I agree that its best to find a way to take anything 'as is' rather than in a tablet or supplement form BUT I have had trouble doing this and so I take it in capsules and still benefit greatly from it.

One thing to keep in mind is that chlorella and spirulina, while providing similar nutritional benefits, are not interchangeably beneficial for all types of people. If you have more of a warm and excessive body type (ie you are warm or hot often and have extra body weight) spirulina is the better choice. If you are often cold, or underweight, chlorella is the best choice. I am a 'colder' type and spirulina will increase coldness/anxiousness in me, while chlorella will pacify it.

Spirulina and chlorella are great and we are lucky to have access to them as a nutrition source. Use the one that is best for you and you will benefit the most!

Lee_123 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Pond scum.
>
> Fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables are
> superfoods.

Yep. Spirulina = another passing fad. I mean, unless you're walking the coast of Sweden and foraging, and even then it's probably just fresher pond scum. I wouldn't eat too much, but hey, we live in crazyworld and who knows what we'll soon all be eating.

When I was living in Guyana, spirulina was growing all over the place. We never ate it. Yuck!
I had no idea Americans paid good money for this crap! I'm now thinking to go back there and dredge every pond and lake and sell it to them.
Also, I lived right near the Atlantic ocean back home, and constantly saw seaweeds and other sea plants which btw are now being called 'sea vegetables'. I'm going package everything and sell it to all the raw fooders who want'superfoods'. You'll get your superfood and I'll get some superdollars.

Peisinoe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ...I know there
> are so many minerals in it, which I can really
> benefit from as Swedish produce is very... well,
> "northern" (which means we get the worst pick of
> the lot), and I would like some more boosting
> foods in my diet.
> xxPeisi

I hear you Peisi. I've read an Iceland board where they discuss ways to deal
with the lack of quality fresh produce in a northern climate in the wintertime.
Some of them eat sprouts, but that's not what they all are looking for.

I just swallow the pills as quickly as possible. Its not the taste it's the smell for me which I can't stand. I would like to try a powder version though in a green smoothie.