What is Spirulina? In this article’s context, it’s an endurance athlete’s secret weapon, loaded with nutrients that boost performance and recovery.
What is spirulina: Short Summary:
- Protein Powerhouse: Spirulina is over 65% protein, supplying all essential amino acids for muscle repair and maintenance.
- Antioxidant-Rich: With high concentrations of antioxidants like chlorophyll and beta-carotene, spirulina combats exercise-induced free radicals.
- Vitamin and Mineral Dense: From calcium to zinc, this algae packs a punch with essential nutrients aiding in body recovery and preventing muscle pain.
- Easily Absorbed: No fibrous cell wall means spirulina’s goodies are readily available for your body.
- Athlete Approved: Many endurance athletes regularly use spirulina, testifying to improve performance and well-being.
Spirulina: The Nutritional Powerhouse for Endurance Athletes
What is spirulina, this unique microalgae that the sports world gravitates towards? Why does it boast such an impressive protein profile?
Intense and prolonged exercise, such as endurance sports, strains the body, leading to nutritional gaps and naturally occurring breakdown processes.
Often, these deficiencies can result in injuries, anaemia, and sluggish recovery between training sessions or events.
The Preferred Superfood of Endurance Athletes
An increasing number of endurance athletes recognise the benefits of spirulina, integrating it into their daily routines.
Athletes are constantly looking for foods, dietary supplements or ‘superfoods’ that provide them with the essential raw materials needed for their bodies to perform optimally under the intense demands they face.
Exploring the Realm of Natural Supplements and the Emergence of Algae-based Products
The food supplement market is brimming with products, all boasting extraordinary healing, nutritional benefits and natural origins.
Typically, these natural sources undergo various laboratory processes, resulting in supplements in capsules, powders, pills, or liquids.
More often than not, the contents remain a mystery to the consumer, who must rely on the manufacturer’s honesty in declaring all nutrients and ensuring the absence of harmful components.
The nutrition world is increasingly drawn towards the potential benefits of algae. This includes seaweed, rich in iodine but may contain impurities and traces of heavy metals, and freshwater lake algae like blue-green algae such as chlorella and spirulina.
See here spirulina images taken under the microscope
The athletic world has turned to spirulina and uses it routinely.
Many athletes attest to improved performance, well-being, and recovery times.
Spirulina is a highly concentrated multivitamin or superfood, packed with a broad spectrum of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and, crucially, a protein with high bioavailability.
So what do the microalgae contain that warrants its superfood status?
Protein: The microalga boasts over 65% rich protein, encompassing all essential amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. This includes branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs).
These amino acids play a crucial role for endurance athletes in muscle, tendon and tissue recovery, repair and maintenance. The absence of a fibrous cell wall in spirulina enhances its absorption by the body.
Antioxidants: Exercise triggers the natural release of free radicals in the body as part of cellular respiration. Spirulina is abundant in chlorophyll, beta-carotene and phycocyanin, all potent antioxidants.
Additionally, it contains vitamins A, C, and E, further enriching its antioxidant profile.
Many athletes incorporate spirulina before or after their training and competitions and during, thanks to its virtually tasteless and odourless properties.
Vitamins and minerals: Spirulina is rich in various minerals, including calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, sodium, chromium, manganese, molybdenum and other trace elements. These nutrients are integral to the body’s normal functioning, aiding recovery and preventing muscle spasms and pain.
