DOES SPIRULINA HELP WITH WEIGHT LOSS?

Wouldn't it be nice if there were a miracle pill that you can use to lose weight quickly, regardless of what you eat and how you live? Unfortunately, such a pill does not exist, so despite the promises made by some waste supplements, nothing will change if you continue to do what you have always done. Yet there are certain superfoods that can support weight loss. One is spirulina.

WHAT IS SPIRULINA?

Spirulina is a blue-green saltwater algae suitable for human consumption. The alga (also known as cyanobacterium by scientists) can be divided into two types, namely the Arthrospira platensis and the Arthrospira maxima, and these are grown worldwide to make nutritional supplements. 

One of the most important properties of spirulina is that it is very rich in proteins. Dried spirulina contains between 51 and 71% complete proteins that contain all essential amino acids. Although spirulina contains less methionine, cysteine, and lysine than animal proteins, these amino acids are present in a much larger proportion than in other vegetable proteins. In addition, spirulina is very rich in B vitamins (thiamin and riboflavin) and minerals such as iron and manganese. Spirulina also contains a small amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids, namely gamma linolenic acid, alpha linolenic acid, linoleic acid, stearidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid.

CAN SPIRULINA STIMULATE WEIGHT LOSS?

Spirulina is not a panacea and therefore does not ensure that you 'just' lose weight if you take it daily. A healthy and varied diet and regular exercise is therefore also important. Spirulina can nevertheless encourage weight loss, because thanks to the high protein content, this superfood ensures that you become saturated quickly and for longer, so that you are less inclined to eat too much or to snack between meals. It is well known that a protein-rich diet has a satiating effect and therefore helps with weight loss. 

The advantage of spirulina over other protein-rich food sources such as meat, chicken or eggs is that the proteins in spirulina are water-soluble and can be absorbed by the body much more quickly and easily, even within a few minutes. The result is that if you take spirulina about 15 to 30 minutes before a meal, you will almost immediately be less hungry, so you will eat less. The time of ingestion is very important, because if you take the spirulina just before the meal, the effect is minimal and if you take it after the meal you can even feel nauseous because you just feel 'too full'.

Besides that spirulina has a satiating effect, it also has another effect that promotes weight loss. It gives extra energy, which means that you will exercise more and get more results from your training or workouts, which means that you will burn more fat. Spirulina is a perfect long-term source of energy, partly because it has no adverse properties such as coffee, which only gives a short energy boost.