Last week, this column discussed a few ways West Coast Dogstersmay use food and nutritional supplements to cope with the possible spread of radiation from Japan to America’s Pacific coastal states; read all about those here. Now, here’s anotheritemto consider adding to your nutritional-supplement arsenal: Chlorella.
According to Sun Chlorella, makers ofthis supplement, chlorella does a great job of detoxifying the body.It’s one of the sea vegetables, a type of algae that’sprizedforitspowerful healing benefits.
“Chlorellais a strain of green algae that grows in fresh water,” explains the Sun Chlorella site. “This Superfood emerged over 540 million years ago, and was the first form of plant life with a well-defined nucleus. There are fossils from the pre-Cambrian period that clearly indicate the presence of chlorella. Because chlorella is a microscopic organism, it was not discovered until the late 19th century, deriving its name from the Greek, chloros meaning green and ella, meaning small.”
Chlorella, the site continues, “belongs to the eucaryotic cell category of algae and lives in fresh water as a single-celled plant. Its size is about that of a human erythrocyte (between 2-8 microns in diameter). Of the 25,000 species of algae, only 15 are edible.”
Sun Chlorella is the algae species calledChlorella pyrenoidosa. “Our exclusive Sun Chlorella strain of chlorella pyrenoidosa is a Superfood derived from freshwater single-celled green algae, and is packed with naturally occurring key vitaminsand antioxidants including: vitamin C, pro-vitamin A (beta-carotene), chlorophyll, lutein, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), pyridoxine (B6), niacin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, vitamin B12, biotin, choline, lipoic acid, and inositol; certain minerals including: phosphorus, calcium, zinc, magnesium, and iron; protein, dietary fiber, nucleic acids, omega fatty acids, and Chlorella Growth Factor.”
That last component, CGF for short, is “a nucleotide-peptide complex of substances [including]nucleic acids, amino acids, peptides, polysaccharides, and beta glucans [to] nourish and replenish your body.” CGFis not found in any other vitamin, mineral, herb, or food; it’s found only in chlorella.
Chlorella’s claim to fame isthat ithelps detoxify the body: “Chemicals in the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe bind to the chlorella, and are then excreted through our stool, urine, and sweat,” the manufacturer notes. “One serving of Sun Chlorella is equivalent to one serving of fresh green vegetables (without the pesticides)!” That’s especially great news for health nuts who hate green veggies.
“Since additives are almost impossible to avoid in today’s food supply, it’s important to take Sun Chlorella regularly,” adds the manufacturer. “In fact, we highly recommend that you take a serving of Sun Chlorella with each meal, because whatever pesticide may be in the food that you are eating can be absorbed by the chlorella, and may not even get a chance to be absorbed into your body.”
A cynic might say, of course the manufacturer recommends taking a serving with each meal – because one serving is a whopping 15 tablets! That’s a lot of Sun Chlorella sales!
Well, I fell for it, and started taking this stuff about a year ago, when I accidentally broke an energy-saving bulb in my home.The@#$% thing fell from a fixture inmy very high ceiling, showering glass shards all over the place. Concerned aboutexposure to the mercury contained in that lightbulb, I took chlorella and gave it to my pets, to help remove any trace of the toxicmetal fromour systems. (We also ate cilantro, which I normally loathe, for the same reason.) Then I kept ontaking chlorella, as funds allowed, even long after the lightbulb incident- not with every meal, but onceevery day.
In order to swallow such a tall order without gagging, I take my Chlorella(plus the handful ofother supplements I take once daily) with aglass of unsweetened almond milk; the beverage’s creamy texture and pleasant flavor help the little dark-green pillsgo down with ease.
To get Spot to take his daily Pet Sun Chlorella dose, which varies according tothe dog’s weight, but can be as much as 30 pillsfor a dog over 50 pounds, obviously you’ll have to conceal the green pills in a delicious flavor of canned food such asNatural BalanceVenison and Sweet Potato. I shove all sorts of pet supplements into this food with great success – the dogs never detect them.
The chlorophyll contained in Sun Chlorellaalso promotesoral health, in you as well asyour dog. It’s an all-around helpful addition to your daily routine. Don’t freak out when you notice your dog’s poop sports a greenish hue – when you take Sun Chlorella, yours will too.
Justtwo questions arise: Since Sun Chlorella is a Japanese company,are its products safe, or does one risk introducing even more radiation to one’s routine by ingesting supplements that could potentiallyhave becomecontaminated by fallout fromJapan’s damagednuclear reactors? Does Sun Chlorella harvest itsalgaeexclusively in Japan, or does it also have afreshwater facility here in the United States?
I’m waiting for answers, and will update you as soon as I hear back from the company rep.
