All You Need To Know About Blue Spirulina

Key points

• Spirulina is an algae that is widely used as a dietary supplement all over the world. It contains essential vitamins and minerals and delivers many health benefits. Spirulina may have benefits as a potential treatment for different conditions, including cancer, anaemia, hepatotoxicity, and vascular disease.
• Blue spirulina contains phycocyanin extracted from the “original” green spirulina. Phycocyanin is a potent antioxidant and a natural blue pigment. It’s what gives spirulina its vibrant colour and impressive antioxidant properties.
• Blue spirulina has a much less distinctive smell and taste than green spirulina and is great for those who want support their immune system function without having to find a way to hide the fishy smell and taste. It also contains a multitude of different benefits, including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties.
• The easiest way to enjoy blue spirulina is by drinking a beverage. Spirulina is also often added to fruit and green smoothies. You can make different smoothies or smoothie bowls by sprinkling this alga over your beverage, but this won’t help you get rid of its foul smell. 
• You can also enjoy FUL® sparkling spirulina drinks that provide all the benefits of blue spirulina with additional nutrition included additional extra calcium, iron, magnesium, Vitamin B2, Chlorophyll and Vitamin C.

You will be surprised to find out how many nutrients algae is packed with. And while spirulina is becoming more and more popular, many people are still unsure about whether adding it to their diets is a good idea or not. A lot of this hesitation comes from the lack of understanding of this algae and the different types of spirulina you can consume. And, of course, the foul smell of this supplement doesn’t help (by the way, we have a great fix for this which we will reveal later in this article).

If you have just heard someone talking about taking blue spirulina and want to find out more, you’re in the right place! In this article, we’ll talk about the difference between green and blue spirulina, the health benefits blue spirulina provides, and all the different ways you can use it in your diet.

What Is Blue Spirulina

Spirulina is blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, revered for its impressive nutrient profile and low caloric value. It’s been used for its health properties for thousands of years, and scientists even believe that spirulina may be effective as a potential treatment for conditions like cancer, anaemia, vascular disease, and hepatotoxicity. 

Spirulina is a powerhouse of antioxidants, and its main active compound is phycocyanin. Phycocyanin is a pigment that gives spirulina its blue colour and potent anti-inflammatory properties, which help your body fight free radicals. Blue spirulina is essentially phycocyanin that has been extracted from green spirulina. Unlike green spirulina, blue spirulina doesn’t have that off-putting earthy and fishy taste or smell. 

FUL Spirulina captures the best of both worlds – it has the brilliant color and improved taste of Blue Spirulina with more nutrition like Green Spirulina.

Health Benefits Of Green Spirulina

Spirulina is highly revered for its nutritional profile and all the health benefits that go with it. It’s also known as a ‘superfood’ since it’s the most nutrient-dense dietary supplement. Here are some of the benefits of including regular spirulina in your diet: 

Spirulina is perfect for detoxifying your body. This algae binds with heavy metals and dangerous toxins and effectively removes them from the body. While our bodies have their own detoxification system, sometimes, they may need a little help, and spirulina is perfect for this. 

There’s a good reason why spirulina is widely recommended to be included in a plant-based diet, and that’s because it’s one of the best plant-based sources of protein. It won’t meet all of your needs, but it will definitely become an additional boost to your daily protein intake. Eating protein-rich foods can keep you feeling full for longer, which means that spirulina may be an excellent addition to a weight-loss diet. 

Plus, green spirulina contains all essential amino acids, omega-3, and omega-6 fatty acids, which our bodies need on a daily basis. Studies have found that spirulina can also promote heart health, alleviate allergies, control blood sugar and blood pressure levels, and help with anaemia.

Spirulina contains a lot of vital vitamins and minerals, including B-group vitamins that may boost your energy levels. This may help you to improve your training and workout results. It’s also believed that spirulina alleviates exercise-induced oxidation, which means less muscle fatigue and better muscle gain.

Spirulina is also abundant in chlorophyll, which is essential for good digestion and gut health. It promotes healthy gut bacteria and helps maintain healthy digestion.

Health Benefits Of Blue Spirulina 

All of the above are the benefits of regular spirulina, the one you may have seen on the shelves of supermarkets and health food stores. On the other hand, blue spirulina is usually only comprised of phycocyanin which is extracted from regular spirulina. While blue spirulina doesn’t provide all the other nutrients that dry algae contains, you can still benefit from its antioxidant properties.

Unlike green spirulina, blue spirulina doesn’t have that off-putting smell and fishy taste. Plus, it has a gorgeous colour which will definitely make your food more Instagram-worthy.

Consuming blue spirulina can help you get a good boost of phycocyanin and have some health benefits for your body. For instance, phycocyanins have been proven to have anti-cancer properties, as well as aid in fighting inflammation and improving immune system strength. Blue spirulina is also less likely to contain heavy metals than green spirulina. 

You should also make sure to carefully choose your supplements, as many spirulina brands on the market grow their alga in uncontrolled environments, making it more likely to contain dangerous chemicals and toxins. If you’re looking for 100% safe and delicious spirulina, we recommend opting for FUL® sparkling spirulina drinks, which are completely free from dangerous contaminants and have superior bioavailability of nutrients. 

How To Use Blue Spirulina

Now that you know all the benefits of blue spirulina supplements, the question is, how do you include it in your diet? While you can sprinkle blue or green spirulina powder over your meals, the easiest and the most time-saving way is to drink spirulina.

FUL® Sparkling Spirulina Drinks

The easiest and most delicious way to incorporate spirulina into your diet is via FUL® sparkling drinks. These drinks use pure and high-quality spirulina extract that doesn’t have even the slightest trace of spirulina’s foul taste or smell. FUL® spirulina drinks are a great way to enjoy a delicious beverage while getting all the nutrients and antioxidants. Plus, that vibrant blue colour of the beverages is all-natural and derived from phycocyanin and chlorophyll. One more reason to choose FUL® over traditional spirulina powder or tablets is its superior bioavailability. The way we grow and process our spirulina creates a supplement that has a much higher potency and bioavailability than most spirulina tablets or powders, so you can get the most benefits out of spirulina nutrients. In addition, the proprietary extraction process we use to create FUL® spirulina is much more sustainable and natural than the chemical extraction and spray drying methods used by most other blue spirulina manufacturers.

Plus, you will save a lot of time preparing your spirulina-enriched foods and beverages since you can just grab a bottle of FUL® from the fridge and get on with your day. 

Smoothies And Smoothie Bowls

You can also add blue spirulina powder to your daily meals and drinks. The easiest and quickest way is to add spirulina powder to your smoothies or smoothie bowls. This alga goes well with both sweet and green smoothies, so you have a lot of options to try. For example, mix banana, almond milk, or coconut water, and a handful of blueberries, and sprinkle some spirulina into the mix. Feel free to add mango or any other fruits or berries. Top this delicious drink with granola, seeds, nuts, or vanilla. You can add honey or dates as a sweetener. Greek yoghurt also works well for spirulina smoothies. You can also add some greens like spinach or kale to boost the nutritional value even more.

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