GO GREEN FOR GOOD HEALTH

July 2023

My go-green story.  As I was undergoing my own health transformation in my quest for longevity (not only a long life but a healthy life) eating more colorful foods had the best science to support it. 

Daily in my medical practice I would give my patients colorful take-home tips like:  “Go blue!” (blueberries), “Go pink!” (salmon, rich in astaxanthin), and “Go green!”  “Blue” and “pink” were easy.  Developing a taste for green food was more challenging. 

Sneaking greens into my smoothie.  Gradually learning to eat what I didn’t like but knew I needed, I began with a leaf of kale as I practiced what I preached: Pick the food that is rich in the nutrients you need and gradually shape your tastes from: “It’s different, but must eat” to “like a little,” to “like a lot,” to finally “crave.”  The same was true of other green leafy vegetables: collard greens, beet greens, and Swiss chard. 

My green superfood discovery – spirulina.  As I searched the science for nutritious green foods Hawaiian spirulina kept popping up.  The more I studied Hawaiian spirulina, the more convinced I became that it met all of the criteria to merit the title of “one of nature’s superfoods”:

• Grown in nature; in ponds in Hawaii
• Contains an alphabet of vitamins: A, B, K1 and K2
• Has a good gut feel, easily digestible
• Contains a mind full of minerals: magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, beta carotene and more
• Rich in iron (some of my athlete friends are dubbed “iron man”); in my family I was concerned about my “iron women.” My wife and daughters needed more iron.
• Helps the immune system^* be smarter
• Contains vegan protein; 60 percent of spirulina is protein, and it’s a complete protein, meaning it contains a bit of all the amino acids.
• Super-certified with labels I like: non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, and so on.
• Scientifically studied, which is why I chose Hawaiian spirulina. I watched how they grow it and talked to the trusted scientists who studied it.  
• Hawaiian spirulina is stored in glass which protects the nutrients better than plastic.
• Spirulina enjoys synergy. A taste-changing motivator that I love is the nutritional discovery that when many nutrients are packed together in a food, they exert more health effects together than each one does individually, sort of like a football team is more likely to score a touchdown with eleven players rather than just five players.  Spirulina contains minerals, vitamins, and other “phytonutrients” (foods rich in colorful antioxidants). When we eat the plant foods, we defend ourselves.  And, your immune system “likes!”)

Spirulina became my favorite “sneakie” in my daily smoothie.  After a month or so of gradually increasing the amount of spirulina to my desired goal of at least one teaspoon, or 3-6 tablets, I started calling spirulina, “spira like-it!” 

I remember my first taste of Hawaiian spirulina.  Wow, how flavorful!  Then I remembered a tasty principle of smart eating:

 My big green smoothie now enjoys one of my top taste-transforming experiences.  I love my colorful smoothie days: red days (more beets); blue days (more blueberries) and green days (more greens), and every day with Hawaiian spirulina. 

References

The Inflammation Solution by William Sears, M.D.

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Consult your healthcare provider before starting a new diet, exercise or health program. 

*These Statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Dr. Sears is an advisor to Nutrex Hawaii.