Who doesn’t want to get fit these days? Whether it’s for the health benefits, the confidence that comes with them, the ability to look like the best version of yourself, the different kinds of delicious healthy foods you can try or all of the above; there are numerous reasons to change up your diet.

We say that like it’s easy though. There are so many different kinds of foods, and it feels like nobody agrees on whether they’re effective or not. It can get confusing – even overwhelming! That’s why we’re here to give you a step in the right direction by providing you with a brief introduction to a superfood called blue spirulina.

What is blue spirulina?

Remember those delicious-looking blue breakfast bowls or vibrant mermaid lattes you’d see while scrolling through your Instagram feed? You may be asking ‘how do they make them look like that?’. Well, the answer is blue spirulina, a powder that not only adds aesthetic appeal to your breakfast bowls, but a ton of health benefits too.

blue-smoothie

If Instagram influencers aren’t enough to sway your opinion on blue spirulina, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (yes, NASA!) and the European Space Agency also recommend spirulina as a beneficial form of food supplementation for long-distance space travel.

Specifically, blue spirulina is a form of algae that grows in ponds, lakes (both fresh and saltwater) and alkaline waterways. It has been used as a food additive/dietary supplement by multiple cultures over several centuries for its ability to enhance the taste and nutritional quality of various dishes.

What is the difference between spirulina and blue spirulina?

The difference between regular spirulina and blue spirulina comes down to a single pigment-protein complex known as phycocyanin. Phycocyanin is a powerful antioxidant that gives blue spirulina its signature blue hue as well as several additional nutritional benefits.

blue-and-green-spirulina

Regular spirulina is a whole-cell algae from which the phycocyanin is completely extracted. As a result, it has a green colour. While it is the most easily harvested form of spirulina, its health benefits are not as extensive, and its taste is less palatable, with many finding it to have an unsavoury fishy quality that makes it difficult to add to juices, smoothies and breakfast bowls.

Is blue spirulina expensive?

Blue spirulina has a cost that’s consistent with any health supplement, depending largely on:

  • The quantity purchased.
  • The quality of the brand.

At Purple Foods, we stock blue spirulina in both a powdered form and a premade sorbet. The frozen sorbet in particular is great value for money, as not only can it be added to other foods and drinks much like its powdered counterpart, but its frozen form means that you can use it with the knowledge that it won’t spoil and subsequently go to waste.

Which brand of spirulina is best?

Because spirulina is harvested in the wild, it can be contaminated with metals and bacteria. In order to experience the benefits of blue spirulina and avoid any potential health risks, it is highly important that you buy it from a reputable source that has cultivated the product properly.

Contact us, as we stock high quality blue spirulina alongside a wide range of delicious and nutritious frozen fruits.