Clean and Green - Kickstart with Chlorella

So we're staying on our green theme with this article today.  We’re doing this because IT’s SO IMPORTANT and we want you to live a long, healthy and energy abundant life!

Phytonutrients give foods their colours, flavours and aromas and include substances like carotenoids and flavonoids.  These essential building blocks of life are linked to prevention of certain diseases including cancer.  We explore this area with an article below from our wonderful contributor Elizabeth McQuillan.

Chlorella is a great addition to any smoothie and adds super green colour

A visit to the local health shop leaves those of us without qualifications in herbology or supplement-ology pretty lost. Potions, tinctures, capsules and tablets – that are presumably meant to be good for us in one way or another – vie for position on the groaning shelves.

Most recently I had noticed an upsurge in the selection of green pondweed products. Chlorella seems to be flying off the shelves, and I did wonder what the heck the stuff actually does. The Japanese have known about the benefits for years, and actually cultivate their freshwater weed.

Algae are eukaryotes, with the contents of their cells parcelled into membrane shrink-wrapped organelles. The green slime acts as an effective powerhouse; capturing energy from sunlight during photosynthesis and reproducing at a phenomenal rate.

Chlorella is a slimy “superfood”.

Discovered in the 1950s by a Japanese scientist, chlorella growth factor (CGF) is an extract of the green freshwater alga, chlorella. Its cells divide themselves into four every 20 to 24 hours, and it is thought that the substance that allows this rapid expansion is CGF, which is produced during photosynthesis and makes up just 3 – 5% of the alga.

Significantly, CGF is believed to contain high levels of the nucleic acids RNA and DNA (our genetic fingerprints). The significance here is that as you age, your production of RNA and DNA slows down, and this growth factor is thought to kick-start the body’s ability for cell renewal. We can consume RNA and DNA in a range of foods, but chlorella is by far one of the richest supplies of the nutrient, containing 17 times more RNA than sardines.

Japanese scientists in the 1960s carried out tests that also suggested CGF may promote the tissue repair. After giving schoolchildren two grams of chlorella on a regular basis, after 112 days they discovered the children had grown faster and gained more weight than others who were not taking the algae. Since the same substances and processes that accelerate growth in children are thought to also promote the repair of tissue damage in adults, the scientists concluded that CGF has the ability to stimulate the body’s healing processes.

Chlorella can help to heal specific conditions of cellular breakdown such as ulcers, promote healing and repair in injury and illness, as well as boosting the good bacteria in the gut.

You can pick Chlorella up in various forms (tablets and powder) from health food shops.  Amazon UK supply a number of products as well and our UK readers and get them via the links below.

Elizabeth McQuillan

#respectyourtemple

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£21.99

£11.99

Foods to Fight Inflammation

Firstly the boring bit.  Please seek advice from your Doctor before making any significant changes to your diet.  The Strength Temple 121 clients have access to our Doctors and authorised advice, but others should seek advice before embarking on any intensive psychological, nutritional or exercise plan.

Inflammation is an important part of our response to injury and trauma, however when out of control or caused by disease can cause increased pain and stimulate processes in the body which are not desirable. One of The Strength Temple 7Pillars - Nutrition -  advocates a diet that creates an environment for a healthy immune system and inflammatory response.

"Anti Inflammatory" diets are a bit of a buzz word at the moment, and we do not advocate any temporary and extreme diets.  Eating is an amazingly beautiful part of being alive and we encourage you to eat the right foods and enjoy preparing and consuming amazing meals every day.  We encourage you to feel satisfied from eating - life's too short to go hungry!

So firstly let's look at what NOT to eat.  Well you guessed it - foods high in sugar and saturated fat can spur inflammation.  We are talking all the usual suspects from plain old cup cakes to refined carbohydrates such as white bread and white pasta.  These are the foods that we already know we should only eat in moderation - if at all.  Their impact on your inflammatory response is just another reason to avoid them.

The good news is that there are a whole heap of tasty, nutritious and beautiful looking foods that we CAN eat that will help with inflammation.

1.  Fatty Fish

The cornerstone of any diet looking to combat inflammation will contain a suitable dose of OMEGA 3 fatty acids which have been proven to help reduce inflammation.  The only issue is that to get the benefit you would need to eat fish several times a week and it should be cooked in a healthy way such as sous vide, steamed, poached or grilled.  A good addition to make is to take a supplement for Omega 3.  Be careful as a diets too high in Omega 6 can cause inflammation, so look for an Omega 3 only supplement.

2.  Eat your GREENS!

Here's another no brainer.  We just know that green vegetables are good for us.  We know this because of science, but probably more relevant because of the way they make us feel, the effect they have on our skin and our general feelings of wellbeing!  That said leafy greens are a winner in a diet looking to decrease inflammation.  Try steaming some Cavolo Nero or cabbage for a hit of pure goodness.

3.  Nuts

Nuts are full of food fats, calcium, fibre, Vitamin E, selenium and a whole bunch of other great stuff.  Nuts are also part of the Mediterranean diet which is widely endorsed as health promoting.  A handful of almonds in your next smoothie will assist in your quest for a lower inflammatory life!

4.  Fruit

Strawberries, cherries, oranges, blueberries.  Bet you didn't know it could last that good!  Add these to your smoothies or use them to pimp your porridge.  As well as high doses of vitamin C these fruits will deliver valuable additional vitamins and minerals.

More to follow in next week's article.....