Spirulina vs. Cancer, Spirulina is a teammate you want to pick to play on your team.
A few weeks ago a friend found out that he has stomach cancer. He is 59 years old, runs several marathons a year, teaches spin class, goes to yoga and seems to lead a very healthy life. I only know him through the gym where I work out, so I have no idea what his diet is like. Which leads me to my post today. We can all go to the gym and workout, but it is only part of the equation to being healthy. Your diet is the fuel for your body and it is so important that you feed it well.
I have been reading more and more about the fact that cancer can only survive in an acidic environment. Which means that when someone has cancer they have a pH that is too acidic. So obviously you want to maintain the optimal acidic body. How do you do that?
First you need to know; what is alkaline? It is a property containing alkali or having a pH greater than 7
Second what is pH? The abbreviation pH stands for potential hydrogen. The pH of a solution is measured on a scale from zero to 14. On the pH scale, zero would stand for the highest possible acidity reading, 7 is neutral, and 14 is the highest alkalinity reading.
To put it as simple as possible, your body must maintain a balance between acid and alkaline to function properly. Which means you need maintain your body’s blood pH of between 7.35 and 7.45 to stay healthy.
Cancer thrives in an acidic environment, and doesn’t survive in a normal, more alkaline environment. Cancer cells make your body even more acidic as they produce lactic acid. So if you have cancer, your pH levels are low and your body is too acidic.
Virtually everyone with cancer has low pH levels. This is because cancer is created, and thrives, in a body that has low pH levels, a body that is acidic. Low pH causes your body to store more toxins in cells, and reduces oxygen levels, both of which are fundamental to the development of cancer. When cancer cells grow, they produce even more acid. Making it very difficult to raise pH levels, especially when cancer is present.
Various organs inside your body help maintain this pH, including your kidneys and your lungs. Certain foods, once digested in your body, are known to leave behind an acidic pH, which your body must correct to maintain the proper pH balance. It is believed that, through a proper diet, buffering agents, and pH testing, you can help your body sustain a healthy pH balance.
Bottom line, you want to keep your body blood pH of between 7.35 and 7.45 to stay healthy. How do you do that? The list of foods that knocks your pH out of balance is extensive. Here is a link to a short list: Balancing Acid/Alkaline Foods.
Most of us won’t avoid them all and really don’t want too, so you have to supply a balance. One way to help your body maintain the healthy pH is by eating foods that counteract the damage we do by eating the bad things.
Some of the top contenders of helping us balance, are Kale, collards, sprouts, baby spinach, apples, apricots, avocados, cucumbers, wheatgrass, barley grass, spirulina, kelp and blue-green algae.
If it is hard to add these veggies to your daily diet, yes I said daily because I assure you are consuming the foods that mess with your pH daily, so my advice is to try adding Spirulina to your diet. Now if you’re not familiar with Spirulina I will tell you what it is, but don’t freak……Spirulina is a dark green algae that grows on the surface of lakes. The ancient Aztecs used to skim spirulina algae off the surface of lakes and dry it into cakes, which served as an important source of nutrients. Today, you’re most likely to find dried spirulina powder in the health food store (I find mine in Whole Foods), where it’s sold as a “green” supplement, or added to smoothies, juices, and other “health” drinks.
I have started adding Amazing Grass GREENSuperFood all natural drink powder to my shakes. They have a chocolate, and berry versions which may be easier for you to start off with. GreenSuperFood is a premium blend of SuperFoods that gives you energy and supports your bodies alkalinity and boosts your immune system. It is loaded with more than a daily dose of Organic Spirulina as well as Wheat Grass, Barley Grass, Alfalfa, and spinach to just name a few. It is also Gluten and Soy Free as well as Vegan. If you don’t think you can add the powder to your daily regiment, they also offer capsules that you can take with a meal.
There are several bars and chips available as well, that are blended with a fruit to make it a sweet treat. I have tried the go raw 100% Spirulina Energy Bar that is blended with banana and easy to have as a snack. I do notice an energy boost since I have been adding these consistently to my diet.
Of course you should always try to get what you need from vegetables, but realistically its tough, so try and add what you can to help keep your body as healthy as possible. If you want to find out more about what Spirulina, check out this article Spirulina: What the Hell Is It?
As always, stay healthy and try to live a balanced life!
xo Amy
hello Amy
How is your friend doing? Thank you for sharing. My husband has been diagnosed with cancer and I found the Arbonne Greens Balance which has spirulina as first ingredient in full spectrum super food supplement. It also contains barley, alfalfa, wheatgrass, chlorella, spinach, kale, broccoli and parsley…and then the othe colors represented: yellows, red, blue and omega 3s. I was concerned reading an article about wheatgrass powder benefits..and the author said to avoid spirulina in your choice because it is acidic. I had never heard that before and understood it to be high on the alkaline chart. I was in a brief panic, but found your article which brought peace of mind that the Greens Balance is the best choice for us… I trust the company’s purity standards after much scrutiny. Thanks for the reassurance!
Rita, He has made a full recovery and is back teaching spinning like a boss, thanks for asking! I have started takig a spirulina chlorella tablet from ONNIT to ensure I get enough each day.
Great blog! I’m a Spirulina Junkie!
This Ms. Courtney you are one seriously healthy junkie! 🙂
Amy, thank you for sharing this. I was wondering what the deal was behind the sudden alkaline food trend and I see now that it seems to be a cancer fighting “trend”. Perhaps a less acidic life should be something adapted into a lifestyle. I love spirulina and super blue green algae. I have seen it do some pretty amazing things.
Thank you for sharing this. I didn’t know that having a low ph environment in your body can promote cancer! I’m glad I have already started taking spirulina pills as part of my daily routine!!
Awesome Nathan! I am also shocked at how my energy level shot up after I started including this in my diet.