There are many times where I wish I could bottle the kids’ energy for myself to use. I’m sure most of you can relate. They are just so full of life and energy and I sometimes need an extra bounce in my step to keep up with them. I take my vitamins and drink lots of water, but sometimes don’t get the sleep I need or maybe don’t get enough good green foods with my meals. So I end up needing a little extra nourishment.

My mother has been using Spirulina from Beeyoutiful for a while now and has always said good things about it. I decided to go ahead and add it to my daily regimen to see if it would help. I started with four pills a day and wow, did I notice a difference! It gave me quite a boost and I was very happy to find myself feeling more awake.

The first known use of spirulina as a food was by the Aztecs up until about the 16th century. They would skim the surface of the lakes with a rope and dry the algae into cakes to eat as a nourishing condiment.

One of the reasons this algae is such an amazing food is that it contains a complete protein with all the essential amino acids. It has up to 80% protein by dry weight and is superior to plant protein like that found in legumes. Spirulina also has a high chlorophyll content, which is a blood builder. This makes it wonderful for people with anemia.

Spirulina is also high in essential fatty acids, many of which your body doesn’t make on its own. Essential fats are healthy fats that come from natural foods like spirulina, fish and fish oil, raw flax seeds and flax seed oils, raw pumpkin seeds, and green leafy vegetables. These fatty acids are termed essential because your body needs them for growth, metabolic processes, and brain development.
Another reason spirulina is so energizing is its high vitamin content — especially B vitamins. Spirulina contains vitamins B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinamide), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E. It also contains vitamin B-12 but it has been disputed whether or not the B-12 in spirulina is utilized by the body.

Spirulina is great source of minerals like calcium, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, sodium, and zinc and very rich in potassium. This stuff is better than spinach! I was feeling very drained a few days ago. I hadn’t gotten enough sleep the night before and the kids were demanding a lot of attention seeing as they hadn’t taken a nap. I started to feel a little stressed and worn out, so I poured a tall glass of water and took 3 of my spirulina tablets. Soon after, I started to feel much better. It is so amazing to be able to take something like that and know that it will nourish me and help me to feel the best I can at that moment.
Don’t expect this to replace any good foods you eat or that taking it with a glass of soda will have the same effect. Supplements are still just supplements to a lifestyle of healthy habits.

Even the healthiest of people sometimes need a little extra nourishment. Here are a few other tips to help keep you energized and functioning at your best.
• As soon as you wake, drink a tall glass of water instead of coffee. You are dehydrated after a night of sleep and water will help to wake you up and get your metabolism going. Coffee, tea, or soda will further dehydrate you and leave you foggy headed.
•Avoid sugar and white foods like white flour. Sugar (even raw sugar) drains you of energy and weakens your immune system. White flours and other white foods like potatoes quickly turn to sugar in the body having the same negative effects as sugar.
•Stretch when you wake up and any time you feel drained. When you are sitting for long periods or even working hard, any inactive area in your body will have a reduced blood flow, resulting in reduced oxygen to that part of the body and to the brain, causing a sleepy, drained feeling. Think of a little baby and how it stretches when it first wakes. Stretch out your whole body from your fingers to your toes. It feels great!
•Eat foods high in vitamins and minerals. Taking spirulina is a great help but a eating a balanced diet every day will keep your body fully nourished all the time. Go for variety and quality. Eat foods in their natural state like green leafy salads and fresh fruit. Avoid fruit juice as it doesn’t contain the fiber of a whole piece of fruit. The fiber is what keeps you from having a sugar spike from the natural sugars contained in fruit. A few other energizing foods are grapes, almonds, brazil nuts, beans and legumes, and quality protein like that from Alaskan salmon.

Just for you coffee drinkers
You may be getting more than you bargained for with your morning coffee. I know that feeling of need for caffeine but you will be pleasantly surprised how much more energy you have if you choose water as your beverage instead of that ‘ole cup of Joe.
Coffee dehydrates you, as does any beverage containing caffeine. Any time water is taken away from your brain, you are going to suffer. Do you get headaches often? Coffee is very likely the culprit behind your misery. Even if you drink a lot of water, you will become dehydrated after a single cup of coffee.

Coffee has one of the highest caffeine contents of any beverage and thus you are over-stimulating every cell in your body. All this stimulation can give you a short term boost of energy, but there is no nourishment there to feed the body. You are requiring your cells to work so much harder than usual, but not giving them any of the energy they need to do their job. This can lead to stress, fatigue, a worn out adrenal gland, and even malnutrition.

After drinking your cup of coffee your body’s cortisol (the stress hormone) level goes up and stays that way for many hours. We all know how bad for you stress is. It even causes you to pack on the pounds. Who wants that?

In addition to all this stress, over stimulation, and dehydration, coffee depletes your body of much needed B vitamins which are essential for energy and good overall health. Drinking coffee daily can lead to always feeling tired and like you just can’t make it without that cup of coffee. You drink more and get more depleted and more in need of stimulation. It can be a vicious cycle. Break the cycle and choose water.