The nutritional content of Spirulina or Chlorella make them the most powerful foods in the world. No other foods could possibly compete with them. Of the nearly 70,000 species of algae that exist, most are very nutritious. A few are toxic and a few are powerful nutraceuticals capable of supplying the body with nutrients unimagined by most other foods. A nutraceutical is any food that provides the body with the proper nutrition so the body can heal itself. Spirulina and Chlorella are perfect whole foods, true superfoods . They have a perfect balance of protein (60%) carbohydrates (19%), fats (6%) bio-available minerals (8%). They are not extracts or concentrates which, on paper, have high nutrient levels. In reality, if you have digestive complaints, you may not be able to absorb these vitamin supplements because they are dead, void of enzymes. On the other hand, eating Spirulina or Chlorella is like eating any other whole food such as a banana, apple or broccoli.... Only in a SUPER-power-packed way!! Algae are the oldest foods in the world. Fossil records show that Spirulina and Chlorella have existed for billions of years essentially unchanged for all that time. They have both developed strategies of survival against harshly unfavorable conditions such as drought, radiation and even strong man-made poisons that have driven many other plant organisms to extinction. There are several different species of these two algae, however the ones that I refer to here are Spirulina Platensis and Chlorella Pyrenoidosa. Another Chlorella product found on the market is known as Chlorella Vulgaris, which is nutritionally inferior to its powerful cousin Pyrenoidosa. The alga found in swimming pools is a close cousin to chlorella vulgaris . It does not have the broad array of nutrients of Pyrenoidosa, its incredible fiber nor does anywhere near the same amount or quality of Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF). Don’t be fooled by price, Chlorella Pyrenoidosa is worth the extra money and why it is considered the most powerful food in the world. A tremendous amount of scientific research has been done on both Spirulina and Chlorella from universities and medical institutions from around the world. They have proven to be one of the best solutions world hunger problems. They are also used as feed for all kinds of live stock. Once tableted, they will last up to a year with refrigeration and even longer if vacuum-packed. Which one should you take? Even though the nutritional profile of Spirulina and Chlorella are quite similar they are completely different foods, as different as apples and oranges. Although many of the nutrients in these foods are the same, they will assimilate and benefit the body in different ways. This is also why we should attempt to get as many different types of foods into our diet as possible. The greater array of nutrients in any food, the more nutritious it is. Spirulina is a nitrogen based blue green algae and has the predominant smell of seaweed. Chlorella is an oxygen based green algae that has the predominant smell of fresh grass. Chlorella gets its name from the high amount of chlorophyll in it, up to 10 times that of Spirulina which is itself quite high in chlorophyll. Chlorella belongs to a class of algae called chlorophyta. Spirulina is an extremely high energy food, great before or after a workout and is used widely for joint soreness and joint support. Chlorella is excellent for digestion, heavy-metal detoxification, and is a immune system builder. Therefore, the answer to the question as to which of these two algae should you take is that you should definitely have both of them in your diet. Protein, the Great Regulator Spirulina and Chlorella are complete proteins meaning they provide the body with the eight essential amino acids, yet they go much further. They are 60% protein in the form of amino acids that are in the right ratio to one another. There is a lot of confusion and misinformation about protein, how much protein is actually in certain foods and what the protein actually consists of. For instance, most people assume meat is comprised of 100% protein when it is only 22% protein on average. Meat only has eleven amino acids and is heavily weighted in only four of them, which means that the body is receiving a very lopsided version of protein. What the body needs is a broad array of amino acids that are in the correct proportion to one another such as Spirulina, Chlorella and even wheat grass. Wheat grass juice is only 24% protein (higher than meat) compared to over 60% for Spirulina and Chlorella, which is the highest amount of protein of any whole foods. Dosages How much to take. When to take it. Chlorella: A maintenance dosage of Chlorella is about 3 – 5 grams per day. Although you will not see significant changes taking such a small amount of whole food, your body will be getting a broad array of nutrients unlike it has seen before. Since Chlorella is a detoxifying whole food, not a concentrate or extract, a person can eat as much as they desire without any fear of it becoming potentially toxic in any way. Chlorella is best taken before a meal with probiotics, our friendly bacteria ( Acidophilus and Bifidus ). Chlorella causes probiotics to multiply at four times the rate of normal. Maintenance Dosage: 3 – 5 grams/day Significant part of the Diet: 6 – 10 grams/day Immune System Builder: 11 – 14 grams/day Primary Source of Protein : 12 – 19 grams/day Healing Purposes & Heavy Metal Detoxification#: 20 – 30+ grams/day #Please note; this should be done under Practitioner supervision only *Best before a meal to aid with digestion. Spirulina Maintenance dosage: 3 — 5 gm/day Although their nutritional profile may appear to be quite similar, Spirulina and Chlorella are completely different foods. Spirulina is great before a physical workout. Stamina, endurance and recovery are significantly improved with Spirulina. After a strenuous workout where the body is pushed to its limits, an additional 10 – 20 grams should be taken during the following 24 hours to rebuild the body and muscle tissue that has been torn down. Spirulina should also be taken 15 – 30 minutes before a meal to help prepare the stomach for proper digestion since it also helps accelerate the reproductive rate of probiotics. Maintenance Dosage: 3 – 5 grams/day Significant Part of the Diet: 6 – 10 grams/day Immune System Builder: 11 – 14 grams/day Primary Source of Protein : 12 – 19 grams/day Healing Purposes#: 20 – 25+ grams/day #Should only be done under Practitioner Supervision