The Single Missing Mystery Nutrient That (When Missing) Contributes To The 10 Leading Causes Of Aging & Disease Worldwide (And How Get 100-1,000 Times More Of It Than Most People Ever Eat).

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Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

My guest on today's podcast is Catharine Arnston, and she puts my own algae consumption to shame, eating 75 pieces of chlorella and 75 pieces of spirulina every day. She holds an MBA from Western’s Ivey School of Business, and a BA in geography and economic development from Queen’s University. She is a Board Certified Health Counselor from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition and a REIKI Master. She is also an algae expert and the CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of ENERGYbits, a sports nutrition company that sells algae in tablet form to athletes and consumers (click here and use code BEN to save 10% on any of their algae products).

Catharine founded ENERGYbits eight years ago after she became aware of the health and athletic benefits of a plant based diet. When she subsequently learned that algae was the most nutrient dense plant in the world and that Asians had been growing it and benefiting from it for fifty years, she made it her life mission to bring algae into the mainstream so others could benefit from this superfood too.

You may also recognize Catharine from this SharkTank episode!

Anyways, Catharine makes the bold claim that a lack of chlorophyll (greens) in diet leads to the ten different leading causes of aging and disease worldwide.

What is chlorophyll? [10:50]

Chlorophyll is a fat-based pigment that makes plants green. It is the substance that is responsible for photosynthesis – the usage of light energy from the sun to convert water & carbon dioxide into nutrition (glucose) for the plants. What foods are high in chlorophyll? Green foods! The darker the green, the more chlorophyll. In fact, algae has the highest concentration of chlorophyll in the world, containing 100-1000 times more chlorophyll than any other plant or vegetable (50 times more than wheat grass).

Chlorophyll is a phytonutrient that oxygenates & detoxifies the blood. It is rich in enzymes and high in amino acids. It alkalizes the body, is anti-inflammatory, is an antioxidant, chelates heavy metals, been shown to repair damaged DNA and speed up the healing process of wounds. It even helps mitochondria ATP with a fuel source that is cleaner than glucose (with the addition of sunshine).

The structure of chlorophyll is nearly identical to that of hemoglobin in our blood. The center atom of chlorophyll is magnesium (green) while the center atom of hemoglobin is iron (red). Magnesium is what helps alkalize the body and deliver oxygen to cells & tissues. Chlorophyll helps promote the formation of hemoglobin and red blood cells.

In my article How To Eat Algae (The Ultimate Guide To Fueling With Spirulina And Chlorella) and my podcast Is This The Most Dense Source Of Nutrition On The Face Of The Planet? I introduce chlorophyll, but in today's show, Catharine and I take a deep dive into how chlorophyll intake can manage everything from excess acidity to inflammation to accelerated aging and beyond.  

During our discussion, you'll discover a host of new information (and a big credit to Catharine for gathering the research presented in the comprehensive shownotes below!):

-How algae can reduce cellular inflammation due to its high concentration of essential fatty acids, alkaline composition and high concentration of antioxidants, including the three primary precursors to the body’s most important antioxidants – glutathione (cysteine, glycine and glutamine)…[18:00]

-Why you should care about ATP production in relation to disease and aging, and what effect does algae has on it…[26:40]

ATP References:

Journal of Cell Science 2014 Light-harvesting chlorophyll pigments enable mammalian mitochondria to capture photonic energy and produce ATP

Green Med Info May 12, 2015: Amazing Discovery: Plant Blood Enables Your Cells To Capture Sunlight Energy 

Biochemical Journal Assessing mitochondrial dysfunction in cells March 29, 2011

-The fascinating link between algae and cancer, and how spirulina and chlorella can reduce the growth of cancer cells…[32:25]

Cancer References:

Journal of Nutrition and Cancer Fruit, vegetables, and cancer prevention: A review of the epidemiological evidence 1992

Chlorella – the Miracle Food, July 2012

Can chlorophyll protect you from cancer February 8 2014

Additional references about chlorophyll preventing carcinogens from being absorbed

More information about the cancer tests Catharine mentions

References to scientific articles and research about Chlorella Growth Factor

-How algae affects free radical and antioxidant production by increasing levels of both water soluble and fat soluble antioxidants…[42:35]

-The actual scientific link between algae and detoxification…[47:00]

Detoxification References:

Journal of Medicine 2010 Chlorella Pyrenoidosa Supplementation Decreases Dioxin and Increases

Immunoglobulin A Concentrations in Breast Milk

Naturodoc Paul Pitchford M.S Author of Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition, North Atlantic Books; 780 pages Published 2002.

-How algae affects the immune system by stimulating production of T-cells and anti-inflammatory cytokines…[51:55]

-Why you should care about your cell membranes, what algae does for them, and why algae is a perfect plant-based alternative to fish oil…[60:05]

Resources from this episode:

How To Eat Algae (The Ultimate Guide To Fueling With Spirulina And Chlorella).

Is This The Most Dense Source Of Nutrition On The Face Of The Planet?

Click here and use code BEN to save 10% on any of the algae products I personally use, including spirulina ENERGYbits and chlorella RECOVERYbits.

Show Sponsors: 

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-Kimera Koffee – Proven to help you increase focus, power output and cognition. Go to KimeraKoffee.com and use code BEN to get 10% off!

-Quip – Quip is an electric toothbrush that packs premium vibration and timer features into an ultra slim design, that's half the cost of bulkier brushes. Go to getquip.com/BEN to get your first refill pack free with a Quip electric toothbrush.

Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Catharine or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply! You can also click here and use code BEN to save 10% on any of the algae products I personally use, including spirulina ENERGYbits and chlorella RECOVERYbits.

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40 thoughts on “The Single Missing Mystery Nutrient That (When Missing) Contributes To The 10 Leading Causes Of Aging & Disease Worldwide (And How Get 100-1,000 Times More Of It Than Most People Ever Eat).

  1. Candace says:

    I’m curious about eating algae with the combination of sunlight to increase ATP production – do you get the same effect by combining eating algae with vitamin D3 or is it just with sunlight exposure? For example: My Dad, who is 79 years old, gets very little direct sunlight on his skin. He currently is taking vitamin D3 to increase his numbers. I would love to help him increase ATP production to increase his energy and vitality. Thoughts?

  2. Judy Webster says:

    Hi Ben- we listen to most of your podcasts. We have purchased a lot of the items you recommend. I am dedicated to intermittent fasting and to a ketosi/ketone producing diet. My question is this…. will any of these break my fast if I drink them in the morning before my a.m. workout, or before my routine of not eating until noon? Apple cider vinegar in a glass of water, Psyllium husks in a glass of water, Keto 1, a packet of energybits- algae, a cup of green tea with coconut or MCT oil in it? I have cut out a glass of iced tea with Chia seed added before noon, and I would think that the oils in hot tea would knock me out of fast mode also. But am really very curious about the other water adds and wanting to maintain the fasting state until noon. Thank you so much for all the knowledge that you share! We are grateful for you….gratitude journal! :o) ~Judy

    1. Algae is pretty low in calories and non insulinogenic, so it doesn’t really “count” as something that will significantly break fast. Coconut oil is pretty calorie dense, so careful with that! It all comes down to how many friggin’ calories are in something. It’s that simple.

  3. Jesse says:

    Started on the spirulina and cholrella bits. I am starting slow just to see how my body will react. So i am taking two bits of each twice a day. It has really really constipated me! Holy cow! Is it the iron? I don’t know. So I stopped and tried to start again with the same issue. I read that it does not last and its because my body is detoxing? Any insight would be great as I would love to continue but not for this price. thank you

  4. Zvika says:

    Hi Ben, Energy bits and Recovery bits seem the gold standard out there but they are quite expensive.

    While you mention using Recovery bits, in another blog post you mentioned using this product for spirulina in your smoothie:

    https://barefootprovisions.com/products/raw-spiru…

    How do you compare the two products (vs energy bits) and what’s the pros/cons of each in your mind?

    (Basically: and otherwise, why should I go for Energy bits and pay more vs. buying this one?)

    Many many thanks,

    1. Candace says:

      I’m curious about this as well. I’ve looked at buying the energy bits in the past as well, but they really are not economical.

  5. MadiQ says:

    So, I was really interested in trying the energy and recoveryBITS but being Canadian and all I felt obligated to do some reasearch before paying the $$usd, so I found this company http://www.primechlorella.com/product-choose-chlo…
    They break the cell walls with sound like the company above, and they grow in Alberta, Canada and are tested for heavy metals etc….their prices are a bit more appealing for those of us Accross the border, although they do have a usd website as well which I haven’t looked at. Their branding isn’t as pretty as Catherine’s company, but I’m just offering an alternative, that seems to use similar High quality in another country…

  6. Hi Ben and Catharine- Thanks for the podcast Ben! Huge fan. Thanks to both of you for both podcasts you have done featuring EnergyBits and RecoveryBits. After the first podcast I believe May of 2016 I began taking RecoveryBits on a nightly basis 30 pieces and post workout recovery for big workouts, and EnergyBits for an occasional snack but mainly for early pre-workouts when I didn’t want to eat or during endurance races again to stave off gut rot from all the sugar.

    I am a Psychotherapist who believes in a holistic view of health and was really interested in the detoxification properties associated with Chlorella. I see many people who could benefit from detox which won’t cure depression or anxiety but is a step in the right direction. Control what you can control. As such I don’t suggest things to patients unless I try them myself so I set about my research.

    Somewhere around Thanksgiving of 2016 around 6 months after taking RecoveryBits I developed a sinus infection. As a health and wellness expert this was concerning to me as I don’t get sick often, but chalked it up to kids, patients, or travel and moved on. Several weeks later I developed another sinus type infection that spread to my lungs. Patients started to notice and ask about what was going on.

    Throughout the winter I would fast from the sickness (including from the Bits) to let my body heal up. I would be fine for a bit and then the next thing you would know I would be wheezing while sleeping and my sinuses would start getting plugged. I had several patients that were very sick with sinus infections and thought maybe they were passing it along.

    I had one batch of the bits I was using that I wondered if they had gathered some bacteria from the fridge or kids fingers or something else which I threw out and ordered another. After the new batch arrived I experienced the same sinus issues and stopped altogether. I still have two bags but haven’t used them and even other products that have chlorella seem to produce the same effect.

    I really like this product and appreciate the extra greens, micronurtrients, detoxification effects, post workout recovery, etc. but don’t like the breathing issues associated with taking it. I wanted to share so others might figure out quicker than I, the cause of their breathing issues, as it was hard to explain for my own well being but also to my patients. I also wanted to hear from either/both of you what you thought might be occurring and what can be done about it. Currently I am breathing fine. I appreciate your time.

    Blessings,

    Brandon Pendergraft (@BrandonPMFT)

    1. Thanks for sharing Brandon!

  7. Chad says:

    Since a mix of spirulina and chlorella is desired, are the Vitality Bits the easiest way to achieve this, as opposed to having a bag of each? In other words, is there any advantage to consuming each at different times? Also, I’d love to hear more about Ben’s meat rub.

  8. Sucks how much they tried to pull her apart on SharkTank. Seems like she is on the right path and now on your show. Wish her the best and keep crushing what you do Catharine.

    1. Hi Ashley and thank you SO much for your kind words! And don’t worry about how the Sharks treated me. It was just television and I was SO grateful to be selected for the show especially since 40,000 companies applied and they only selected about 100 to be on the show. I was thrilled to be selected so their 10 million viewers could learn about us and our algae. The producers have been very supportive of what we are doing and in fact they aired my segment twice! (normally you only get aired once!). Teaching the world about algae has been a labor of love and I am 8 years into it. But the good news is thanks to people like Ben, the word about all the amazing health benefits of algae is slowing seeping out! Thanks for spreading the word and if you know any media who would like to learn more so they can share the information about algae with their community, please ask them to contact me at [email protected] and I’d be happy to send them any of the 200+ research papers and summaries I have written! Thanks again for listening to Ben who is awesome at finding the best and newest ways to stay at your peak! And thank you for your kind words! You made my day! Warmly, Catharine

  9. Sheila says:

    Awesome podcast and chuck full of valuable information as usual! So Catharine takes 75 tabs of each? That can get expensive! I was wondering how much you recommend to get optimal benefits? You said take Spirulina in the morning and Chlorella in the evening? Please advise! Thanks so much!

    1. Hi Sheila and thanks for your kind words. Ben does a great job doesn’t he! I am so lucky to be invited to work with him so I can share what I have learned about algae! And in terms of how much of our algae to take every day to get optimal benefits, we generally recommend at least one single serving per day (30 tablets). Yes I do take a lot more than that (LOL) but that’s because algae is a primary source of food for me and I use it to replace snacks and sometimes even meals when I am busy! I also use it to replace supplements and I don’t take anything else other than Vitamin D during the winter months (I live in Boston where the sun isn’t strong enough to provide Vitamin D between September – May). So you ultimately save some money and time when you take algae because you have fewer other food and vitamins to purchase. But I’m totally aware that everyone is on a budget so what you might want to do is start with purchasing VITALITYbits which is a blend of the two algae spirulina/chlorella. This will allow you to gain the different benefits of each algae albeit in smaller quantities. Speaking of quantities, if you find you are getting an increase in energy and focus and better health from fewer than 30 tablets/day, that’s terrific! We set the recommended daily amount at 30 tablets after trials for about 3 years and found that once we hit 30 tablets as a single serving, virtually everyone felt their energy improve. But if you have a petite frame and/or are anemic, you might only need 15 tablets per day to feel the benefits so the best thing to do is trial and error. BTW for children, we recommend giving them the same amount of tablets daily as their age. So if you have a 4 year old, give them 4 tablets, a 5 year old would get 5 tablets etc. The children generally love to chew them (like me!) because they turn their tongue green and they think that’s pretty funny! If you turn it into a game, they will love taking their algae. Hope you love taking it too! You can take EITHER algae at ANY time of the day, alone or before meals or with meals or instead of meals. But since ENERGYbits give you energy and focus, we find that it is best to take that in the morning or afternoons or ANY time you are hungry or need your energy improved or about 20 minutes before a run or workout. For RECOVERYbits, its the same – you can take them ANY time of day but since they are a detoxing algae and since your body detoxes naturally when you sleep, if you take RECOVERYbits at night, it will help facilitate your natural detox cycle. Also since chlorella removes toxins of any kind (including alcohol!) if you get accustomed to taking your RECOVERYbits at night, when you come home after a party or a few glasses of wine, you will automatically take them and they will pull out the alcohol while you sleep you awake refreshed and no hangover! Sweet! Hope this helps! Keep us posted and thanks again! Warmly, Catharine

  10. Michael Kostur says:

    During the show minutes 29:05 until 21:15 Catharine Arnston mentions that Dr. Pompa recommends energy bits for when Intermittent fasting. I went to Dr. Pompa’s site and found that he wrote:

    “ENERGYbits are the perfect food for intermittent fasting, or those in ketosis or on a Cellular Healing diet. They won’t interrupt your fast or cause a glucose spike. If anything, The algae could lower glucose!” – source: http://drpompa.com/additional-resources/health-ti…

    This is the first time I’ve read or heard that you can eat during a fasting period. What is it about Spirulina that keeps you in a fasted state despite being a food? I haven’t found any other sources confirming this. What is the science behind it? Thanks.

    1. Hi Michael and thanks for your great question. I sincerely apologize for this delay in responding but we have received hundreds of questions and were slammed with hundreds of orders all as a result of Ben’s great podcast! But we are a very small company and last week I had three of our team members out of the office! IN any case if you email I am happy to send you photos of test result (I just took them for you from a book on spirulina) that show how blood glucose DROPS after spirulina which is why algae is so great for ketogenic, low carb and diabetic diets. Basically there are NO carbs in Chlorella and NO NET CARBS in spirulina to increase your glucose AND they are both loaded with protein (over 60%) and spirulina is also loaded with Essential Fatty Acids including Omega-3 and GLA. All the nutritional information that you need to understand the stabilizing affect on glucose is available and I am happy to email it to you or anyone else who would like it if you email me directly at [email protected]. Unfortunately I don’t know how to upload it to this comment box. Thanks!

  11. Peter says:

    Thanks for the podcast (enjoy them all). I’m in the second half of my life and just found out I have an elevated blood ferritin level (418). I will be donating blood to bring it down but to be clear, should I be consuming spirulina/chlorella in the meantime or just a bad idea – I was adding spirulina to my morning smoothie. Thanks.

    1. Hi Peter thanks for your great question and my apologies for this delay in answering it (we were inundated with hundreds of inquiries and questions from Ben’s podcast!). To answer your question, you should be perfectly safe taking our algae, especially ENERGYbits which are spirulina. There are three main reasons for this: 1) Algae is an “adaptogen” which means it can detect what your body needs and doesn’t need so if you don’t need the iron in it, you simply won’t absorb it 2) Iron from plants including algae does not have the same negative impact as the iron you might get from supplements. It is a really bad idea to get your iron from supplements since virtually all the iron is from non-organic substances and thus your body can’t figure out what to do with it so it absorbs and stores all of it and this can easily lead to toxicity. Plant iron also does not get as easily absorbed as animal based iron, so once again there is much less chance of you getting too much iron from a plant-based source, including algae. 3) Spirulina algae (ENERGYbits) has MUCH less iron than chlorella algae (RECOVERYbits). I single serving of ENERGYbits spirulina ONLY gives you 3 mg of iron which in ONLY 15% of your RDA. On the other hand, RECOVERYbits cholorella contains 11 mg of iron in a single serving and THIS is 60% of your RDA for iron. Bottom line, you are totally safe taking spirulina and also quite likely safe taking chlorella. However since we are not medical professionals, we are not allowed to give you any kind of medical advice and ask that you check with your medical professional about any concerns you may have. All we can do is provide you with the best information we have and leave it in your good hands (and that of your medical professional) to determine what is best for you and your health. I hope this helps!

  12. Joan D. says:

    HI Catherine & Ben,

    I have been struggling with Adrenal, Hypothyroid and Amenia issues. I believe the Amenia (likely caused by my Paraguard copper IUD for 13 years, removed 2009) triggered the adrenal/thryroid issue. I had an endometrial ablation in May to try and deal with the amenia. I still seem to be losing a lot of hair, it is really bad now.

    I use Oceans Alive Phytoplankton as my multi vitamin, and I was thinking about adding your products to help me detox any of the copper/metals toxity I am now thinking I may have. I have never had a filling so I don’t think have a mercury issue from fillings.

    I am 47 years old, 5′ tall 110 pounds. What do you recommend? Please suggest anything you think would help me.

    1. Hi Joan and thanks for your great question. We aren’t medical professionals so we aren’t actually allowed to provide you with any medical or therapeutic advice since you can only get that from our medical professionals. That being said, we have many customers see great relief and health improvement (adrenal, thyroid and anemia like you) from taking our algae. There are a few main reasons for this: 1) Thyroid issues are usually caused by toxins like aluminum, mercury or any of the other 80,000 toxins in our environment gathering there. The best way to remove any kind of toxins is with chlorella algae (we call our chlorella algae RECOVERYbits). Chlorella has been used globally for fifty years to remove any kind of toxin including radiation at Chernobyl. Chlorella will remove toxins from your blood in 2 hours, from your cells in 2 weeks but your organs take 6 months or longer. Frankly we feel everyone should be taking chlorella every day because our immune systems were not built to sustain the kind of toxic load we are presented with and this is what is causing so many to be ill. Chlorella also has a large amount of iron and since you mention you are anemic, you will be able to see your iron levels increase with RECOVERYbits (that is what we call our chlorella algae). However, if you are fatigued and need an increase in energy, your best bet will be with spirulina algae (we call ours ENERGYbits because spirulina give you so much energy). You don’t get energy from chorella, only from spirulina algae. And while I think its great that you already taking some phytoplankton I would be a bit careful since I believe most phytoplankton is grown in the ocean and there may still be micro-amounts of toxins in them. In comparison, we harvest our algae in fresh water tanks (grown outdoors) and the tanks are monitored daily so there is no chance of ANY toxins of any kind being in our algae. We also have an FDA-approved lab here in the USA who tests all our algae for purity and toxins and we provide these lab results to doctors and nutritionists so they can recommend our algae to their patients and know that it is 100% pure and toxin free. That is why we are the only algae company that is recommended and endorsed by doctors and Olympic athletes. IF you started taking our algae every day, it would be a replacement for your phytoplankton and also for virtually all of your other supplements because algae has over 40 vitamins and minerals, all of which are 99.9% bio available so you absorb them all (in contrast to most supplements which your body can only absorb 5% -15% of the artificial ingredients.) It sounds like you are quite petite so you might get energy and health benefits from taking just one half serving (15 tablets) per day, or even less. I would suggest you start with ENERGYbits to get your body familiar with algae and to improve your energy. You could start with as few as 10 tablets and keep increasing them as needed or if you are feeling relief from just 10 tablets that’s great and that will make your bag last longer. You could also take RECOVERYbits to help with the detox (ENERGYbits will NOT detox you only chlorella is a a detoxing algae). YOu could similarly start slowly and see how you are feeling and maybe you will get all the benefits you need from a smaller portion size (which will save you money) Don’t be afraid to take more either because algae is just a type of plant (I have 75 tabs of each EVERY day and sometimes more!) And regarding your hair loss, I am so sorry about that and I have experienced that myself at one time. Most hair loss in women is a result of STRESS. So I would strongly encourage you to look into “tapping” also known as Emotional Freedom Technique. There are a lot of free downloads available on the internet but I have personally had a lot of sucess and have a lot of respect for Nick and Jessica Ortner and you can google them and get tons of great free downloads from them. They also offer very affordable webinars and as the founder of a startup I have experienced a lot of stress too and had some hair loss as a result. I have found the tapping (and yoga) to be a huge help for me and I encourage you to look into both of them. Biotin is also known to help hair growth but most hair loss is from stress and the fact that you have adrenal issues supports my belief this is what you are suffering from too. One last suggestion for you on the stress issue is to subscribe to a great newsletter and website provided by Dr Kelly Brogan MD www.kellybroganmd.com. Dr. Brogan is a Psychiatrist who changed her career about 7 years ago when she learned about the superior healing benefits from nutrition and non invasive techniques like meditation and taping. She is a leader in her field and I am sure you will find some excellent tips from her website and newsletters to help you with your stress while our algae helps you with from a nutritional healing point of view. I hope this helps. I am sending you all my love and know you will be better soon. Warmly, Catharine

  13. Brian says:

    Is taking Chlorella a bad idea for those with autoimmune diseases? I’ve read other publications that stated this…thanks see below:

    One of the great benefits of Chlorella is that it boosts the immune system, but if you have a condition such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, or lupus, chlorella is not a supplement for you. These conditions are auto-immune diseases and chlorella could potentially worsen your condition.

    1. Hi Brian and thanks for your great question. My apologies for this delay in responding but we were slammed with inquiries as a result of Ben’s podcast! I need to preface my answer by saying that we are not medical professionals so we are not allowed to provide any kind of medical advice and ask that you seek guidance from your medical professional. All we can do is provide you with information that we have learned/gathered and leave it to you to make your best informed decision. That being said I agree, that there is some uncertainly about chlorella being beneficial for those with auto immune and I simply don’t have a hard and fast answer for you. Chlorella (and spirulina) are both adaptogens which means, they respond to what ever your body needs. We have read that if you have an auto immune disorder that it will NOT inflame this further and in fact, acts to calm the immune system so it works better and actually helps to heal it. Same thing with arthritis but in the case of arthritis, I would more likely recommend spirulina which has been proven to reduce inflammation so I think spirulina is the better algae to take for this condition. I wish I had a definitive answer for you but at this point the benefits of chlorella for autoimmune are only 50% known and vary on a case by case basis. You might want to check with a few medical facilities such as the Hippocrates Center in West Palm Beach since they treat the very sick using a blend of protocols that are focused on green nutrition (including chlorella). They are over fifty years old and have established themselves as world leaders in treating those with very serious health conditions and perhaps you could email their medical directors Anna Marie Clement phD and Brian Clement phD to ask them. You can learn more about the institute at www.hippocratesinst.org. I hope this helps! Thanks and be well, Warmly, Catharine

  14. Kevin says:

    Anyone look into the best value for sourcing these, weighing $ and quality? These bits are pricey at $240/month to take them both at the suggested serving size everyday. If you standardize the Onnit brand spirulina and chlorella for the same package size it would only be $137/month for 12.5 bottles. Much less, but still expensive.

    1. hi Kevin and thanks for your comment about the high price of our algae. We get this question all the time so we have prepared a few short summaries that I would be happy to email you or anyone else who is reading this thread of comments, to help you understand why our algae is priced the way it is. Like everything in life, you generally get what you pay for and algae is the same. There are so many variables involved in the growing, drying and packaging of algae and I am not aware of any other company that goes to the lengths that we do, to ensure OUR algae has the highest density nutrition, has the highest levels of purity and is grown/dried and packaged in a way that preserves all of this. We sell nothing but algae so we are experts. Companies like Onnit are surely doing their best to offer great products but I can promise you they don’t spend as much time as we do on algae. So if you are looking for the best, the safest, the most nutrient dense algae, we are what you want. We’ve even had bloggers test our algae and compare it to other algae or other similar products and 100% of the time they were stunned to find they needed 5-20 x as much of the other products to get the same energy, focus and benefits that they received from a single serving of ours. Also, while we generally recommend to our customers that they purchase their algae separately (ENERGYbits spirulina for energy and focus and RECOVERYbits chlorella algae for detox and immune support) because it gives them more control (if you are running a marathon you might want to double up on ENERGYbits or if you are recovering from surgery you might want to double up on RECOVERYbits), we DO offer an algae brand that is 50/50 spirulina and chlorella. This brand is called VITALITYbits and we offer it to those who can only purchase one bag and/or who want simplicity and/or who a fairly predictablel life and want a food based replacement for their supplements. RECOVERYbits give you a bit of energy and focus and a bit of immune support/detox so it is a great solution for some people and certainly helps bring the monthly cost down since you are only purchasing one bag per month. I hope this helps!

    2. You get what you pay for. I found absolutely nothing that compares to these in terms of sourcing, quality and instant feeling of energy and satiety.

  15. Larry says:

    Hey Ben,big fan.Is any other brands of powder Spirulina and Chlorella you would recommend?Energy bits brand is little pricey for my budget.Thanks

    1. Hi Larry thanks for your question and my apologies for this delay in responding. My short answer is that other algae products simply won’t give you the purity, density and safety assurances that ours will and you would end up spending more money eventually since you would have to take a lot more of the other algae products to equal the benefits you get from ours. But I totally understand your concern with the price. So my suggestion would be to purchase VITALITYbits which are a blend of the two algae and this way you would only be buying one bag per month instead of two bags. We also have special offers throughout the year (Cyber Monday etc) so you could always stock up on those days! I would also like to mention that if you look after your health now with highly nutrient dense products like ours, you ultimately save yourself money long term since you are far less likely to suffer from any of the many devastating (and expensive) illnesses like cancer, heart disease or alzheimers. We work with a lot of functional medicine clinics because they have become very well informed about the quality and the health benefits of our algae. I hope you get to try some soon. All the best, Catharine

      1. Candace says:

        Interesting! Thank you. I’ll also keep my eye out for deals or sales on the Vitalitybits; as I also have the same concerns regarding the costs.

    2. See above— "You get what you pay for. I found absolutely nothing that compares to these in terms of sourcing, quality and instant feeling of energy and satiety."

  16. John says:

    Really enjoyed that podcast. . . Excellent . . .

    I wonder if Catherine’s recommended products are available in Canada?

    Specifically Calgary Alberta.

    John

    1. HI John and so glad you enjoyed the podcast! I am particularly thrilled because like you, I am Canadian! Yup. Born in Toronto, lived in Calgary (briefly) as well as Edmonton and Vancouver and have been in Boston MA for the last 25 years. We ship to Canada (and internationally) every day but shipping to Canada is expensive so if you have an address in the USA we could ship to, that would be a lot cheaper for you! We DO hope to sell in Canada but probably not until next year. We have been selling online for the last six years and only this year, started going into the USA retail channels. Its a lot of hard work trying to get retailers to sell your products, especially for a small company like us. We’re making progress but its slow. In the interim, if you have a favorite retailer who you would like to have stock us, please ask them to contact me at [email protected] and we’ll send them some information and get the ball rolling so we can save you shipping! Thanks again eh! All the best, from a fellow Canuck! Cheers, Catharine

  17. Matthaios says:

    Hey Ben, any idea about the oxalate content of spirulina or Chlorella? I have a problem with my body not processing oxalates and really want to avoid kidney stones, but would love the benefits form algae… I’m finding hyperoxaluria to be a major hinderance in allowing me to indulge in many “super foods” that I used to utilize to help me with my chronic Lyme disease…would love if you did a podocast addressing oxalates one day! Love your work and appreciate what you do!

    1. Hi Matthaios and thanks for your great question and my apologies for this delay in responding. While we are not medical professionals and are not able to provide medical advice (you would need to seek that from your medical professional) I have great news for you! The best way that many functional food doctors say is the way to avoid Kidney Stones is to keep your diet as alkaline as possible. ALGAE is the most alkaline food in the world so you will definitely be helping alkalize your body by taking it every day. If you would like to learn more about this, I have provided a link to a short video and fantastic nutrition website/organization that is run by Dr. Micheal Greger, a medical doctor. His website is called www.nutrionfacts.org and is full of pearls of wisdom (and videos) about staying healthy by following a diet that is green and alkaline: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-k…. I hope this helps and that you can try our algae soon! Warmly, Catharine

  18. Mark says:

    Hi Ben,

    What are your thoughts on spirulina being taken at the same time as methyl B vitamins, I have an MTHFR gene mutation. I’ve hear it can affect absorption? Is this a concern I should have?

    1. From Energy Bit: Since we are not medical professionals, we are not allowed to provide any kind of medical advice. All we can do is provide the information that we have learned about algae and share it so that each person can make their own decision and/or discuss it with their medical practitioner. As a result we cannot comment o the MTHFR gene mutation issue but have provided a summary of the B Vitamins that are found in algae. We hope this helps.

    2. Hi Mark, thanks for your great question and my apologies for this delay in responding. As you probably know, a MTHFR gene mutation decreases your body’s ability to remove toxins and this is very problematic because it increases the toxic load on your immune systems which has lead to a cascade of other health issues as your body struggles to maintain balance. Unfortunately since we are not doctors, we are not allowed to give you any medical advice but I can provide you with some information that will hopefully allow you to assess and discuss the options with your medical professional . Algae contains a lot of B vitamins and since these B Vitamins are sourced from food (not a pill or an artificial source like supplements usually are), I not aware of any interactions or negative affects it has on other vitamins such as Methyl B. In fact, since you hae a MTHFR gene mutuation you really should be providing your body with as much help as possible to remove the toxins from your body. There have been 80,000 toxins released into our environment since WWII and our immune systems were not built to sustain this kind of toxic load. chlorella algae (RECOVERYbits) have been used for decades to remove toxins of any kind from mercury to radiation and it could definitely help you remove toxins from your body too, especially since your MTHFR gene mutation puts you at risk. Noted below are some other suggestions sourced from a website where there was an informative post about MFTHFR gene mutations with some excellent suggestions about how to help your body detox (I”ll have to contact them so they will be sure to include CHLORELLA in their next post about this!). Hope this helps. Warmly, Catharine
      https://wellnessmama.com/27148/mthfr-mutation/

  19. Roman Leija says:

    Hey ben, yet again another great podcast thank you. I just have one question but its not really related to algea of anything like that but, I was wondering what type of HRV monitor you use and would purchasing a HRV monitor that utilized bluetooth be a bad idea or do they all use bluetooth? Just looking for some guidance, thanks.

  20. Michael says:

    That title right?

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