Next time you purchase an energy supplement or "green" juice, you may notice it contains the ingredient spirulina. Spirulina, a blue-green algae, is used to support immunity and enhance energy. The supplement, which comes in powders, pills or flakes, provides a number of vitamins and minerals as well as protein. Understanding spirulina's nutritional content can help you determine how it fits into your diet plan.
Calories and Macronutrients
One tbsp. of dried, powdered spirulina contains just 20 calories and 1 g of fat. It provides only 2 g of carbohydrates. Although spirulina is a vegan source of protein with 4 g per tbsp., it is not the most efficient source because of the quantity and expense of the amount you would have to consume to meet your daily needs.
Vitamins
Spirulina provides 40 IU of vitamin A and .7 mg of vitamin C per tbsp. It also provides .4 mg of vitamin E and 1.8 micrograms of vitamin K. Additionally, spirulina is a source of most of the energizing B vitamins, with .2 mg of thiamin, 3 mg of riboflavin, .9 mg of niacin, 6.6 micrograms of folate and .2 mg of pantothenic acid.
Minerals
Spirulina is a source of trace minerals including 2 mg of iron, .4 mg of copper and .1 mg of manganese per tbsp. Spirulina is also a source of potassium, with 95 mg per tbsp., and magnesium, with 14 mg per tbsp. It contains 8.4 mg of calcium, or just 1 percent of the daily value, based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Considerations
Purchase spirulina supplements from high-quality retailers. Some inferior spirulina may be contaminated with toxins. People take spirulina to support immunity and address a number of conditions including allergies, cancer and HIV. No clinical research supports spirulina's effectiveness in treating these conditions in humans. Spirulina may help offset the destruction of good bacteria that results when you consume too many antibiotics, but more research on humans is necessary.
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