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Stefania Abbona is on a big mission with her Algae Factory: She is looking for ways to feed the growing world population in a healthy and ecologically beneficial way. Her solution: chocolate with spirulina flakes.

Goal: useful and tasty food

The world’s population is growing in seconds, but food resources are limited. The solution: algae. Cultivation is ecologically advantageous and the nutrient content is high. Spirulina is currently mainly available on the market as tablets or in powder form.

But the Algae Factory has a bigger goal. They want to ensure that their products are not only useful but also really taste good. That’s why they combine the beneficial ingredients with goodies. The chocolate variant with spirulina flakes should still be unique. And who knows, maybe that way we can get used to the food of the future better.

Spirulina is so healthy

Said spirulina are cyanobacteria, which are also called blue-green algae or microalgae. Algae are rightly considered super suppliers because they contain a lot of proteins and important vitamins. The vitamin B12 content of some types of algae is even higher than that of meat! Algae also contain important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron. Algae also provide significant amounts of the important trace element iodine. On average, there is around 10 mg iodine per 100 g of algae. This makes algae particularly valuable for vegetarians and vegans.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be the spirulina chocolate

If you are following a healthy diet and want to include spirulina in your diet, you don’t need to buy Algae Factory’s Spirulina Chocolate. We have great alternative recipes for you that you absolutely have to try!

In the fight against excess pounds, the low-carb diet is very popular. A new study published surprising results: low carb is not as healthy as previously thought and can even shorten life expectancy under certain circumstances.

The low-carb diet is well known to everyone and is considered by many to be a successful weight loss diet. But is low carb not so healthy for us and can it even harm us?

dr Sara Seidelmann, a researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Boston, took a closer look at the low-carb diet and its effects and came up with startling results that were published in The Lancet Public Health. The study found that under certain circumstances, a low-carb diet can shorten life expectancy by up to four years.

Carrying out the study

Two studies were conducted to take a closer look at the effects of a low-carb diet.

1st study:

The study spanned 15,400 subjects over a 25-year period and took into account gender, age, educational level, ethnicity, physical activity, income, diabetes, smoking, and precise dietary habits. The participants had to fill out questionnaires about their eating habits, with information about the food and drink consumed and the portion sizes of the meals.

Results:

  • at the age of 50, the remaining life expectancy was estimated at another 33 years for the subjects who consumed moderate amounts of carbohydrates, i.e. 50 to 55 percent of the daily energy intake
  • at the age of 50, the remaining life expectancy was estimated at another 32 years for the subjects who consumed high amounts of carbohydrates, i.e. more than 65 percent of the daily energy intake
  • at the age of 50, the remaining lifespan was estimated at another 29 years for the subjects who consumed small amounts of carbohydrates, i.e. less than 30 percent of the daily energy intake
  • Conclusion: Consuming a moderate amount of carbohydrates in combination with vegetable sources of protein and fat is better than a low-carb diet containing meat.

2nd study:

In a second study, the scientists examined the exact implementation of the low-carb diet of 430,000 participants using two different types of nutrition:

  • the classic low-carb diet with few carbohydrates, lots of animal proteins and fats (meat, eggs, cheese, and milk)
  • the vegetarian low-carb diet with few carbohydrates, lots of vegetable proteins and fats (nuts, legumes, etc.)

Results:

This study found that a low-carb, high-meat diet shortened life expectancy compared to a moderate-carb diet. However, those who use vegetable protein sources even have a longer life expectancy than those who have a moderate carbohydrate intake.

Conclusion: A vegetarian low-carb diet can increase life expectancy.

dr Sara Seidelmann, who led the study, explained: “Low carb diets are becoming more popular because people believe it is a healthy way to lose weight quickly. However, our data suggest that a low-carb, animal-based diet is more likely to be associated with shorter lifespans. Therefore, people should not be encouraged to follow this diet. Instead, people who want to eat low carb should swap carbohydrates for plant-based fats and plant-based proteins, as such a low-carb diet actually enables healthy aging.”

Why low carb and high carb shorten the life

Scientists say Anyone who eats a low-carb diet and eats little fruit, vegetables, and whole grains, but more animal products automatically promotes inflammation in the body, increases oxidative stress, and accelerates the aging process, which increases risk of death.

A diet rich in carbohydrates is just as bad because those who mainly eat unhealthy foods made from white flour (toast, biscuits, etc.) promote metabolic diseases and digestive problems.

If low carb, then vegetarian?

A low-carb diet is only recommended if it consists mainly of vegetable protein and fat sources such as vegetables, legumes, and nuts. The researchers, therefore, recommend a plant-based wholesome diet. Meat is not taboo, but it should never replace carbohydrates.

The scientists in the study, therefore, classify both a low-carb diet and a high-carb diet as not beneficial for health.

Our conclusion to the study

Due to the duration of the study, it must also be assumed that study participants changed their diet over the course of this time, which could falsify the results. It is also questionable whether the so-called low-carb subjects in these observational studies actually followed a conscious low-carb diet the whole time. In addition, the surveys only show correlations and no causalities, so the connection between cause and effect is not taken into account.

So there is no reason to get excited. We recommend a balanced, conscious, and moderate low-carb diet if you want to eat a low-carbohydrate diet. Be mindful of the protein and fat sources you consume, just as you should ensure adequate vitamin and fiber intake. Diets cannot only be judged on the basis of carbohydrate and protein content. Many other factors, including nutrient sources, play an important role.

Mediterranean diet for memory loss? German researchers believe it is possible that diet, as is customary around the Mediterranean, can protect against Alzheimer’s.

Mediterranean diet can reduce risk of Alzheimer’s

In Alzheimer’s disease, nerve cells in the brain die. Responsible for this are protein deposits in the brain of those affected. This creates clumps between the nerve cells. The causes of these deposits have not yet been clarified

The scientists think it is possible that a higher consumption of vegetables, legumes, fruit, grains, fish and monounsaturated fats such as olive oil can protect against protein deposits in the brain. Dairy products, red meat and saturated fat, on the other hand, feature only to a small extent on the menus around the Mediterranean.

Lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s: nationwide study

The study involved a total of 512 people
Researchers performed brain scans using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, as well as various neuropsychological tests. In addition, so-called biomarkers were searched for in the cerebrospinal fluid in the spinal cord. These are typical biological characteristics that indicate disease states in the body.

The results: those who ate an unhealthy diet had higher pathological levels of biomarkers than those who ate a regular Mediterranean diet. In the memory tests, the participants who did not follow the Mediterranean diet also performed worse than the participants who regularly had fish and vegetables on their plates.

Mediterranean foods also counteract other diseases
Other studies also confirm the health aspects of Mediterranean cuisine.
Last year, for example, scientists from the University of Cork in Ireland discovered that foods that are common in the Mediterranean also have a preventive effect against heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and cancer, but also against obesity.