Last updated on June 11th, 2023
When I first brought spirulina into our home, my kids were super excited. I remember their joy while cleaning the second hand aquarium we had received from the pet shop, and the immense curiosity when that bottle of gooey liquid arrived in the post. Having had my eye on spirulina as the number one nutrient to feed my kids upon, I thought
“Great, my kids LOVE spirulina”
Well… that wasn’t 100% correct. I mean, don’t get me wrong. They love looking after it, feeding it, mixing it, and watching it grow. If spirulina was a pet- it would most definitely be our favorite- especially as she’s so much more quiet than our cat! But seriously- Whenever it came to the part where eating was involved, silence would fill the room, and hugely dramatic facial expressions began emerging on their little faces. They would say things like:
- We want normal food
- But it’s got wee in it
- It smells like fish
- It looks like mucous
I have to admit, their arguments were pretty convincing, but mine was better-
Spirulina is the healthiest food on the planet!
To stress the message across, I volunteered to give a talk about spirulina at their school. To my surprise, the kids were absolutely fascinated and kept asking more and more questions about how it grows and about it’s many uses and benefits. Here’s the slideshow I made for them (sorry guys text is in hebrew, but i’m sure you can figure it out. )
The school kids were particularly interested when I told them that in our house, we mix spirulina in our desserts, so we don’t bother to restrict them too much…
Of course, it hasn’t always been like this. I used to be so strict about sweets that even too much fruit got me worried. After a series of slimy green yogurt drinks, green jam sandwiches, and dark green smoothies -which sometimes worked but often didn’t- I realized two very important things about kids and Spirulina:
Looks do matter!
Whatever you’re giving them, it should always look and taste “kids-friendly”. Kids often prefer their foods unmixed and simple, so if you’re already adding spirulina, try not to add too many other things, or try to hide it among other foods, as looks can make a lot of difference to them. If you’re only using small amounts of spirulina, you may as well leave them uninformed, as in this particular case- ignorance is bliss!
Spirulina ice cream is the best!
Kids Love Spirulina ice cream, or to be more precise, Kids love ice cream, so what’s wrong with a bit of green in it to make it healthier and hugely more effective in preserving their health?
In past terms, I never used to give my kids ice cream at all, unless there was a very special occasion happening. Nowadays, they get to enjoy the flavors they never could before, and I get the pleasure of knowing what’s really inside- So everyone is happy!
Yummy ice cream recipes that will make your kids love spirulina too!
So there are two kinds of spirulina ice cream:
Home made Spirulina ice cream
Ground Mango, banana, Guava (no seeds!) and spirulina mixed together in the blender and then frozen into ice lollies
The quick version of Spirulina ice cream
Buy dark colored chocolate ice cream- of the kind that’s too dark to notice the presence of spirulina. Mix in the blender with lots of water and spirulina- Most kinds of ice cream will still remain sweet and your kids won’t notice the difference.
Seeing the bigger picture
Whether you let your kids know they’re eating spirulina or not is up to you, and some of them will notice it more than others. Either way, I hugely encourage you to tell your kids about spirulina and its benefits, and convince them that despite its unusual taste, it really is good for them. If your kids understand the nutritional value of Spirulina, they will learn to appreciate it and over time, maybe they will not need the ice cream anymore…
To cut things short, here’s a quick and simple tip which I strongly believe in:
Healthy kids = Happy kids
Nurture them well!
