In this episode of the BiohackerBlondie Podcast, Jenny sits down with Catharine Arnston, founder and CEO of ENERGYbits, to break down why microalgae is the most nutrient-dense food on earth — and why almost nobody knows about it. Catharine holds a PhD, an MBA in international business, and a certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and has spent seventeen years researching spirulina and chlorella. Her book, Love Your Health to Bits with Algae, publishes in January.
This conversation covers what NASA and the United Nations have said about algae, how spirulina fuels your mitochondria at the cellular level, why chlorella is the detox and gut-health algae, and the processing detail that determines whether the algae you bought is alive or dead.
What Microalgae Actually Is
First life on earth roughly four billion years ago — humans have been here about 200 million.
Macroalgae (seaweed, kelp, dulse) is high in fiber and iodine but has virtually zero nutrition.
Microalgae is microscopic — a million fit on the head of a pin — and is where all the nutrition sits.
Grown hydroponically in fresh water, not soil, which matters as agricultural soil is depleted of minerals.
Catharine’s framing: this is a food crop, not a supplement. It has been consumed daily in Taiwan, Japan, and China for sixty years.
The Numbers That Stop You
NASA: one gram of algae carries the nutrition of 1,000 grams of fruits and vegetables.
The United Nations has endorsed spirulina as an answer to world hunger.
ENERGYbits spirulina is 64% protein versus roughly 22% for animal protein — three times more than steak, chicken, or fish.
Each tablet delivers roughly the nutrition of three-quarters of a pound of vegetables.
Approximately 100,000 published studies exist — around 60,000 on spirulina, 40,000 on chlorella — knowledge Catharine says stays trapped in scientific silos.
Spirulina: Energy, Brain & Mitochondria
A cyanobacteria, not a plant — no cellulose wall, so it bypasses digestion and absorbs in seconds when chewed.
Protein arrives already in amino acid form, so five grams of protein delivers five grams of aminos. Catharine’s analogy: with animal protein and compromised digestion, it’s like a bad currency exchange.
Complete protein with 18 of 20 amino acids, including all nine the body cannot make, plus 40 vitamins and minerals.
B vitamins convert those aminos into usable energy for a fast mental and physical lift.
Phycocyanin, the blue pigment found only in spirulina, acts on cytochrome C in the electron transport chain to accelerate ATP production.
Superoxide dismutase (SOD) protects mitochondria from free radical damage. The body produces it until roughly age thirty, then production declines sharply.
Mitochondrial density tracks energy demand — two million per cell in the brain, then women’s eggs, then the heart. This is why Catharine calls spirulina brain food.
Her note for anyone on a GLP-1: appetite suppression doesn’t stop cells from dividing, so nourishment still matters.
Chlorella: Gut Health, Detox & Sleep
A true plant with the hardest cell wall in the plant kingdom, which binds and chelates heavy metals, glyphosate, pesticides, alcohol, lactic acid, and mold spores.
Its fiber feeds the gut microbiome while its chlorophyll — the highest of any food — targets bad bacteria.
Highest glutathione content of any food, supporting liver function.
Highest tryptophan content of any food, a precursor to both melatonin and serotonin.
Eighty percent of serotonin is made and used in the gut; only 10–20% in the brain. Serotonin drives peristalsis, the muscle contractions behind bowel motility.
1.3 million ER visits a year in the United States are for constipation.
Best taken after dinner or before bed. It takes roughly ninety minutes to fully absorb, won’t cause loose stools the way excess magnesium can, and won’t break a fast.
Why Most Algae on the Market Is Dead
Heat above 114°F destroys enzymes. Cheaper producers use high heat to dry algae faster and reach market sooner.
That heat deactivates SOD, phycocyanin, and exosomes. The label still reads spirulina and chlorella — the nutrients are simply no longer active.
Water source is the other variable. ENERGYbits is grown in triple-filtered spring mountain water in Taiwan, which Catharine calls the gold standard.
Her analogy: growing algae is less like growing vegetables and more like making wine — the angle of the sun, the water, and the drying method all determine quality.
Because no high heat is used, ENERGYbits tablets qualify as raw food.
Chlorophyll Drops & Single-Nutrient Supplements
Most chlorophyll drops contain chlorophyllin, a synthetic — not actual chlorophyll.
Even real chlorophyll delivers only chlorophyll. Catharine’s framing: single supplements are a soloist, algae is an orchestra.
Soil depletion means you would need a room full of arugula to match the chlorophyll in a single tablet.
Alkalinity & Inflammation
Blood pH must hold at 7.34. When diet, stress, or overtraining push it acidic, the body pulls alkaline minerals — potassium, magnesium — from bones, organs, and tissue to neutralize it.
Over time, this contributes to osteoporosis. Catharine compares it to constantly withdrawing from a bank account.
Dairy, meat, sugar, and processed foods are acidic. Algae is the most alkaline food available.
Catharine’s own labs show zero inflammation, including hs-CRP.
Her argument: address inflammation at the root rather than layering NAD+, peptides, and other interventions on top of it.
The Supplements Algae Replaced
Multivitamin, collagen, greens powder, CoQ10, fish oil, and biotin — all eliminated from her routine.
Collagen is clusters of amino acids and lacks tryptophan, so it isn’t a complete protein. Spirulina carries up to 400% more of certain aminos.
Fish oil goes rancid; she prefers whole-food sources like sardines and salmon. Omega-3 was the one gap her labs flagged.
Skin, Hair & Nails
Skin is an organ nourished by blood exactly like the liver or kidneys, so nutrition shows up there directly.
Chlorophyll shares a nearly identical chemical structure to hemoglobin and acts as a natural sun protector.
Skin turnover slows with age — roughly thirty days in your twenties, forty-plus later — so results require consistency.
Dosing & Daily Use
Ten tablets a day for maintenance; thirty a day to correct or prevent a condition, including detox and bowel motility support.
Zero drug interactions. Safe across every age group, including pregnancy, nursing, children, and pets.
Swallow for no taste, chew for flavor. Excellent fasted or during fasted training.
Catharine takes over one hundred tablets a day and has for seventeen years.
📌 Why This Matters
Most of us are stacking supplement on top of supplement to fix problems that trace back to one thing: our food is no longer as nutritious as it used to be. Depleted soil, contaminated water, and high-heat processing have stripped nutrition out of the food supply — and out of most of the supplements meant to replace it. Algae is a whole food that sidesteps all three, and it does the two things biohackers care most about at once: fuels the mitochondria and clears the toxins.
🌍 Where to Learn More
Website: energybits.com — use code BIOHACKERBLONDIE for 20% off
Instagram: @energybits
Follow Catharine Arnston: @catharinearnston
Book: Love Your Health to Bits with Algae — publishing January
Product Guide:
ENERGYbits (blue) — spirulina for energy, brain, and mitochondria
RecoveryBits (green) — chlorella for gut health and detox
VitalityBits (red) — a blend of both, though Catharine recommends starting with the two separately
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Disclaimer: This episode is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional before starting any new treatments or protocols.
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