Seaweed is densely nutritious, cleansing, and balancing. It adds unique umami flavours, wonderful texture and visual appeal in food! Even a small addition of sea vegetables into your daily menu can have a big impact! Seaweed’s status as a ‘vegan superfood‘ grows daily, as does awareness of the remarkable role it plays in our planet’s health. Seaweed comes in many varieties too, the common edible ones’ include Atlantic Dulse, Kombu, Wakame, Karengo, Sea Lettuce, Sea Spaghetti, Agar & Kelp, however there are many, many more around our planet.
Many traditional countries around the world regularly eat marine macro-algaes, or seaweeds, sometimes also called sea vegetables because they many macro-nutrients such as proteins, lipids & fibre, plus many micro-nutrients of iodine, iron, potassium & many more. Not to forget the added flavours & textures when we add these seaweeds to our recipes, BUT, these also have the potential to help reduce diet-related disease risks such as breast & colon cancers!
They really were one of the first “functional foods” as history shows, the ancient Egyptians consumed edible seaweeds from as far back as around 1534BC, where they actually used them for the treatment, or prevention of breast cancer too! This use has now been substantiated in modern studies were data collected supports the reduction of diet-related chronic disease risks in people known to eat seaweeds regularly, and with western diets having a significantly higher number of chronic diseases compared to the eastern & south-eastern Asian diets, I think we should all be adding these super foods in our recipes & daily meals!
Increasing bodies of evidence suggests eating seaweeds may have a role in promoting health by reducing inflammation, providing us with anti-oxidants, improving thyroid function & improving cholesterol levels. Any foods that stimulate our immune system has the potential for our bodies to naturally increase our immune surveillance & therefore begin the attack on any incoming pathogens, this explains traditional uses of seaweeds medicinally for common infections too. Even further, it is now being considered that specific compounds found in particular seaweeds could be a novel source of vaccination adjuvants! The lipids in seaweeds are a great natural source of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly omega-3 & makes a good alternative to fish sources, this reduces our risks of heart diseases. As we know, our food really plays a relevant role (remember: food as medicine), as a therapeutic tool, so perhaps it’s time you began adding this superfood into your daily lives.
In today’s modern world, us as the consumers, are really beginning to demand more sustainability of our food production, with an increasing demand for healthy & nutritive foods that have a low impact on our environment & seaweeds give us exactly that since marine waters are not a limited resource as is freshwater. Don’t be surprised when we start to see seaweeds added to meats (sausages & burgers), plant-based foods like breads, pastas & even yoghurts to improve their qualities on our health & well-being.
I really can’t say enough about seaweeds, but like all diets & foods, this one does also have a health warning for people with thyroid disorders or allergies to iodine, you should always consult a qualifies health practitioner before consuming seaweeds.
Yours, as always in health & well-being,
Sharon – Integrated Naturopath
References are available upon request
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