When people tell me their food weaknesses I’ve realized the
world is made up of two people: salt people and sugar people. If you’re like me and a salt person, your
junk food consists of olives, chips, and popcorn. I’m about to make a case for seaweed to my
fellow salt fiends. Not only will it
fill your cravings for salt, but it will also help you meet USDA
recommendations of 2 cups of green vegetables .
Instead of boring old broccoli or plain Jane salad, throw in a little
gift from the sea. I promise you that
you won’t regret it.
It’s Actually Really
Good for You
Yes, it’s true. Not
only is it salty and robust, but it’s also good for you, too. Seaweed is lower in calories and higher in
nutrients than land-grown vegetables, particularly iron and B-12—two nutrients
that most women are lacking. Most
seaweed is also high in natural iodine, making it great for the thyroid, and if
you choose a seaweed like Alaria (Atlantic Seaweed) you are also getting in
your calicum for the week. With all of
the nutrients available in seaweed it is a great substitute for your typical
greens, but don’t let good health get in the way of what we really want to talk
about: the taste.
It’s All About the
Taste
There are many different types of seaweed on the market,
each of them has their own flavor and texture.
When you purchase seaweed you can get everything from crispy seaweed
snacks to seaweed salads. All of them,
however, still maintain that salty edge to them which I find delightful. There are so many types of seaweed to choose
from and so many styles that it’s difficult to decide which I like best, but
I’ll present some options for you that are “fan favs”:
·
Seakraut—fermented seaweed with a taste and
texture like that of good Eastern European kraut
·
Seaweed salad—standard spaghetti like strands of
seaweed with sesame oil, sees, and salt for flavor.
·
Roasted seaweed—my personal favorite, comes in
many flavors, perfect for snacking
·
Seaweed soup—amazingly cozy hot soup for cold
days.
·
Sushi rolls—seaweed is a great wrap for sushi.
As I said earlier, I’m really a salt food snacker. I’m not paid for the endorsement I’m about to
make, just arguing for this as a chip or popcorn substitute but I could eat my
weight in roasted seaweed snacks.
This is just one of the brands on the market but by far not
the only one or the only flavors available.
The packages are designed to give you a good snack when you’re craving
salt, but won’t let you go overboard in that area.
Seaweed Can Aid I
Weight Loss
We all want a magic bullet, don’t we? Well, here is a perfect example of a food
that contributes to weight loss because of its unique properties to
improve thyroid and liver function and help aid the kidneys. According to one study at Newcastle
University in England it also prevents the gut from absorbing fat:
Tests showed that alginate, found
in sea kelp, can suppress the digestion of fat in the gut.
The findings, published in the
journal Food Chemistry, showed that a four-fold increase in one type of
alginate boosted anti-fat absorption by 75%.
Everyone wants to lose weight, right? And if you can lose weight by eating instead of avoiding it, all
the better.
This is definitely one of those superfoods they talk about,
but it’s also a tasty superfood if you would rather eat salted sunflower seeds
than a cookie, or chips over a donut.