How To Include Sea Vegetables In Your Diet
Exposure to sea vegetables has taken off around the world in the past decade or so as the popularity of sushi has exploded. But there’s so much more to these nutritional powerhouses than just nori, or the sheets of seaweed that are wrapped around sushi.
Super Sea Vegetables
There are a ton of reasons to up your intake of these tasty veggies from the sea because they provide a ton of benefits.
As you might expect, they are a great source of iodine. Iodine is crucial for thyroid health, our thyroids, among other things, regulate metabolism. The iron content of sea vegetables like kelp, kombu or nori is more bio-available than many other plant sources of iron because these veggies are also high in Vitamin C.
These slightly salty veggies are also a great source of Vitamin K, calcium, folate (great for pregnant women!), magnesium, and Vitamin B 12.
Buying Sea Vegetables
Not all sea vegetables are created equal, so do use caution when buying them. Choose organic if possible. Organic sea vegetables are free from contaminants like heavy metals, E. coli, herbicides and pesticides.
Search the shelves in your natural food store and chances are good that you’ll find packages of organic sea vegetables.
How to use Seaweed
Now that you’ve found the organic sea veggies, you might be wondering how to use them.
Kombu is one of my favorites. It comes in big pieces and is generally pretty tough. It’s not one to eat as is, dry and packaged, but put it in a pot of simmering water to create a rich, nutty base for soups, sauces and stocks. I like to drink this warm water during chilly winter months as a savory tea.
Nori is the staple seaweed used for wrapping sushi. It’s awesome for wrapping a lot more than just sushi though! Use nori to wrap up an avocado, leftover salad or pretty much anything else.
Because these powerhouse sea vegetables can have a slightly salty taste to them, powdered or flaked seaweed is an excellent replacement for salt, so fill a shaker and keep it on the table!
Sea vegetables are an amazing source of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and protein, chlorophyll, and are super low in calories. Don’t be afraid; add them to your meals to get all of their benefits!
Want to learn more about how these sea vegetables can remineralize your body? Check out this great new program!