Seaweed Rewards in Nutrition
by Raquel Rivera and Cindy Collins, PhD, RD
Coming from a Florida native, seaweed sounds like a strange nutritive element. We have been surrounded by it our entire lives! The truth is, this plant of the sea is a wonderful source of many vitamins, minerals and good for weight management. Seaweed is a low carbohydrate, and low calorie food. Not only does it contain a good source of protein, but it also carries a ton of nutrition such as beta carotene, omega 3, vitamin A and folate. Seaweed carries a few minerals as well, such as magnesium, phosphorus and calcium.
If you look at the walls of the structure of seaweed, there is a component known as alginates which was tested in a study and found that it helps with weight management. Another study showed a correlation of intake of brown seaweed and protection against estrogen-related cancers. This is new information and needs further study before it can be proven.
Another exceptional feature of seaweed is called fucoidans, which are considered cell-surface molecules that expedite cell-to-cell signaling, which is a direct process accountable for immunity, cardiovascular and cellular activity. Seaweed is a strong antiviral and antioxidant! This means it is wonderful for nerve/tissue repair and breakdown of toxins within the system.
If you are looking to try seaweed for the first time here are a few tips:
• Order it from a Japanese restaurant; usually served with sesame seeds, and oil.
• Buy sheets of it from your local grocer, crunch it up and put it into your salad.
• Get different varieties from a whole food source store, and sauté it; you can add it into a sandwich or into a favorite vegetable mix.
• It is also great with fish, and a great substitution for noodles.
For more information please refer to http://blog.lef/2012/06/you-should-be-eating-seaweed.html