In honor of St Patrick’s Day, I am going to talk about green things. You know I love green things. Kale, chard, spinach, broccoli, romaine, teas, spirulina, Amazing Grass Energy, basil, cilantro and the list goes on. I even liked the green peas that I made to go with our salmon last night. (Not usually a fan of green peas but they’re green so, in moderation, I eat them knowing they aren’t as healthful as my above list and because my Kiwi husband cannot imagine life without them. Oh, let me add kiwifruit to the list, too).
This year, I have fallen in love with seaweed. Though only a novice, this is my year to learn as much as I can about this mineral rich sea vegetable. In his book, Superfoods, David Wolfe gives Kelp, aka seaweed, honorable mention. Wolfe says that “kelp is an especially rich source of potassium, iron, iodine, vitamin B6, riboflavin, and dietary fiber.”
I don’t know about you but my iron levels are always borderline so I am excited that I might be able to absorb iron from this plant source.
My iodine? Who knows? But my mom, who had Grave’s Disease when she was my age, has always warned me to make sure I use iodized sea salt since iodine helps the thyroid work. Iodine is something that needs to be constantly ingested to maintain balance.
What about potassium? Do you often cramp during exercise? (That could be caused from other things but it’s often the first thing our minds go to when we experience it).
Because B vitamins can be quite low in many Americans getting them from seaweed can only be a good thing!
What if we could eat seaweed a few times a week and have these vitamins and minerals in abundance while at the same time eating something full of fiber and quite delicious?
Dr. Josh Axe has summed it up best in his article on the many benefits of adding seaweed to your diet. It can be eaten as a salad, to flavor soup and to salt things up (it is generally very salty).
If you are served seaweed with sushi, do you eat it or do you look at it like an ornament? Do you ever venture to buy seaweed and prepare a salad at home? (I haven’t done this but I am going to Whole Foods this afternoon and I am going armed with a recipe and will share the outcome this weekend).
Though I urge you to try it, it is definitely different. It’s not the end of the world if you just don’t have a taste for it. It’s a great addition if you love it like I do but as long as you keep eating green, clean, organic foods, you will be doing much much better than the most!
If you have ideas on sea vegetables (how to use them, a good miso soup recipe, etc), please post below. I want to learn as much as I can.
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