Nutritional Benefits of Seaweed

As so many of us are spending so much time preparing our own food, it’s a good opportunity to focus on the health benefits of the ingredients were using. You probably know by now that seaweed is not only very tasty but is also very good for you. Yet it’s still not really a dietary staple across North America. There are many nutritional reasons why this should change! One of the most significant is the fact that it is a unique source of iodine—a really important mineral. A gram of seaweed will fill your daily iodine needs. Beyond iodine, seaweed boasts proteins, complex carbohydrates and all forty four trace minerals and elements and vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B6. Seaweed is a very good friend to vegetarians and vegans: as well as being high in both iron and calcium, research also indicates it’s unique in being a natural, non-animal sources of vitamin B-12. To cap if off, it’s a soluble fibre which means it turns into a gel once consumed, slowing down the digestive process and thus inhibiting the absorption of sugars and cholesterol.

The spirulina and algae often found in your favourite super-health greens supplements are cultivated in lakes and may be less salty, but they are in the same sea vegetable family. In terms of the ocean variety, Dulse in particular is nutritionally dense with around twice the nutritional value of everyone's favourite green food, kale. (We still love kale!) And roasted seaweed is easily one of your healthiest options for satisfying a craving for a salty and finger licking-ly tasty snack! 

There are loads of ways get seaweeds into your diet on a more regular basis if it’s not already there: sheets of nori slip easily into sandwiches and wraps, all varieties of seaweed can be snipped or crumbled up and added to soups, salads, and casseroles, or you can throw some in the blender to create tasty, umami sprinkles of seaweed that work anywhere from smoothies to popcorn!

You might even want to try out our recipe for a Kickin’ Kelp Noodle Stir Fry :)