08 Nov Sea Vegetables

Seaweed is highly alkalising and nutrient dense so it’s good to know how to use it, where to buy it and to start experimenting with this incredible food source. Seaweeds are high in minerals especially calcium, iron, zinc and iodine. They contain vitamin A, C and B vitamins. Seaweed is detoxifying and has an amazing ability to pull out heavy metals from the body like mercury, lead and aluminium. For those on a dairy free diet, seaweed is one alternative for calcium. It is a very good food to add if you have a debilitating gut condition and you need more nutrition.

Nori is the seaweed you may be most familiar with. When you buy sushi rolls or California rolls, nori is what they are wrapped in. You can buy nori sheets from health shops and sometimes the Asian section of supermarkets and Asian grocery stores. When you buy it at a health food shop you can be sure it comes from more healthy seas. If you are new to seaweed, nori is the easiest to use along with dulse. I have found nori is very popular amongst kids especially with a bit of soy sauce. It comes in sheets and you can break these sheets up and eat them plain or you can tear bits up and add them to soups or salads. You can make your own California rolls or cook brown rice and veggies (you can add fish or meat) and lay some on one side of the seaweed and then roll it up like a mountain bread sandwich. Just moisten the edge with water to make it stick and eat it!

Dulse is a Celtic seaweed and usually sold in a shaker a little larger than a salt shaker. It’s easy to use as you can just sprinkle it onto anything, fish, salads, soups and rice dishes.

Hijiki is seaweed that comes in fine strands and has a strong pungent flavour. In Japan it is renowned for making women’s hair thick and shiny. It needs to be soaked and bulks up 5 times its original size. It’s very good in a salad and can be used in many other dishes.

Arame needs to be soaked for 10 minutes before eating. It comes in strands and is slightly sweet. It can be added to soups, stews, muffins, pancakes and salads. It’s known for its immune boosting qualities which are needed for bowel infections and infestations.

Wakame is eaten regularly by Japanese pregnant women for its nutrient content. The leaves need to be cut into strips as they expand when cooking. It is also known as sea mustard and is very high in omega 3 fatty acids which are good for bowel inflammation. They go well with sardines, soups and salads, in particular cucumber.

Kombu comes in long wide sticks. The sticks are good when added to soups and they can be cut into 5cm strips. If you suffer with gas from eating lentils and beans, just add a kombu stick whilst you are cooking and then remove it at the end. It will relieve the problem. It is high in glutamic acid which is good for memory and aids digestion. It also flavours and adds minerals to stocks.