You may have seen this marine plant at the beach, but it’s now making its way into the kitchen. Traditionally used in Japanese, Korean and Chinese dishes for thousands of years, kelp — or seaweed — is slowly making its way into the mainstream American Cuisine. Full of essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, seaweed has recently received praise for its disease-fighting abilities and weight loss claims. But are they true? We’re giving you the low down on seaweed, its benefits and how you can enjoy it.
Similar to vegetables grown on land, seaweed boasts an impressive nutritional profile, including proteins, vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. Low in calories and fats, it provides several essential nutrients: iron, iodine, zinc, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin C and B vitamins. While each type of seaweed has different vitamins and minerals, they all contain a plentiful number that your body benefits from.
Types of Edible Seaweeds
First things first, it’s important to know that seaweed varieties differ in look, color, taste, texture and nutritional value. Here are some of the most common types of edible seaweeds:
Dulse: a red seaweed that has a soft, chewy texture. Mostly consumed in dried flake form to flavor soups and salads.
Kelp: a brown/green seaweed that is very high in iodine.
Nori: a dry, brittle sheet of seaweed that is most commonly used for rolling sushi.
Wakame: small, dark-green/almost-black dehydrated pieces of seaweed commonly used in miso soup and Japanese seaweed salad.
Sea spaghetti: a mild-tasting seaweed with an al dente texture that absorbs flavor.
Seaweed salt: naturally iodized salt using seaweed for iodine.
How to Eat Seaweed
While most Americans usually try seaweed in sushi or miso soup, it likely doesn’t make up a huge part of your diet. Dried seaweed has long been a nutritious snack for children to snack on, but up until recently, American consumers haven’t really known what to do with the fresh stuff. Here are some ways you can incorporate seaweed into your diet to reap its benefits.
- Add spirulina (algae powder) to your smoothies! Make sure to choose organic and ensure that it was harvested from uncontaminated waters.
- Enjoy seaweed snacks like dried sheets of seaweed that you can eat plain or add to salads and wraps for a nice crunch.
- Use a sheet of nori to a wrap or sandwich (or make one entirely from nori).
- Instead of grabbing a bag of greasy potato chips, enjoy seaweed chips as a snack. Dip them into your favorite hummus, tapenade or pesto!
- Add dried seaweed when making hummus, tapenade or pesto to dip your favorite veggies into.
- Use raw kelp noodles in salads and main dishes.
While it’s easy to incorporate seaweed into almost any dish, it is possible to eat too much seaweed. Consuming concentrated amounts of kelp can introduce too much iodine into the body, so it’s important to be mindful of your intake. For optimum health benefits, enjoy it in regular but small amounts.
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