If you haven't heard, sea veggies are a must in a healthy diet, not only do they provide your body with essential nutrients, they also aid in digestion and help carry toxins through your intestines, and ahem....out the other end of the tube!
My kids got me into this crispy salty seaweed snack. I happened to pick up a pack one day and my kids went cray cray for it!
We buy it cheap from Trader Joes $0.99 cents a package!
In trying to find a way to oomph it up for myself I experimented a bit and the combinations can be endless! I did a sesame oil drizzle with crunchy pink sea salt and toasted sesame seeds. I'm thinking along the lines of anything from a little sesame oil, and fresh grated ginger, to garlic powder mixed with pink sea salt to a hickory smoked sea salt I have. Ummmm YUMMY!
A little education in sea veggies to those interested
Read more at: Live Strong
Vitamins
According to the European Food Information Council, seaweed is one of the few vegetables that contain vitamin B12, which is important for a healthy nervous system. Wakame seaweed is a good source of vitamin A. Kelp and other types of seaweed contain measurable amounts of vitamins C, E and K, as well as niacin, folate and choline. In fact, just an ounce of seaweed can provide you with nearly 14 percent of your recommended daily allowance of folate, and one ounce of kelp provides 23 percent of your daily vitamin K needs.
Minerals
Seaweed is high in minerals absorbed from seawater. One third of a cup of dulse contains 19 percent of the iron you need daily and wakame can provide 20 percent of your daily manganese needs. Dulse is also a source of potassium, and all seaweeds provide magnesium, iron and zinc among other minerals. Kelp is a good source of calcium, offering 17 percent of daily needs in one cup. Be cautious with the amount of kelp you add to your diet, as it has sometimes been found to contain heavy metals.
Iodine
Adequate amounts of iodine are essential for a healthy thyroid and during pregnancy. Iodine deficiency can lead to hypothyroidism and cause goiters. The only sources of iodine are dietary, and seaweed is a good source because seawater contains iodine. Information from the American Thyroid Association concludes that the cure for iodine deficiency and prevention of deficiency both come from ingesting adequate amounts of iodine. Just one-eighth of a cup of kelp provides all the iodine you need in a day, but you should also be aware that iodine needs should be balanced and excessive iodine can be dangerous and lead to hyperthyroidism. Only 150 mg per day is recommended by the Institute of Medicine. If you have thyroid problems, it's best to check with your doctor before adding more iodine to your diet.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are crucial to brain development and can help prevent heart disease. One of the omega-3 fatty acids is DHA, which is vital to nervous system development and vision in infants. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, seaweed is a good source of DHA for vegetarians. In a study cited in a ScienceDaily.com article, researchers found that 200 mg of DHA daily can help prevent heart disease in men. One ounce of wakame seaweed contains a little over 52 mg of omega-3 fatty acids.
Anti-Cancer Benefits
In 2005, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, found that when kelp is included in the diet, levels of estradiol decreased. Elevated levels of estradiol have been linked to the formation of breast cancer, and the researchers found that dietary kelp lowers estradiol levels. They concluded that including kelp in a healthy diet may lower the risk of breast cancer, but caution that more research is needed.
Another Great read on the benefits of sea veggies:
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