Getting to Health: Seaweed

I’ve previously written about getting more plant based foods in your diet – not just fruits and vegetables but to expand this to herbs, spices, and teas. Mushrooms too are a great source of nutrients and can be made into seasonings that can be sprinkled into and over many meals.  It was through making different seasonings that I got introduced to seaweed.

Asian cultures have embraced seaweed in their diets a lot more than other cultures. In many places the only seaweed people might be familiar with is the nori sheets that are wrapped around sushi; some may not even realise that it is seaweed.

Unlike mushrooms, seaweeds are actually plants but they differ from land plants in physiology and chemistry. Seaweeds have exceptional mineral, nutrient and trace element density, far exceeding any land plants. They are a particularly good source of iodine, selenium and vitamin B12. Seaweeds contain all five essential nutrients of a good diet – vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein, plant fibre & fat. They also help you to ‘eat a rainbow’ with green, red and brown varieties.

Studies have shown seaweeds can play several balancing functions in our bodies, including supporting lower blood pressure, promoting lipid metabolism in the liver, and helping to regulate endocrine function. They are also highly alkaline, so they are soothing for the digestive tract. Adding small amounts of seaweed to a regular diet is good for your health and it is a great source of umami flavours for your food.

When I got interested in using seaweed, I struggled to find any (in standard supermarkets at least). I once found some Wakame in packaging that suggested it had come from an Asian food store. I’d previously bought Nori sheets for making sushi at home but recently could only find it in snack packs. And that was about it! I found eventually some Dulse in an online herb shop for a seasoning blend I wanted to try (equal parts toasted sesame seeds, dulse seaweed flakes, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme).

I was very surprised to discover Pacific Harvest, an Aotearoa New Zealand based company providing ethically and sustainably produced seaweed products (some imported and some grown in NZ). They have a great online store and their website has a wealth of information about different seaweeds and lots of guidance and recipes on how to incorporate them into your diet. They have various ready-made seaweed salts and award-winning seasonings that you can try if you are not up for making your own combinations.

Some of the different seaweeds available include:

• Sea lettuce (green) – sorrel-like, mildly bitter and peppery
• Dulse (red) – salty, umami, oceanic
• Irish Moss (red) – mild/neutral flavour with subtle brininess
• Nori (red) – nutty, sweet, salty flavour
• Sea chicory (red) – neutral, takes on flavours it is cooked with
• Kelp (brown) – briny, umami, oceanic
• Kombu (brown) – mild, herbaceous, subtly sweet
• Wakame (brown) – spinach-like, vegetal
• Sea spaghetti (dark brown) – umami, takes on flavours it is cooked with