Seaweed - What Makes Seaweed Healthy and Nutritious?

These are the surprising benefits of eating seaweed. Check them out here!

SEAWEED – Sea vegetables or seaweed are packed with significant nutrients and here are its benefits that you probably don’t know yet.

Asian cuisines such as Japanese and Chinese, typically have seaweed on them. These sea vegetables are forms of algae and grow on rocky shorelines. They are a food source in the ocean and their shades range from red to green to brown to black.

As a food, it can be added to several dishes like sushi rolls, soups and stews, salads, supplements, and smoothies which makes it really versatile. But the term seaweed is not exclusive. This term generally refers to the different species of algae and marine plants. And it is the algae from the sea that is edible.

Among the common types include:

Nori – the one sold in dry sheets
Sea lettuce – its appearance is similar to lettuce, hence, the name
Kelp – this is a brown algae
Kombu – this type is often pickles or used to cook soup stock
Arame – a type of kelp that is mild in flavor
Wakame – this is the type usually used to make fresh salad
Dulse – this is a red algae
Chlorella – typically, this is turned into powder and sold as a supplement

A cup or 15 grams of this has the following nutrients:

Calories: 45
Protein: 5 grams
Fat: 1 gram
Carbs: 8 grams
Fiber: 1 gram
Folate: 13% of the daily value (DV)
Riboflavin: 22% of the DV
Thiamin: 15% of the DV
Copper: 56% of the DV
Iron: 21% of the DV
Magnesium: 17% of the DV

Here are some of its benefits according to a post from Healthline:

Good for thyroid function due to its iodine and tyrosine.
It is packed with significant vitamins and minerals like vitamins A, C, E, and K and folate, zinc, sodium, calcium, and magnesium.
It boasts a variety of protective antioxidants.
Supports gut health due to its fiber content and polysaccharides.
Helpful to lose weight and manage weight.
Helps reduce blood cholesterol level which, in turn, reduce the risk of heart disease.
Improves blood sugar management and prevents type 2 diabetes.

However, excessive consumption may lead to iodine overload which is not good for the thyroid. Make sure to eat in small portions of this.