Virtues of Sea Vegetables and Dark Greens -with seaweed salad recipes
When I was changing my diet and became vegan, I had a question in mind – from where I would get a calcium, vitamin B12 and iron. (I think it is a common question from people who are changing there diet and incorporat vegetarian or vegan lifestyle).
The answer I found was sea vegetables.
Seaweed has long been used by humans for food and healing. Sea vegetables are one of nature’s richest sources of complete vegetable protein (up to 38%) and vitamin B12, which is rarely found in land vegetables.
These sea veggies can contain up to ten times more calcium than milk and eight times as much iron as beef.
Scientists report that Seaweeds are rich in vitamins A1, B1, B2, B6, B12, C, E, K, pantothenic acid, folic acid, and niacin. They are an important supply of 60 trace elements and an excellent source of over 12 minerals, especially sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and manganese. In fact, Seaweeds contain much larger concentrations of what
is present in seawater, and in a form, which can easily be assimilated. The potassium-sodium content of sea vegetables is usually quite close to that occurring naturally in the human body.
The low occurrence of goitre (a malfunction of the thyroid gland) in coastal regions where seaweed is traditionally consumed is often attributed to their iodine content. Alginic acid is an important constituent of the cell wall of brown seaweeds and it is mainly responsible for their tensile strength and elasticity, essential for survival in turbulent seawater. It acts as a natural cleanser for the intestines.
Seaweed Benefits
Sea vegetables have a balancing, alkalizing effect on the blood. They are known for their ability to reduce cholesterol, remove metallic and radioactive elements from the body and to prevent goiter.
Thought to have cancer-fighting benefits, sea vegetables also provide relief from asthma, thyroid disorders, irritable bowel syndrome and reduce cholesterol and blood pressure.
Everything that’s green has chlorophyll to thank. And the darker the green, the better. Chlorophyll’s chemical structure is similar to that of our red blood cells. The only difference is that the center of our red blood cell is iron, while the center of chlorophyll is magnesium. This makes it really easy for our body to assimilate chlorophyll nutrients. Plus, chlorophyll is one of the highest sources of protein on the planet. Ounce by ounce, it provides more than any animal product.
Studies undertaken in the Gastro-Intestinal research Laboratory of McGill University (Montreal) indicate that it can assist with the removal of toxins from body tissue by binding with them to form insoluble salts which are then eliminated naturally.
There are three types according to how much exposure to light they have received. Brown types of seaweed, now widely available in healthfood stores and Japanese and other oriental food outlets, include wakame (a constituent of miso soup), kombu and arame. Red seaweed, such as food, includes dulse (particularly linked with cholesterol reduction). Green seaweed includes nore (often used to wrap sushi). Usually sold in dried form, all you need to do is rinse and soak them and they’ll become soft again. They can be used to flavour all sorts of dishes. Try to incorporate them into your diet a couple of times a week.
There some suggestions:
Sea Vegetable and Sprouts Salad.
The idea of eating seaweed in a salad may seem wacky at first glance. The reality is that sea vegetables can offer a wonderful complement to many meals, both in taste and nutrition. Wakame is sweet in flavour and a good source of calcium.
Ingredients
250g mung bean sprouts
½ of cucumber, peeled and cut into matchstick strips
2 strips wakame seaweed
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
1 babe gem lettuce leaves separated
100g canned of drained sweetcorn (optional)
Dressing
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger root
1 tsp tamari sauce (soy)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh apple juice
Direction
- Rinse the wakame under cold water for 1 min, then soak in a cold water for about 2-3 min.
- Mix all dressing ingredients in a bowl then add 3 tablespoons of water and whisk well t combine.
- Drain the wakame and chop into bite-sized pieces, put in a bowl and add half of dressing. Leave to marinate for 5 min.
- Put the remaining ingredients in a salad bowl, add marinated wakame and the rest of the dressing.
- Mix it and serve immediately.
Enjoy!