Poco Mountain Girl

Seaweed is one of the most nutrient-dense foods, yet one of the least common in our culture. If you’ve never had it, I think you will find it really is delicious once you try it. I love dulse, kelp, arame, and most especially nori. All seaweed is really high in nutrients. Here are some healthy facts about seaweed:

• Nori has twice as much Vitamin C as oranges, packed with beta-carotene like carrots, rich in calcium for your bones, iodine and iron for thyroid, and are great in making sushi.
• Arame is laden with macro minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium and iodine.
• Kelp is high in iodine, which must be present for proper glandular function and metabolism. It also contains phosphorus and calcium, as well as magnesium and potassium. Kelp is a source of vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D and E, plus amino acids. Because kelp is the saltiest of sea veggies, it makes a popular salt substitute. However, it’s been tested to be low in sodium.
• Wakame is iron-rich and 10 times more calcium than a glass of milk.

My raw recipe today stars nori, the thin papery sheet-like seaweed used to wrap sushi. Although I call it a recipe, there really are no hard and fast rules. Just use your own common sense (and taste buds!) to create a yummy seaweed-wrapped meal.

Here is my own personal no-fail nori roll action plan:

Lay out a sheet of nori in front of you horizontally, shiny side down. layer on a few sheets of salad greens (I use lettuce, spinach, chard, mustard greens, collard greens, or whatever else I find in my garden).

Spread on something creamy. I use blended sunflower seeds, avocado, raw pizza sauce, or just some brown mustard.

Add chopped veggies. Depending on my sauce, I use tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, thin strips of carrot, marinated veggies such as zucchini or mushrooms, etc. Whatever you like goes!

If you want, you can add some brown rice or other grain. I like just veggies with sauce.

There is a traditional way to roll nori, but adding the salad greens throws that off a bit. I find the best way is to first gather the greens into a horizontal roll, then wrap the front edge of the nori over the greens and then wrap the back edge forward over everything. You need a bit of moisture to seal the edge. Usually I just carefully roll it over upside-down and the moisture from the washed veggies seals the bottom in a few minutes.

The taste itself keeps me loving it, but here are some more reasons to eat seaweed. I know this is lengthy, but here goes!

1. Shiny and healthy hair. Amino acids, vitamins and minerals help strengthen hair strands and texture resulting in lustrous hair. Biotin, which belongs to the family of B vitamins, promotes healthier and shiny hair.
2. Keeps the mind sharp. Significant amount of vitamins, protein, ionic minerals and trace minerals enhances your brain’s performance specifically Asparagine, which energizes the brain and also boosts the immune system, while Boron improves mental clarity as it assists in unclogging arteries.
3. Makes skin clear, young looking. Rich in beta-carotene, Vitamin A, minerals and amino acids, sea veggies maintain collagen (a property necessary for smooth functioning of connective tissues) making skin supple, soft to touch. Laugh lines and wrinkles are reduced.
4. Preserves good eyesight. Sea vegetables are the leading sources of natural carotenes like Vitamin A (beta carotene) and bioflavonoids – antioxidants that help clear up the cellular debris that accumulate in the eyes. Bioflavonoids for one, works with prolonging Vitamin C action in the eyes, which help prevent swelling and inflammation of ocular tissues. Vitamins A and C keep vision 20/20 and help prevent “dry eye” syndrome.
5. Improves gum health. Aside from calcium, sea vegetables are also rich in vitamin C, one of the most essential vitamins, which keeps the gums in the pink of health.
6. Strengthens teeth, so flash that smile. 26x the calcium of milk, seaweed strengthens teeth (and bones!). It also has Fluorine that fights tooth decay.
7. Maintains healthy thyroid function. Abundant natural, organically-bond iodine extracts maintain healthy thyroid function, help prevent goiter.
8. Helps ease colds and other respiratory problems. Seaweed’s strong anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties help prevent against colds, flu and other respiratory problems.
9. Prevents allergies and infections. Overflowing with vitamin B, C, minerals and amino acids and anti-inflammatory properties, sea plants enhance resistance to allergies and other infection.
10. Strengthens the immune system. Polynutrients in ocean vegetables help strengthen the immune system and keep the body resistant to illness and infection.
11. Fights “roaming” free radicals. An army of antioxidants fights dangerous free radicals (cells that go wayward) for a super strong and protected immune system.
12. Reduces cancer risks. Powerful antioxidants and anti-cancer properties help inhibit abnormal cell growth by a whopping 95%!
13. Stunts tumor growth. Iodine and amino acids combine to significantly reduce breast and uterine fibroids; help prevent cysts from forming.
14. Pumps up energy! Energy-boosting B vitamins, Vitamin C and minerals fight stress and fatigue so you stay active and alert.
15. Enhances cell regeneration. Retards aging! Replete with phytochemicals and anti-aging properties, sea plants enhance cell regeneration and rejuvenation thus, delaying aging.
16. Lowers blood pressure and improves blood circulation. Sea vegetables are a very good source of magnesium, which has also been known to reduce high blood pressure; prevent stroke.
17. Nurtures healthy heart vessels. Seaweed curbs the formation of blood clots to help prevent atherosclerosis or hardening of the heart vessels.
18. Normalizes cholesterol levels. Effectively lowers blood cholesterol; helps stave off the onset of chronic diseases.
19. Supports bone health and joint function. High magnesium content stimulates production of calcitonin (hormone), which helps increase calcium in the bones. Seaweed is also a terrific source of natural vitamin D, essential for calcium absorption, bone health and muscle function. Its Fluorine content improves bone density helping prevent osteoporosis (bone disease) in the process.
20. Beautiful nails! Vitamins, amino acids, minerals and enzymes in seaweed keep nails strong and healthy.
21. Fuels weight loss naturally. Virtually fat-free, essential fatty acids (EFAs), plant fiber and algin fuel weight loss and amazingly continue to do so even as you age!
22. Aids digestion and waste movement. Polysaccharides (a form of soluble fiber) in sea greens, aid in digestion by soothing the digestive and intestinal tracts. No need for laxatives!
23. Promotes liver health. Contains important vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes, which help prevent fatty liver development, toxic build-up and other related diseases.
24. Detoxifies heavy metals and pollutants. Minerals, amino acids and fiber work in unison to detoxify heavy metals and pollutants that enter the body through food and the air we breathe.
25. Snuffs out cellulite! Antioxidants in seaweed increase your body’s fat-burning ability; help skin tissue and fat cells absorb minerals. These minerals then break the chemical bond that seals the fat cells and hasten their release out of the body (through the kidneys and bladder) halting cellulite build-up.
26. Maintains the body’s natural equilibrium. Major and trace minerals, which are plentiful in ocean vegetables, keep life-sustaining activities in the body and maintain proper PH balance for optimal health.
27. Supports kidney health. Minerals in seaweed act like electrolytes, which help kidneys regain optimum function. Then, too, its fiber content aids in kidney stone prevention.
28. Helps maintain beautiful body skin. Amino acid, minerals and vitamin content of sea vegetables nourish the skin. Trace mineral Serine enhances skin beauty while Theonine improves skin tone.
29. Prostate health. High in mineral content, seaweed helps maintain healthy prostate (gland) especially in middle-aged men.
30. Ph balance. Sea vegetables alkalize the body, making it less acidic. And the more alkaline the body, the younger it is!

Fact source

This entry was posted on Monday, June 27th, 2011 at 12:28 pm and is filed under Happy Healthy Hippie Food, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.