Younger-looking Skin:
Seaweed
Fun Fact: One sheet of nori (seaweed used to wrap sushi rolls) has an equivalent amount of omega-3s as two avocados.
Fun Fact II: Compared to vegetables grown on land, seaweed and marine algae have more concentrated nutrition.
Fun Fact III: Some seaweed have more protein than eggs, more iron than beef, and more calcium than cheese.
Fun Fact IV: There are over 20 types of edible seaweed.
Types of edible seaweed:
- nori
- kelp
- dulce
- Irish moss
- kombu
- packaged in long, thick brown strips
- loaded with iodine
- iodine produces thyroid hormones that control your metabolism
- your body can’t make these thyroid hormones
- kombu can help you with thyroid deficiency
- wakame (AKA “women’s seaweed)
- lowers amount of water in body (diuretic)
- prevents bloating
- prevents osteoporosis (calcium and magnesium)
- high in trace minerals important for the body
- vitamin B12 source (one of the only non-animal sources)
Benefits:
- heals skin
- creates an oil barrier
- lessens acne
- counteracts dry skin
- lowers inflammatory compounds produced by the body
- treats cancer
- reduces cholesterol
- shrinks goiters
- dissolves tumors and cysts
- detoxifies heavy metals
- lowers water retention
- promotes weight loss
- provides micronutrients
Hot Tips:
- Make seaweed wraps (layer with brown rice, carrots, avocado, other raw vegetables; dip in sesame oil and ginger sauce).
- Put seaweed in your soups.
- Buy seaweed snacks.
- Put wakame in miso soup.
- Reconstitute wakame by soaking it for a few minutes in water. Chop it, and add cucumbers and rice vinegar to make a salad.
- Chop kombu, and simmer it in your soup until it gets soft.
- Use kombu to make the Japanese version of chicken stock, called a dashi stock.
- Cook 4 cups of water over low heat.
- Cut the kombu in half length-wise, and add 8 inches of it to the water.
- Simmer over low heat.
- Strain the stock.
- You can add dried shiitake mushrooms for extra flavor.
- Whole Foods and Fresh Thyme have seaweed.
- Asian grocery stores have seaweed.
- You can buy seaweed in sheets, strips, or flakes.
Tomorrow:
Ward off diabetes and heart disease with brown rice!
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