Americans who nibble on sushi rolls have become comfortable with eating seaweed, but the nori wrap is just one of many ways to eat nutrient-packed seaweed. Seaweed is the new “it” vegetable, I learned from seaweed expert and self-described professional wildcrafter, herbal educator and practicing medical herbalist, Ryan Drum, PhD.
See how seaweed can help you.
Edible Seaweeds
Dr. Drum told me that most seaweeds fall into one of three categories — red algae (includes nori and dulse), brown kelps (kombu, sugar kelp and wakame), and brown algae (hijiki, sargassum, seapalm). Nori is by far the most commonly eaten seaweed in this country, although dulse is gaining popularity as a salty snack.
Dr. Drum describes seaweed as the “couch potato of the ocean, sitting around and absorbing nutrients.” It contains essential minerals, including potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese and chromium, and it is unparalleled as a source of iodine.
Dr. Drum said that brown seaweeds contain more minerals than red and also promote the release and excretion of toxins from the body, including PCBs and dioxins, which are highly toxic by-products of pollution that can remain in the body for a decade or more. On the other hand, research has shown that red seaweed can help prevent or decrease outbreaks of herpes and shingles. Dr. Drum adds that it doesn’t help everyone with these problems, but it is useful enough to make it worth a try if you suffer from either disease.
Seaweed Salt… A Slow Start
Dried seaweed is available in health-food stores, Whole Foods and Asian markets. To prepare seaweed snacks, Dr. Drum says to toast nori sheets in a dry iron skillet over medium heat on top of the stove for a few minutes — this is excellent crumbled into salads or soups. Dulse is good to eat as is or added to soups, although he does not advise putting it in salads because it is too chewy. Kombu is best in cooked dishes such as soups, rice and beans (cook for 20 minutes to an hour or more). Also, I’ve been seeing seaweed salad typically made with wakame seaweed, on restaurant menus lately.
However — and this is important — Dr. Drum says that if you want to develop a seaweed habit, start slowly. The bacteria in the GI system do not initially recognize seaweed as food and will send it on its way undigested, leading to unpleasant gassy episodes and irregularity. Start with powdered kelp seaweed, which can be used as a salt to add flavor to foods. Do this every day to familiarize your system with this new food — a process that takes a few weeks to several months. If you have irritable bowel syndrome or ulcerative colitis, you might find that red seaweeds exacerbate the condition. Also, for some people the browns can cause some diarrhea. Responses are highly variable, but if this happens Dr. Drum says to back off a little or switch to a different kind of seaweed.
Source(s):
Ryan Drum, PhD, self-described professional wildcrafter, herbal educator and practicing medical herbalist, and adjunct professor at Bastyr University.
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