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- Photo: FotoosVanRobin / Flickr
Seaweed has long been a staple in Asian cooking and is one of the healthiest foods on the planet. Sea vegetables are packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals and scientists have found they’re good for your waistline, too. A study published in 2010 found that algae can reduce how much fat you absorb from food by 75 per cent. Find out how to incorporate wakame, nori and kombu into your diet, and why you should.
Wakame
Gillian McKeith, nutritionist and author of You Are What You Eat, says wakame is the perfect food for women. It contains plenty of calcium and magnesium to help prevent osteoporosis and acts as a diuretic at the same time, reducing water retention. The pigment that gives wakame its colour, fucoxanthin, helps keep insulin levels stable while burning fat.
Wakame leaves are excellent in miso soup or in a salad. Soak them in cold water until they soften and add them to a cucumber salad or add them to miso soup with tofu.
Nori
- Photo: FotoosVanRobin / Flickr
Nori is very rich in protein and a single sheet contains as much fibre as a cup of raw spinach. It’s also an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and is packed with antioxidant vitamin C and brain-boosting vitamin B12.
Prepare a nori snack by laying sheets out in the oven and toasting over a low heat. Or cover a sheet of nori with cooked rice, avocado, carrots and a little wasabi. Roll it up like sushi and dip into tamari sauce.
Kombu
- Photo: FotoosVanRobin / Flickr
Kombu is an excellent source of iodine, essential for a healthy thyroid. It’s also packed with fucoidan, which is a natural anticoagulant. A study published this year found that fucoidan can help prevent blood clots, meaning it could one day be used in the treatment of heart disease.
Kombu is the key ingredient in dashi, a Japanese seaweed broth used as a stock. Simmer dry kombu in hot water for five minutes and use as a base for soups and sauces.
Find a host of recipes to get you started cooking with seaweed here.
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