Extract of marine algae (sea vegetables) are found in almost every type of prepared food, from ice cream and pudding to salad dressings, cheeses, and bread. In fact, any food item that utilizes thickeners or stabilizers probably contains carragenan, algin, or agar--all extracts of sea vegetables. However, eating sea vegetables in the form of additives is worlds away from eating them directly from the sea.
For centuries, people all over the world have harvested sea vegetables for use as food. The Chinese, Irish, British, Icelanders. Canadians, Japanese, American Indians, Hawaiians, Koreans, Russians, Inuits, and South Africans are just a few of the peoples who have traditionally eaten sea vegetables.
Sea vegetables are an important component of the macrobiotic diet. As a group, they are among the most nutritious foods on earth. For instance, compared with garden vegetables, kelp has 150 times more iodine and 8 times more magnesium. Dulse is 30 times richer in potassium than bananas are and has 200 times the potency of beets when it comes to iron content. Nori a brown sea vegetable that is sold in thin rectangular sheets, rivals carrots as a source of vitamin A and has twice the protein of some meats. Hijiki, a blue-black spaghetti like sea vegetable, contains 14 times more calcium than whole milk. Kombu, a brown-colored sea vegetable sold in strips about twelve inches long, equals sweet corn in phosphorus. Sea vegetables contain vitamins A, B, (thiamine), C, and E plus the all-important B12, an essential compound that is rare in vegetarian diets but is needed by the body for healthy neuromuscular function and blood rich in iron.
As they grow, sea vegetables convert the inorganic minerals in seawater into organic mineral salts that are combined with amino acids--the ideal way for us to get the minerals needed to protect the heart and nourish the hair, nails, skin, blood, muscles, and bones. Along with the essential minerals, trace elements such as cobalt, copper, chromium, fluorine, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc are needed in small amounts to maintain normal metabolic processes in the body.
Sea vegetables work directly on the blood, alkalizing it if it is too acid and reducing any excess fat or mucus. A substance called alginic acid, found in the darker sea vegetables such as kombu and wakame, transforms toxic metals in the intestines into harmless salts that are easily eliminated. A 1964 study conducted at McGill University in Montreal demonstrated the ability of sea vegetables to remove radioactive strontium 90 from the body.
Beyond their obvious healthfulness, sea vegetables can be quite tasty. When sea vegetables are added to soups and bean dishes, or cooked with fresh vegetables, they accentuate the flavor of the other ingredients.
Here is an example of a sea vegetable dish:
dark sesame oil
2 cups arame, washed and drained
1 medium onion, cut into half-moons (about 1 cup)
2-3 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks (about 1 cup)
water
tamari, to taste
Heat a small amount of dark sesame oil in a skillet, Saute' arame for 2-3 minutes. Set onions and carrots on top of arame and add enough water to half cover arame. Add 3-4 drops of tamari, cover skillet, and reduce flame to medium-low. Simmer for about 25-30 minutes. Season with a little more tamari for a mild salt taste and continue cooking until all remaining liquid is gone. Place in a serving dish, and serve.
Recommended sea vegetables: agar-agar, arame, dulse, hijiki, Irish moss, kelp, kombu, nori (laver) and wakame.
For centuries, people all over the world have harvested sea vegetables for use as food. The Chinese, Irish, British, Icelanders. Canadians, Japanese, American Indians, Hawaiians, Koreans, Russians, Inuits, and South Africans are just a few of the peoples who have traditionally eaten sea vegetables.
Sea vegetables are an important component of the macrobiotic diet. As a group, they are among the most nutritious foods on earth. For instance, compared with garden vegetables, kelp has 150 times more iodine and 8 times more magnesium. Dulse is 30 times richer in potassium than bananas are and has 200 times the potency of beets when it comes to iron content. Nori a brown sea vegetable that is sold in thin rectangular sheets, rivals carrots as a source of vitamin A and has twice the protein of some meats. Hijiki, a blue-black spaghetti like sea vegetable, contains 14 times more calcium than whole milk. Kombu, a brown-colored sea vegetable sold in strips about twelve inches long, equals sweet corn in phosphorus. Sea vegetables contain vitamins A, B, (thiamine), C, and E plus the all-important B12, an essential compound that is rare in vegetarian diets but is needed by the body for healthy neuromuscular function and blood rich in iron.
As they grow, sea vegetables convert the inorganic minerals in seawater into organic mineral salts that are combined with amino acids--the ideal way for us to get the minerals needed to protect the heart and nourish the hair, nails, skin, blood, muscles, and bones. Along with the essential minerals, trace elements such as cobalt, copper, chromium, fluorine, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc are needed in small amounts to maintain normal metabolic processes in the body.
Sea vegetables work directly on the blood, alkalizing it if it is too acid and reducing any excess fat or mucus. A substance called alginic acid, found in the darker sea vegetables such as kombu and wakame, transforms toxic metals in the intestines into harmless salts that are easily eliminated. A 1964 study conducted at McGill University in Montreal demonstrated the ability of sea vegetables to remove radioactive strontium 90 from the body.
Beyond their obvious healthfulness, sea vegetables can be quite tasty. When sea vegetables are added to soups and bean dishes, or cooked with fresh vegetables, they accentuate the flavor of the other ingredients.
Here is an example of a sea vegetable dish:
dark sesame oil
2 cups arame, washed and drained
1 medium onion, cut into half-moons (about 1 cup)
2-3 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks (about 1 cup)
water
tamari, to taste
Heat a small amount of dark sesame oil in a skillet, Saute' arame for 2-3 minutes. Set onions and carrots on top of arame and add enough water to half cover arame. Add 3-4 drops of tamari, cover skillet, and reduce flame to medium-low. Simmer for about 25-30 minutes. Season with a little more tamari for a mild salt taste and continue cooking until all remaining liquid is gone. Place in a serving dish, and serve.
Recommended sea vegetables: agar-agar, arame, dulse, hijiki, Irish moss, kelp, kombu, nori (laver) and wakame.
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