WHY YOU NEED TO BE EATING SEAWEED
All about seaweed! You’re going to want to incorporate this superfood of the sea after reading this blog.
Questions? Pop them in the comments below :)
Now let’s get into it!
Ancestral Superfood
From ancient Greece and China, to more recent Ireland, to the Indigenous cultures of North America and around the globe, wherever people have settled it has often been close to oceans, rivers and other bodies of water.
It’s no wonder that seaweeds have been part of our human ancestral diet for thousands of years, across various cultures and periods of time.
A 2010 study has shown that our gut bacteria share an ancestor with a marine bacteria that feeds on seaweed and lives in the ocean. Though scientists aren’t really sure how it got into us. It’s no surprise to me, as our co-evolution with the sea feels like an intuitive truth. (4)
Now most of us only eat seaweed when we go out for sushi, otherwise it basically is completely missing from our diets. However, it is a crucial part of human health, as our biology evolved with ocean life + sea vegetables. The seaweed in sushi is nori, and can be eaten on a more regular basis as it has a lesser concentration of iodine.
It can help protect the skin, and nourish our nervous systems through specific bioactives, helping to decrease anxiety. Maybe that along with a big dose of omega-3s from raw fish is one of the reasons why so many of us love to go for sushi!
Green sea vegetables have bioactive components that offer antiviral protection and can help prevent viruses from entering our cells. In brown seaweeds there are bioactives that may help enhance natural killer cells and T cells for a better immune response. The antiviral actives and demulcent aspects of kelp may be helpful at reducing the severity of herpes outbreaks after they have occurred.. Red seaweeds can support the lungs and upper respiratory tracts.
Aside from their promising effects on supporting our immune systems, seaweeds can be high in protein and iron, helping with cell structure, delivery of oxygen and helping us maintain our youthful v y t a l i t y.
Seaweed for Thyroid Function
Did you know that iodine is essential for proper thyroid function? You’ve probably heard of T4 and T3, but did you know that the “4” and “3” refer to how many iodine atoms are present? We need a healthy thyroid to regulate our metabolism, weight, temperature and many other processes in the body. With iodine we want to have a “goldilocks” amount. Too little or too much and we can run into thyroid problems. Lucky in most cases, this can be alleviated by adding or reducing iodine intake, depending what side of the spectrum you land on.
Dulse is one of the most concentrated forms of iodine in a vegetable. It is often used as a salt replacement as it is high in potassium and low in sodium. Increasing our potassium intake is beneficial for all processes in the body, as potassium is an essential nutrient for proper cell function, heart rhythm and fluid balance. Dulse can be added to broths, soups, stews and sprinkled onto salads in order to increase your iodine intake.
Irish Moss (carageenan) has been used in eastern medicine to support libido, as it converts LDL to progesterone and supports T3, thus reducing stress and supporting a fertility pathway rather than a stress/adrenal pathway.
Due to all the chemicals in our world, increasing our iodine intake can be essential for thyroid health, which I will discuss a little further down.
Seaweed + Iodine for Fertility and Reproductive Hormones
Arame is another type of seaweed with one of the highest iodine content of the sea vegetables. Iodine is not only required for happy thyroid hormones but also for fertility + our sex hormones. It plays an essential role in women’s reproductive health, being needed for ovulation, progesterone production and estrogen metabolism. A balanced estrogen cycle is essential for fertility, mood, libido, bone health and preventing cancer to name a few!
For women (and men) who are estrogen dominant, Arame can help reset the balance of progesterone to estradiol, creating equilibrium. As a reminder, progesterone is needed in men to create testosterone, so getting this balance right is essential to both sexes. Arame can help support the body and nourish hormones to reduce breast + uterine fibroids, regulate menstrual bleeding, reduce fibrocystic breasts, ovarian cysts and symptoms of PCOS. It can help stabilize hormones during perimenopause and menopause, and given its effects on estrogen, it can help support estriol, the form of estrogen associated with lubrication, silky hair, skin and nails, reducing wrinkles and keeping the skin soft and supple.
Remove Fluoride + Toxins from the Body
Due to the high concentration of iodine, electrolytes, vitamins, antioxidants and other trace minerals, seaweed can be beneficial for reducing the load of heavy metals in the body and counter-acting fluoride. Both fluoride and iodine are halogens, but fluoride is much lighter and reactive in the body. This means it can easily displace iodine in the body. Some studies have shown that high fluoride ingestion either through drinking water, high intake of green tea or indoor air pollution can have an effect on thyroid hormones (T3, T4, TH + TSH), reducing T4 and T3 with an abnormal increase in TSH. We’ve also seen some connections between dental fluorosis (high exposure to fluoride) and thyroid disease. (3)
Seaweeds have a powerful + effective way of filtering toxins out of the ocean without harming themselves during the process. They turn toxins into a much safer form. (2) Sodium alginate in kelp is an element that can help detoxify our bodies of heavy metals and supports blood purification. In general, we want to ensure that the seaweeds we eat are coming from clean waters, and have moderate servings throughout the week in order to maximize the trade-off between getting the most amount of iodine + nutrients and reducing the amount of potential ingestion of heavy metals (which by the way, are in most foods; don’t panic, it’s counterproductive).
Support the Gut + Microbiome
Seaweeds are full of fermentable fibers and polyphenols which can have synergistic effects on our gut microbiome, and therefore on our own experience of wellbeing. These fibers can act as a prebiotic, and so you may want to start slow with introducing sea vegetables, especially if you have a sensitive gut, as it may take a few attempts for your microbiome to catch up to the new food.
Animal studies have gathered evidence to support a role for seaweed polyphenols to improve glucose and lipid digestion as well as metabolism, implicating a role for preventing diabetes and obesity-associated risks. (1)
Brown seaweeds have an active called Laminarin which can help reduce gut inflammation and support a healthier intestinal environment. Bladderwrack is a nutrient dense source of vitamin K with K2-like effects which can help us improve our insulin sensitivity while also working as an adrenal adaptogen to help manage stress and support the nervous system.
Glowing Skin + UV Protection
An amino acid in seaweed, called palythine is a natural compound produced in seaweeds that live in shallow-water, sunlight rich environments. At very low concentrations, this compound can help build our skin’s resiliency to excess sunlight. It can effectively absorb UV rays and protect cells from UVR induced damage.
As an antioxidant, palythine can protect the skin from oxidative stress which is linked with cellular damage and photoaging.
It also has the potential for being extracted to make environmentally friendly and truly sustainable sunscreens. (5)
Though if you’ve been with me awhile, you know that I don’t typically suggest sunscreen – instead, build a solar callus, seek shade, and don’t over do it! However, that’s a blog for a different day.
Interestingly, some seaweeds also contain zeaxanthin, which is extremely beneficial for the eyes and improves light sensitivity.
The antioxidants in seaweeds can be used as a natural remedy for skin conditions such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. Inflammation modulating compounds can also help improve the texture and appearance of skin, while seaweed’s humectant properties help draw in and retain moisture for a youthful + dewy glow. Mucilaginous compounds help strengthen hair, skin and nails while supporting the body in natural detoxification. Kombu seaweed contains germanium, a healing nutrient that protects us from environmental damage.
TYPES OF SEAWEED +
HOW TO USE
Personally, if I am making a salad, a soup or a stew I like to sprinkle in some dulse flakes, or throw a strip of kombu in the broth. I’ve become a big fan of making nori wraps without rice, spreading a little cream cheese on the nori sheet and then topping with a protein and fresh vegetables before rolling up.
These make excellent snacks, or if you have a few you can make it into a meal. I aim to eat some sea vegetables a couple times a week to ensure I’m getting enough iodine + supporting my v y t a l i t y .
Here’s a list of types you can try. Some are available at local supermarkets, health food stores and Japanese grocers, but you can also source many of them online! There are many companies now offering sustainably grown seaweeds that help contribute to healthy ocean ecosystems and prevent overharvesting, which are worth researching! Look for companies in your area, or ethical companies from coastal communities.
Nori - the sushi seaweed! contains a balanced and bioavailable plant protein, higher than other sea plants. Rich in carotenes and trace minerals.
Bladderwrack - full of vitamin K, calcium, iodine, magnesium, sodium, zinc, vitamins A + C and phytochemicals.
Dulse - rich in protein and vitamin A. It’s a great option in a lactovegetarian diet due to the fact that it has significantly more iron and iodine than wheat products.
Arame - one of the richest sources of iodine, containing 500x more than shellfish and 3000x more than ocean fish.
Irish Moss - rich in electrolyte minerals, vitamin B2, zinc, magnesium and potassium.
Wakame - high protein + high in calcium. A good source of iodine, manganese, folate, magnesium and calcium.
Kelp - a major source of iodine, fat soluble vitamins, minerals and sea-based vitamin C.
Hijiki - rich in minerals and fiber, and calcium dense compared to other sea greens.
Kombu - a source of B vitamins, vitamin C and minerals including potassium, silica and zinc.
FURTHER READING(1) Risks and benefits of consuming edible seaweeds
(2) Marine seaweed can detoxify organic pollutants
(3) Impact of Drinking Water Fluoride on Human Thyroid Hormones: A Case- Control Study
(4) Eat lots of seaweed? The key to curing metabolic disorders could be in your gut
(5) Seaweed could hold key to environmentally friendly sunscreen