Seaweed health benefits: The Underwater Superfood

Japanese people include a lot of seaweed in their diet and it is likely one of the reasons why they live longer.

Let’s discover what makes seaweed so good for our health.

What is Seaweed?

Image Source

Is seaweed a vegetable of the sea?

The term seaweed is actually a colloquial term that lacks a formal definition but usually refers to various species of macroscopic, multi-cellular marine algae.

It’s a broad term referring to different marine plants and algae living in the world’s waters.

It often refers to a group of different species of red, brown, and green algae. There are also Cyanobacteria, tuft-forming blue-green algae that others consider to be seaweed, but are actually bacteria.

Seaweed not only grows in oceans and seas, but can also grow in lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water.

Seaweed is not just for eating, it’s used as a medicine, fertilizer, used in filtration systems, and even for various industrial uses.

If you’re one of the few people who is still wondering “What does seaweed look like?”, these algae look like a plant but devoid of actual roots, leaves, flowers, and stems because they lack a vascular system that transports minerals and water around them.

It does contain chlorophyll, the green pigment found in most plants that grow on land.

Seaweed is a misnomer. People often think of weeds as something bad. That is not the case with seaweed. Technically, seaweed is not a plant, but it is important for marine life worldwide.

The Parts of Seaweed

Algus – body

• • Lamina/ Blade – A.K.A. the frond is a leaf-like flattened structure
    • • Sorus – Spore cluster
      • Focus/Air bladder – The blade’s floatation-assisting organ
      • Kelp – The floatation assisting organ between the stipe and lamina
    • Stipe – A.K.A. the frond is a stem-like structure (not always present)
    • Holdfast – Root-like part that attaches to a surface
    • Haptera – The holdfast’s finger-like extension

Some seaweed has multiple blades originating from just one stipe and is known as the frond. Although often mistaken for a plant, some seaweed types are filamentous and resemble masses of threads or strings while some are hard and encrusting.

Seaweed can grow in any body of water as long as there is:

• • • Seawater (or brackish water)
    • Light (for photosynthesis)

A firm attachment point, like rocks, may also be a requirement, but there are some free-floating species. No wonder seaweed is a common sight close to the shore or on rocky shores.

Although some seaweed types are microscopic like phytoplanktons, there are also large varieties like giant kelp, the redwoods of the deep. They not only feed humans but feed animals in the ocean, too, and provide habitat.

For instance, phytoplanktons serve as the foundation of most food chains and are a crucial part of the marine ecosystem. The giant kelp that grows at the bottom of the sea has holdfasts that anchor to rocks or other substrates.

There are different uses of seaweed for humans. Seaweed is mainly considered to be food.

Those who live near the shore make it into bread, noodles, drinks, and more.

Seaweed is rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients you also get from other superfoods like fruits and vegetables.

Agar and carrageenan are two things extracted from algae. Agar is used as a food thickening agent while carrageenan is used to make paper and toothpaste, among other products. Along with alginate, they are hydrocolloids or phycocolloids exploited by the food industry for their water retention, gelling, and emulsifying properties.

Types of Seaweed

Image Source

There are three main categories of seaweed all unique in their shape, taste, and texture:

1. Green (phylum Chlorophyta) is a type of freshwater and terrestrial algae e.g. sea lettuce.
2. Red (phylum Rhodophyta) is a type of marine algae e.g. Irish moss and nori.
3. Brown (phylum Phaeophyta) is a type of marine algae e.g. kelp.
   The seaweed’s color indicates where the seaweed grows. It’s a shade of green if it is near land and turns a brown to red color when it’s found deeper in the sea. It can be harvested or cultivated for different uses.

Marine algae are usually edible seaweed while the freshwater ones are toxic. Seaweed is a staple in the diet of the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and other European countries like Norway and Iceland with over 30 commonly eaten varieties.

If you love seaweed or are curious about what seaweed tastes like, here are the most common types of edible seaweed you can eat fresh or incorporated in dishes:

• Nori
• Kombu
• Wakame
• Dulse
• Hijiki
• Agar-agar (kanten)
• Spirulina Alga
• Klamath

Seaweed vs. Kelp

At times, people mistake kelp for something else when it is just a type of brown seaweed belonging to the Laminaria order. It’s also the largest form of seaweed. Some can grow very long and even form kelp forests. It’s actually a Protista (an assorted group of microorganisms).

Kelp, a.k.a. kombu, is among the widely available edible-type seaweed in the market today. Kelp has only 34 calories per cup. It’s also known for soda ash, which is produced when kelp is burned.

Seaweed Nutrition Facts

Seaweed is naturally rich in iodine along with these other nutrients: (1)

• Vitamins A, B2, B5, B12, C, and K
• Iodine
• Iron
• Calcium
• Copper
• Folate
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Molybdenum
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Selenium
• Vanadium
• Zinc
• Protein
• Dietary fiber
• Omega-3 fatty acids
• Phytonutrients (sulfated polysaccharides)

If you are wondering about seaweed calories, they are generally low, but high intake of seaweed will leave you feeling full because of its high fiber content. Also, seaweed is among the handful of vegetables that contains vitamin B12 to promote a healthy nervous system according to the European Food Information Council.

Seaweed Diet

People struggling with their weight will do anything to get the results they want. They will put in long hours at the gym and burn all the stubborn fat away. If not, they try extreme diets that promise instant weight loss but are often disappointed when they don’t achieve their ideal body weight.

If you want to try something else and you’ve run out of options on land, try exploring what the sea can offer.

The Japanese are known to enjoy a seaweed diet and look at them. You will rarely see anyone on the bordering of being overweight or obese. There are different ways seaweed can be integrated into your diet, such as seaweed dressing, seaweed chips, seaweed salad, and of course, sushi.

How does seaweed help with weight loss?

Japanese chemists discovered that wakame is rich in fucoxanthin, a brownish pigment that promotes weight loss by stimulating the body’s fat-burning mechanism. It was also found to improve insulin resistance. Obese rats lost about five to ten percent of their weight when the food they eat had fucoxanthin added according to a Japanese study conducted at the Hokkaido University.

A 2010 study also discovered that eating seaweed can lower the fat absorption rate by 75% because of the inhibitory properties of the GI enzyme, lipase.

Seaweed Detox

This sea vegetable also works great for detoxifying the body. A seaweed detox helps the liver by removing many unwanted substances from the body. Seaweed is 10 to 20 times more nutritious than regular vegetables and is rich in sodium alginate (algin) which absorbs toxins from the GI tract. Algin can eliminate radioactive particles, thereby promoting optimal GI health. After all, a healthy body can defend itself against pathogens and diseases.

Health Benefits of Seaweed

Since ancient times, people have used what’s provided by nature to promote good health, cure diseases, and prolong life. Seaweed has been helpful in treating colds and influenza, arthritis, tuberculosis, and worm infestations. These are the different medicinal uses of seaweed:

• Regulates blood sugar and plasma insulin levels – A diet rich in seaweed can improve blood sugar control according to a 2008 study published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (2) This is supported by a study published in Nutrition Research and Practice suggesting that taking seaweed supplements reduces blood lipids, improves glycemic control, and boosts antioxidant enzyme activities (3)
• Antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties – Seaweed produces metabolites that fight against various environmental stressors. These metabolites have antifungal, antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal properties. These substances extracted from red, green, and brown algae possess potent antimicrobial effects from fatty acids, polysaccharides, pigments, and other compounds in seaweed. (4)
  Moreover, a specific study on different species of brown algae revealed the same results including antioxidant and anti-proliferative properties in vivo tests according to a study published in the Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. (5)
• Anti-cancer properties – Scientists at the University of California Berkeley discovered in a 2005 study that high intake of kelp reduces estradiol levels. High levels of estradiol increase the risk of breast cancer, which is why eating lots of kelp can protect women from breast cancer. Aside from its antibacterial properties, some studies also support its anti-cancer properties of certain seaweed extracts. (6)
• Promotes good digestion – A study of the Japanese women’s fecal matter reveals that eating seaweed increases the good bacteria in the GI tract. The alginate in seaweed also strengthens GI mucus, which slows down digestion and releases energy slower. The different nutrients in seaweed like essential amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins A, B, C, and E have positive effects on a person’s digestive health. (7)
• Improves heart health – Seaweed is rich in omega-3 fatty acids like DHA that prevents heart disease and helps with brain development. Researchers at Teagasc and the Memorial University, Newfoundland conducted a research study on how they can exploit the heart-healthy properties of seaweed. Seaweed contains several heart-healthy compounds like antioxidants, essential fatty acids (lipids), and ACE inhibitors that can reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis and thrombosis, thereby reducing the risk of most heart disease. (8)

Other Seaweed Benefits

• Captures carbon thereby reducing ocean acidification
• Seaweed is a better source of bioactive peptides than dairy products (9)
• Remove water pollutants e.g. heavy chemicals and organochemicals
• Food and cosmetics e.g. seaweed face mask
• Seaweed fertilizer
• Make bread, drinks, and noodles
• Carrageenan is used to make paper and toothpaste
• Salt alternative (Used in salads, soups, stir-fried dishes, and smoothies)

How to Use Seaweed for Skin

Seaweed has anti-inflammatory properties which makes it good for acne. It also helps reduce inflammation and blood pooling under the skin in conditions like rosacea, thereby preventing acne-like breakouts.

Seaweed is likewise a favorite ingredient in cosmetics not only because it is natural, but more so for its antioxidant, moisturizing, antibacterial, and photoprotecting properties.

You can also, fight cellulite with seaweed by making your skin more supple and elastic.

Seaweed cares for the scalp. The black-brown arame, nourishes the hair follicles and the scalp. Seaweed lovers can have healthy and strong hair because of the different minerals present in this underwater delight. Its high iodine content also promotes hair growth, a plus if you have thinning hair or a receding hairline.

Seaweed Face Mask

A staple in spas, seaweed makes great face masks because it tones, smoothes, and moisturizes the skin.
Ingredients:

• Dried seaweed or seaweed sheets
• 2 tablespoons lukewarm water (sweet almond or jojoba oil)
• 1 tablespoon aloe vera gel (optional)
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional)

Preparation:

• Break the dried seaweed or seaweed sheets to make them fit into the coffee grinder.
• Grind until it becomes a fine powder.
• Add a tablespoon of powdered seaweed into a small bowl.
• Add one tablespoon of lukewarm water.
• Add another tablespoon of lukewarm water and mix with a fork until it resembles a paste-like consistency.
• Add the aloe vera gel and honey into the paste.
• Apply the seaweed face mask on your face and let it sit for 20 minutes.
• Rinse the mixture off with lukewarm water.
• Pat the skin dry and use this face mask twice weekly for best results.

Does Seaweed Have Any Side Effects?

Despite its health benefits, there are harmful effects of seaweed to the body when consumed in excess that can trigger a seaweed allergy. Watch out for the following seaweed side effects:

• GI issues (nausea, bloating, diarrhea, and abdominal pain)
• Too much iodine can lead to goiter or enlarged thyroid
• Seaweed rash (acne-like rash)

Seaweed Drug Interactions

• Anticoagulants/Blood thinners (Warfarin)

Seaweed Recipes

There are many varieties of seaweed you can eat. Seaweed snacks and dishes are becoming more popular in many parts of the world. The fiber in nori seaweed sheets is the same as what you get with a cup of raw spinach and it has more omega-3 fatty acids than one cup of avocado.

Recipe #1: Seaweed Sheet Snack

Image Source

Ingredients:

• Nori seaweed sheet

Preparation:

• Toast the nori sheets in the oven at low heat.
• Add cooked brown rice, some sliced carrots, celery or avocado as well as a dash of wasabi on top of the seaweed sheet before rolling it up.
• Serve and dip in a sauce (e.g. tamari, ginger, toasted sesame oil, and rice vinegar sauce).

Recipe #2: Dashi (Japanese Chicken Stock)

Ingredients:

• Dried kombu
• Beans
• Kombu leaf

Preparation:

• Add dried kombu in a pot of water and let it simmer for five minutes.
• Add beans.
• Add a kombu leaf.
• Put in a bowl and serve.

Recipe #3: Seaweed Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• Raw or unroasted seaweed of your choice
• Raw sesame oil
• Bragg aminos or tamari
• Lemon juice
• Stevia
• Sesame seeds

Preparation:

• Mix the oil, soy, and lemon juice for the dressing.
• Mix the seaweed and the dressing.
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds on top and serve.

Recipe #4: Seaweed Juice Recipe

Ingredients:

• 10 grams wakame seaweed
• 1 gram nori seaweed
•  beefsteak plants
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon sesame
• 190 ml. water

Preparation:

• Soak the wakame seaweed in water until it becomes soft.
• Wash the beefsteak leaves quickly.
• Put all the ingredients in a blender.
• Blend until smooth.
• Pour into a glass and serve.

Conclusion

Functional foods and superfoods are not found only on land. At times, they grow underwater, too. Seaweed is the perfect sea vegetable you should not miss. This marine superfood is a great addition to your meals so you can enjoy its many health benefits and live to be a hundred like the Japanese. Well, eating sushi doesn’t seem like a bad idea after all.

It won’t hurt if you try incorporating seaweed into your daily lifestyle. You’ll be surprised how it will affect your health for the better. Seaweed is a superfood that should be on your plate from now on.

Other Sources
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24)