Sea Veggies: Have You Had Your Mineral-Rich Share of Dulse, Arame & More -- Guest Post by Andrea Beaman

Lately, since getting Lyme disease from a blood-hungry tick (you can learn more about this here), I've had a strange, overwhelming hankering for sea vegetables. Yum!

Much to my surprise, I've found myself sprinkling dulse granules on food at least a couple of times a day or tossing nori into dishes. How's that for a strange craving? (I've also been craving red meat -- grass fed, or course -- and chicken soup.)

Anyhow, as I was a couple of weeks into my dulse habit, I received a fascinating article about sea vegetables from my friend Andrea Beaman, a holistic health counselor and well known chef.

As you may recall, Andrea was one of the contestants on "Top Chef," and she now hosts Wise Up!, where she hits the road to explore holistic approaches to health in cities across the U.S.

So intrigued was I by Andrea's article about sea veggies that I asked her if I could post this here to help you. Learn more about the nutritive stuff from the sea, thanks to Andrea Beaman:

SAVVY SEA VEGGIES by Andrea Beaman, C.H.H.C.

"Sea vegetables (aka seaweeds) have been incorporated into the human diet since ancient times, and not just by the Japanese; Hawaiians, Koreans, Chinese, Maoris (New Zealand), Celts, Vikings, Romans, British, Scottish, Irish, American Indians and many others have derived numerous nutritional benefits eating these savory delicacies from the sea.

"Rich in minerals and trace minerals, sea vegetables provide more than 50 essential elements required for the body’s physiological functions. Population studies show that people with diets high in sea vegetables have few symptoms of mineral deficiencies and longer life spans. And, sea vegetables have been used medicinally to treat hypertension, heart disease, goiter, kidney disease, ulcers, obesity, constipation, menstrual disorders, high cholesterol, cancer, radiation poisoning, heavy metal toxicity and more(1)(2). If this isn’t reason enough to begin eating these nutrient rich foods, I’ll give you one more … when cooked properly, they taste great!

"Over the years, I’ve served sea vegetables to some very discerning palates (including my young nephews) and the consensus is `delicious!' Below are some popular sea vegetables and their notable properties.

"Agar agar (kanten) – rich in calcium, trace minerals and fiber, agar contains no calories and is considered a natural laxative. It is quick cooking and perfect for making cooling desserts, aspics, and puddings.

"Alaria – high in vitamin A, and a delicious when added to soups. You can also blanch, marinate or soak this sea vegetable to make it ready to use in other recipes.

"Arame – rich in iron and calcium, this sea vegetable cooks quickly and has a mildly sweet flavor. Arame can be soaked and blanched for a few minutes or marinated.

"Dulse – rich in iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorous. We hit the mineral jackpot with dulse! Great to eat straight out of the bag as a snack or sprinkled on salads and soups (check for small shells and thoroughly clean before using).

"Hiziki – this sea vegetable is the richest in calcium and potassium. It is legendary in the Far East for enhancing beauty and adding luster, strength and shine to the hair, skin and nails. Saute with a little oil for best tasting results.

"Kelp – rich in glutamic acid that tenderizes and increases digestibility of beans. Also rich in iodine that stimulates the thyroid to burn fat. Can be roasted, fried, boiled, sautéed or marinated.

"Kombu – rich in glutamic and alginic acid, and iodine. Alginic acid binds with toxins and heavy metals in the digestive tract and excretes them from the body. Kombu can be roasted, used in soup stock, boiled, sautéed (cautionary note on both kelp and kombu: they contain excessive amounts of iodine and can disrupt thyroid function if eaten in large quantities – small quantities of these powerhouse sea vegetables is best.)

"Nori – highest protein content of all the sea vegetables and rich in Vitamin A. Traditionally used for sushi. Must be lightly toasted to bring out its’ sweet nutty flavor. Great shredded and used as a garnish for stir fries, soups, salads, and of course, used in whole sheet form to make sushi rolls.

"Wakame – mild taste, soft texture, rich in vitamin C and B vitamins. This is the traditional sea veggie for miso soup, but can be used in any soup or marinated and used in salads

Sea veggies have been around for a long time, so it may be a good idea to incorporate them into your diet so you can be around for a long time, too!

Check out these delicious recipes. They each contain a different type of sea vegetable in the ingredients.

By Andrea Beaman, C.H.H.C.

Note from Connie: Thanks, Andrea, for this informative sea veggie article! Isn't this helpful and informative? I'm going to go out later and get some more seaweed -- I don't think I have any hiziki or alaria at home.

Go here to get more tasty, sea veggie recipes from Andrea. FYI, when cooking up these dishes using Andrea's recipes, if you're sensitive to brown rice syrup, honey or barley malt, you can just leave them out.

To learn more about Andrea's fascinating story and how healthy eating healed her (she believes) from thyroid disease, order her Whole Truth Eating and Recipe Guide. And if you live in or near New York City, here's information about Andrea's events.

Sources for this Article: 1. Sea Vegetable Celebration, Shep Erhart and Leslie Cerier, 2001, Book Publishing Company; 2. Cooking with Sea Vegetables, Peter and Montse Bradford, 1985, Healing Arts Press.