Herbal Blog

Seaweed Kelp

You may wonder why most Asians are lean and basically they live on ethic diet. In many Asian foods or dishes we note the presence of seaweeds especially Japanese and Chinese.  Seaweeds can actually boost our metabolism by way of the thyroid gland. Feeding the thyroid with enough minerals from the sea improve the thyroid function which increases our metabolism. This diet will significantly improve most our energy needs and in particular any weight loss program.

Seaweeds contain iodine, minerals and vitamins. The most common seaweed in the local market are “lato” and “guso” but commercial forms of seaweed and the most popular is kelp. You can use kelp in most stir-fry dishes and incorporated in soup such as tofu-based soup. One-third cup of dried kelp when soaked in water will give you a cup for a health meal and metabolic booster.

There has been a strong tradition in the use of seaweeds worldwide, not only as delicacy but also as a nutraceutical. Notable are the Japanese foods of which “Nori” is the most popular or AKA Sushi/Maki wrapper. In china kelp is also very common. Scotland, Irland and Brittany (Celtic areas) also have a significant consumption of seaweeds.
Research have indicated that seaweeds are a rich source of antioxidants, such as beta-carotene, and the vitamins B1 and B12. Basically containing iodine in significant amounts as well as chromium and zinc in trace amounts. These provide the preventive nutrition for iodine deficiency (against goiter) as well as immune boosters.

What is now interesting is that kelp may be helpful in breast cancer cases; it was reported that kelp lowers estrogens in laboratory animal experiments. Estrogens being a risk factor in breast cancer progression, kelp has the potetial to keep cases in remission.

It is generally believed that organisms in the sea which survived for millions of years have the most potent protector against invading organisms and even cancer.

Photo from: http://www.geocities.com/panuwatsuppakul/Giant_Kelp_Seaweed_macrocystis_pyrifera.jpg