If you want to boost your stores of iodine and other minerals from real food, which is always the best way, sea vegetables are your new best friend! Seaweeds are rich in a wide array of trace minerals, iodine, chlorophyll, and other phytonutrients. They are at least 10 times more nutrient dense than vegetables grown on land in most nutrients. For example, hijiki, arame, and wakame supply ten times more calcium than cow’s milk, while other seaweeds have twenty five times the iron content of beef. And there’s no downside!
Low iodine stores, a common cause of hypothyroidism, is easily corrected with regular intake of sea veggies. To get the iodine content of one gram of kelp, you’d have to eat forty pounds of land veggies. I don’t know about you, but I am not that hungry. Not only do sea veggies improve overall metabolism through boosting iodine, but they also amp up fat metabolism.
And, if you’re interested in cleansing and detoxifying, you’ll be happy to know that the abundant minerals and chlorophyll stimulate detoxification of heavy metals and chemicals from your body.
The benefits of sea vegetables go deep into your organs and tissues, and also show up in your skin and hair. Hair exhibits a glossy shine, while skin appears more radiant.
Try these!
If you are new to seaweed, try one of these ideas below. Start with smaller portions, as seaweed can be an acquired taste.
Dulse Flakes
Dulse flakes are a red seaweed that you can quickly and easily add to salads, soups, or anything you want to boost nutritionally. This seaweed is dry and keeps for many months, but hopefully you would eat through it quicker than that.
Wakame
Like many sea vegetables, wakame is extremely high in iodine, has an excellent potassium:sodium ratio (2:1), and is a great source of alginates that help block the uptake of heavy metals and radioactive elements from our environment. Try adding a little to your miso soup (use just a little because it expands as it rehydrates).
Kelp
Kelp is helpful for strengthening connective tissue and activating glands in the body, especially the thyroid. Phytonutrients in kelp may assist in the elimination of radioactive elements and toxic heavy metals from our bodies. As kelp has a very strong flavor, some take kelp capsules. We add pieces of kelp to beans as they cook, and to vegetable broth.
Nori
These are the big square wrappers that sushi is rolled in. Try creating a “hand roll” sandwich with some romaine leaves, sprouts, and strips of carrots, cucumbers, and avocado.
A great snack!
Seasnax are curiously addicting. Try them!
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