How to Eat Seaweed (8 Ways to Add More Seaweed to Your Diet)

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Last updated: July 31, 2021

One of the most underrated vegetables is seaweed. Okay, that’s a little cheeky of course, but seaweed is actually considered a sea vegetable.

Edible types of seaweed offer incredible and also unique health benefits that most of us are missing out on, or are otherwise not getting enough from.

The easiest way to consume more seaweed is with seaweed cookies and bars that you can easily find in the supermarket. But there are better ways to add more natural and unprocessed seaweed to your diet.

Let’s find out!

The Benefits of Eating Seaweed

Eating seaweed is not something we typically learn to do at a young age in many western countries, and more than often we’re simply not aware of the benefits of eating seaweed.

Here are a few reasons for you to start including seaweed in your diet:

  • A lot of the food grown on the land is lacking in minerals because of aggressive farming practices and lack of remineralization. Seaweed is packed with minerals from the ocean.
  • If you’re worried about the toxic chemical accumulation the higher up you go in the food chain, especially in fish, don’t be. Seaweed is as low in the oceanic food chain as it gets.
  • Seaweed is great for balancing out the thyroid gland, which is responsible for producing hormones that keep us healthy and balanced.
  • Seaweed gives us pure energy, so if you need a boost it is really easy to add to your daily routine.
  • Overall, seaweed is one of the healthiest foods that we often neglect to eat. It is a regular ingredient in Asian cuisine, and can add great additional flavors to many raw dishes.

How to Eat More Seaweed

So how can we best eat seaweed and how can we make this a regular thing?

Here are eight practical tips:

1. Roasted Seaweed

Slice up a couple of sheets of roasted seaweed to top your salads or add to wraps for extra crunch.

It’s also nice to bring nori sheets on camping or cross country trips. They make for an excellent dry snack, or can be combined with fresh veggies for a super simple wrap.

Roasted seaweed

2. Spirulina

Add spirulina powder or blue/green algae to your green smoothies or fruit smoothies. I’ve also added it to my green juices, it makes for a fun mix.

3. Irish Moss

Use Irish Moss in raw pies and desserts to solidify the fillings, and get some extra seaweed into your diet through your sweet tooth.

4. Sushi

Make raw maki or sushi veggie rolls, using nori seaweed sheets as the wrapper that holds everything together.

I don’t know about you, but I love Japanese cuisine and I could quite literally eat sushi every day!

Salmon sushi roll

5. Kelp Buds

Soak kelp buds and add these to your salads and wraps. I do this one several times per week, and it adds a different flair to my salads.

Otherwise, use soaked kelp buds or your favorite type of seaweed to your salad dressings by blending with quality oils and vinegars. You get a great Asian tasting dressing, and you sneak more seaweed in.

6. Kelp Noodles

Add (raw) kelp noodles to your raw soups, raw salads, or make a raw noodle dish with them.

Clear, thin noodles made from kelp are delicious! Kelp is a brown seaweed that is notable for its high iodine content.

7. Seaweed Salad

Make a seaweed salad with any type of soaked seaweed, sliced cucumbers, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds for an Asian feel. Yum!

Seaweed salad

8. Nori Crackers

Dehydrate nori crackers by blending regular cracker batter and spreading it on a nori sheet.

Then dehydrate and watch the salty nori turn into a delicious cracker you just can’t put down.

Final Thoughts

The beauty is that none of the above suggestions involve eating seaweed cookies. But each one will help you remineralize your body and feel great.

So, please go ahead and give seaweed a try. Once you’re used to it all, it will get easier to include in your day to day diet.

 

Ways to eat seaweed

 
 
Donna Harrison

I created Healthy Food Tribe because I am passionate about discovering new foods and learning everything about them. I am also a smoothie fanatic and I document all my favorite recipes here on my blog.

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