This Year, Seaweed Is a Great Addition to Your Diet
Seaweed Salad Calories : Isn’t seaweed a strange thing? It’s a salt-water-dwelling marine algae, after all.
Who would have guessed that it would be eaten? But, surprisingly, it has long been a mainstay in the diets of many nations.
In truth, seaweed has long been consumed (and used) by Chinese and Japanese cultures.
Since 300 B.C., it has been used for therapeutic purposes. Seaweed is a great source of vitamins A, C, E, K, and B-vitamins, and for good reason.
It’s also high in iodine, selenium, calcium, and iron, among other minerals.
Furthermore, recent research suggests that the polysaccharide alginate in seaweed may help limit fat absorption.
Other studies have suggested that ingestion of seaweed may lessen the incidence of breast cancer due to its anti-estrogenic effects, as well as improve menstrual symptoms, if that isn’t reason enough to eat it.
However, despite all of these health benefits, you should limit how much seaweed salad you consume because it is high in sodium and sugar.
I had a patient lately who was eating seaweed salad a few times a week but couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t losing weight and felt so bloated.
That’s because one cup of seaweed salad contains around 130 calories, 25 grammes of carbohydrate, 4 grammes of sugar, 3 grammes of fibre, and 900-1200 mg sodium. One cup of seaweed salad contains about half of a day’s worth of sodium.
Sodium is an electrolyte that binds to water; the more sodium you consume, the more water you retain, preventing weight loss and causing swelling. A word of caution: too much of anything is rarely a good thing.
Here are a few healthy ways to incorporate seaweed into your diet and gain its many benefits:
Stir-fry
Hijiki seaweed resembles black linguine and goes well with vegetable stir-fries and tofu meals.
It also boosts calcium and phosphorus levels, which is beneficial to bone health.
Sushi
Nori seaweed is commonly found in sushi rolls, soups, and rice balls at Japanese eateries.
It’s packed with fibre, protein, and cancer-fighting lignans.
Salad of seaweed
Seaweed is naturally high in sodium because it comes from the sea (as mentioned above).
Prepare a heart-healthy seaweed salad by replacing ordinary soy sauce with low-sodium soy sauce and omitting the salt and sugar.
(Wakame seaweed, sesame oil, low-sodium soy sauce, sesame seeds, and rice vinegar are among the ingredients.)
Appetizers
Seaweed, like other traditional vegetables, is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in fibre.
Low-fat, high-fiber diets can help people lose weight and prevent diabetes and heart disease.
If you’re bored with your regular vegetables, try experimenting with unusual ones like seaweed.
Dry seaweed can be sprinkled on top of your favourite veggies or salads, roasted on its own with sesame seeds, or stir-fried with mushrooms and baked on top of your favourite seafood. The options are limitless!
*Those taking Coumadin or on thyroid medication may experience side effects if they consume a lot of seaweed.
Please with your physician before beginning to consume seaweed.
Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD, is a nationally recognised registered dietitian headquartered in New York who developed a proprietary high-fiber dietary regimen for weight loss, wellbeing, and the treatment of a variety of medical issues.
Tanya is the author of The F-Factor Diet, a best-selling weight-loss book, and the first dietitian to launch a nationwide line of high-fiber foods under the F-Factor brand. Join Tanya’s Facebook page and follow her on Twitter.
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