Who would have thought that seaweed, the salty plants that grow underwater, could alleviate so many ailments?
According to Valerie Gennari Cooksley, RN, author of Seaweed: Natures Secret to Balancing Your Metabolism, Fighting Disease, and Revitalizing Body and Soul,
| anemia diabetes cancer kidney problems fibroid tumors gastric ulcers |
yeast infections chronic fatigue syndrome gingivitis meningitis peritonitis allergies |
And that’s only a partial list. In her book she talks of three types of seaweed: reds (such as nori, which is used to wrap sushi), browns (such as wakame, hijiki or kombu) and greens (like sea lettuce). Just as one should eat a variety of vegetable colors, so can one eat a variety of seaweed colors, with each color aiding in a specific way.
The book gives some recipes for seaweed, so one can get started. However, if you are looking for a seaweed recipe book, you might want to try a different book, as she only devotes one chapter to recipes. She also teaches how to use seaweed for skin and facial treatments. There is a whole chapter devoted to harvesting your own seaweed, but I think I would only attempt combing the Jersey Shore with a seaweed expert helping me sort out which one is which.
The simplest way to enjoy seaweed is pour some hot water over a piece of wakame or kombu, let it steep for a minute, and sip it like tea.
If you have already introduced seaweed into your kitchen, how have you used seaweed in your meals?
I think it’s good to start with just one or two and get familiar with them – some sea vegetables are easier to like than others.
Most people already know nori – that’s what’s used in sushi. I love even just snacking on it all by itself.
Wakame is what I use most mornings for my miso soup – I really can’t taste anything strange in my soup :>)
Kombu is used everytime I cook any beans – I wouldn’t even try to make a bean dish without kombu – it helps with the digestion of the bean (lots of people have problems and therefore gas – so try it in cholent – by the time you eat the cholent, the kombu has become dispersed and no one will know what it is)
Arame can be added to almost any dish, as can hijiki – but arame is the one that’s less strong, so therefore better to start with. I made a delicious quinoa salad for Purim which has arame in it and makes it look so festive.
Great post…informative, and I will check the book out for sure.
I love nori…eat it frequently.
Seaweed certainly seems to heal many aiments. However it is quite difficult to find here; maybe in health shops.
Too bad. I buy it in our local health food store. Eden is a popular American brand; it is under the O-K supervision.
Ilana-Davita,
I just went to your blog to see if I can find out where you live and saw you’re in France. I stayed with a wonderful religious couple when I was in Paris – and they own both a health food store and a restaurant – but I don’t know if you’re in Paris – Gran Appetit (not sure of spelling) I believe is the name of their establishment. Let me know if you’re near Paris and I’ll write you off site.
Klara, I don’t live near Paris but close enough to go and shop there every now and again.
i knew there was a reason i liked seaweed salad!
Interesting post and comments..
My mother used to cook the green seaweed, and it’s taste reminds me of spinach – I like it, and I knew it was healthy. I’ve nver searched for it here in L.A., but it probably is somewhere here LOL
Jeannette,
LA Calif?? definitely go to Erewhon’s on Beverly near Fairfax – a great health food store – but plenty of others there, too. I don’t know the green one but could ask. Also can be mail ordered on the net – place in Northern CA, I’d have to look for it – Leora, no suggestions in the book where to buy??
Klara, too many to print. Here’s one in N. California with online ordering:
http://www.loveseaweed.com/
brain just kicked in (slow sometimes :>)
Place I was thinking of is in Mendocino