Sea Vegetables: Nutritional Benefits & Uses - A Comprehensive Guide

Sea vegetables is a generic term applied to various sea-dwelling plants that are harvested for human consumption. Sea vegetables include seaweed, kelp, nori, bladderwrack and sea palm. Sea vegetables are high in nutrients and can provide an interesting flare to the typical diet.

History

• Sea vegetables have been an integral part of Japanese cuisine for centuries and have become more common and popular among other cultures in the past few years.

Benefits

• Sea vegetables are good sources of iodine, carotene, calcium, iron and vitamins A and K.

Kelp

• Kelp is the best-known of the sea vegetables and is beneficial for gastrointestinal health; relieving the stiffness from arthritis; and improving thyroid, adrenal and pituitary function.

Cancer-Fighting

• Sea vegetables can inhibit the process of angiogenesis, where cancer cells create new blood supplies to nourish tumors, making the vegetables valuable for fighting cancer.

Considerations

• Not everyone can conveniently obtain fresh sea vegetables, but it is still possible to supplement your diet. Most health food stores carry dried sea vegetables processed into powder or capsules.