#tbt day here at #goodfoodHQ, as we look back on the #mondaybasics series of 2016.

Last week, we dove in to adding in nettle, a sort of Level 400 Holistic Nutrition add-in if you will. This week, we add to your toolkit by adding in yet another Level 400 kind of food to your day to day.

ADD SEAWEED

COLES’ NOTES:

Because minerals.
Because lignans and fucoidans. (For cancer protection + reducing inflammation. (Code for chronic disease.))
Because chelation work to take out heavy metals.

This really is Level 400. Read on for the reasons behind this idea, what kinds of seaweeds to look for, and how to work them in to your every day. Because delicious!

For this week's topic for the #mondayhealthbasics series (now #thursdaybasics), I am going to work hard at not getting bogged down in scientific evidence and fancy words to try to extoll the virtues of seaweed or sea vegetables. (Although if you're looking for research behind some of these facts, simple hover over parts of the text and you're bound to find a link to something that may prove to be an interesting read, should you be wanting to delve further into the science side of things.)

We're talking adding seaweed to your regimen today on the blog. Because minerals. Because lignans. Because cancer protection. Because reducing inflammation. Read on if you need more evidence.

SEAWEED vs SEA VEGETABLES - ARE THEY THE SAME?

Some call them seaweed, others call them sea vegetables; they are one and the same. It might be obvious, but these culinary (and healthy!) delights live typically in marine waters (so think salty seas) and in some freshwater lakes too.

They are mainly lumped into one of three categories, based on their colour: brown, red and green.

Not all kinds are fit for consumption, but there are scores of edible sea vegetables you can include on your table. Some of my favourites include arame, hijiki, kombu, kelp, wakame, nori and dulse.

Most folks would be familiar with seaweed as the wrapping around sushi, or the floating green bits in their miso soup. So think Traditional Foods from the food-loving people of Japan and Korea.

I have a wonderful few recipes from Darina Allen in a book on traditional Irish cooking where she shares recipes on using Carrageen Moss to make pudding. Seaweeds have been a part of traditional culinary cultures living in proximity to ocean waters for many centuries, and with good reason!

LET’S TALK MINERALS

Why I love seaweed: they are a fabulous source of minerals. As we move away from traditional ways of cultivating our foods and harvest, our soils are losing some of their mineral content. This loss of minerals is reflected in the produce grown in these depleted soils.

As we consume these foods from depleted soils, so we start missing some key minerals in our diet. A good way to help support our health then would be to add in to our diet those foods that would help bridge that gap and provide those lost essential minerals. This is where seaweed comes in!

You'll find these sea vegetables are a good source of important minerals like magnesium and calcium (minerals that work in tandem for bone health, nerve health, heart health, adrenal and thyroid health too), iodine (thyroid health, protecting against breast cancer), a good source of folic acid (a critical B vitamin essential to nervous system health, cardiovascular health and reproductive things as well). You'll also find these vegetables to be good sources of iron, potassium, other B vitamins.

WHAT THE HECK ARE LIGNANS AND FUCOIDANS

But what you may not know is that they also supply us with good amounts of lignans and fucans or fucoidans: these two nutrients bring with them cancer-protecting properties (especially estrogen-dependant cancers) and help support the body in reducing overall inflammation, assisting in reducing blood cholesterol.

Sea vegetables are considered to be a blood tonic, supporting the kidneys and stomach function.

HEAVY METAL HELP

No, seaweed is not a member of a Heavy Metal Band you listened to in the 70s and 80s. Seaweed are excellent at chelating out heavy metal toxins from between your cells: I mean, COME ON! That's reason right there to include them at least once a day, if you know that heavy metal toxicity has a negative impact on hormonal balance, blood sugar balance and neurological function to name a few.

But how does one just start eating seaweed.
Does it mean I have to forage by the ocean and munch on the sandy rubbery mess?

Well, no. I mean you can if you want to try it out, but I don't recommend it. Yet. (Foraging for seaweed is something on my bucket list. I know. I'm a nerd. Deal with it.)

Know that you can find seaweed and sea vegetables in many different forms, either at your regular grocery store or at your local Health food store too. Look for seaweed that is dried, in packages.

You may also want to check out the bulk bins or spice racks, where you may find kelp powder, or other types of seaweed in powder form. Adding in a half teaspoon of chlorella powder to your morning smoothie or oatmeal bowl might be an easy place to start.

Simply switching a salt shaker on the table for ground up kelp powder can also be a fabulous and easy way to add the goodness of seaweed to just about every meal, without having to put much thought into it. Better yet, leave this shaker of powder by the stove top and sprinkle liberally every time you make some food!

kelp powder - keep it next to the stove and use all the time!

OTHER WAYS TO INCORPORATE SEAWEED INTO YOUR DAILY REGIMEN

Other ways to incorporate these greens into your everyday: you can take a long strip of seaweed and soak it in filtered water for at least 30 minutes in order to soften it. This is one of the key steps in making the Japanese traditional stock called Dashi. (You can also make a bonito dashi, if you're feeling more adventurous and looking for deeper flavour)

Once soaked, you can chop it in bite sized pieces to include in any soups, stews or stir fries or to eat raw in salads. I have a recipe I came up with in my Month of Salads challenge I set up last June, this one uses arame, a noodle-like seaweed once soaked. Delish.

Speaking of noodles, there are a few gluten-free noodle options out on the market these days that are made strictly with seaweed. Some are better than others, so don't be discouraged if the first one you try is not to your liking. Play with your food! Look for the kelp noodles. Easy to incorporate into meals!

Of course you can easily use nori leaves to wrap your sushi in, but did you ever think to use these sheets as an excellent gluten-free alternative to a lunch time wrap? Or cut into squares as a base vehicle for mayo+smoked salmon+kimchi+capers? Easiest way yet: munch on these as crackers. Easy peasy and kid friendly to boot.

You can also chop nori sheets up into strips to toss into salads, soups and stews or one of my favourites, with butter over popcorn.

I toss a kombu strip every time I make a meat stock or bone broth; I have been known to sprinkle in minced Sea Veg Blend to anything I can sneak it in. This includes casseroles, soups, rice dishes, stews. I even sneak them in, along with dehydrated greens, to my meatballs and burgers.

Dulse is an easy one to include in anything soupy or stew-like, as it completely dissolves and is not recognizable in your prepared meal. It takes no time to cook!

USE SEAWEED IN YOUR FERMENTS

And fermenting? Why yes, yes I use seaweed in my ferments! And why wouldn’t you? You unlock access to more minerals and vitamins in the fermentation process, and so adding seaweed in to your ferments is a brilliant way to increase the nutrients available in your finished product.

Wakame is a wonderful addition, along with ginger to a sauerkraut; or tossing in strips of dulse in with your kimchi would be divine.

TRADITIONAL FOODS

Adding a strip of dried kombu when making a batch of beans is a Traditional Foods idea folks have been doing for yonks, and it appears to improve the digestibility of the beans, which means less gas for the consumers. And friends who are hanging out with said consumers in the hours following.

Know that these greens do come from the ocean, and so they will bring with them a bit of salt. Taste your finished product (with seaweed added in!) before salting your dish.

I am aiming for a toonie-sized piece of seaweed per day at our house. It isn't a recommendation set in stone and I certainly don't get bothered if I don't include it in the day's meals but I really do aim to include this goodness in just about every calendar day. There are so many benefits, how could I not?