Seaweed in Your Diet: Weight Loss and Beauty Benefits

Learn the health and beauty benefits of seaweed and learn how to add it to your meal plan!

It is still an unknown fact if a seaweed diet could really help people lose weight. It is possible that seaweed could have benefits that people wanting to lose weight can benefit of. However, while some evidence and studies prove that seaweed could really help these people, others state that seaweed cannot help people to lose weight. On the other hand, seaweed has numerous health benefits, as it contains antioxidants and vitamins that the human body needs.

Nowadays, you can find on the market some seaweed supplements stating that they could improve the process of losing weight. The most common type of seaweed that is used in them is the brown one that is also very common in Japanese traditional recipes like miso soup. Taking into consideration the fact that seaweed is dense in nutrients and at the same time low in calories, it could be stated that it is recommended to those wanting to lose weight. However, there is no guarantee that the seaweed itself could improve the process.

On the other hand, they are recommended as nutritious foods, as they contain a complex of B vitamins that in turn can maintain nerve function, help with iron absorption and foster a healthier muscle tissue. Nonetheless, it is not recommended to consume too much of it, as this can induce hypothyroidism because it is very rich in iodine. In turn, this could lead to the thyroid gland becoming underactive. Therefore, if you want to add seaweed to diet, you could easily do it, as there are numerous recipes including it. However, make sure to not overeat it.

See also:
Vitamin B Complex: Best Natural Food Sources

If you are not sure that you could include seaweed in your diet, then you should know that there is yet another thing you could do with it. Seaweed has multiple beauty benefits that you could take advantage of as long as you use it correctly. For instance, it could restore the moisture level of your skin, firm and revitalize the skin, nourish it, detoxify and oxygenate it, hydrate it and reduce the possibility of getting cellulite.

Moreover, seaweed is also able to soothe and cleanse the skin, purify and re-mineralize it, improve its tone and its texture and slow down the aging process by reducing the premature appearance of wrinkles. In addition, it can give more shine to your hair and protect it from environmental elements due to its high concentration of beta-carotene and antioxidants.

Seaweed can also be used in order to treat severe acne. By being used as a mask together with olive oil, seaweed can easily detoxify and purify the skin, promote skin rejuvenation and circulation. It also has regenerative properties, it can prevent and also treat different ailments and diseases such as osteoporosis, and it can work as a treatment for severely dry skin, work against rosacea and eczemas.

All in all, although the weight loss benefits of seaweed have not been demonstrated yet, its beauty benefits are surely recognized and could work for you as well, as long as you use it responsibly.

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New Season Natural Skin Facial Recipes

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Seaweed From North Atlantic Is Safe To Eat

Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 02 May 2013 - 1:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Seaweed From North Atlantic Is Safe To Eat

Seaweed has been eaten for thousands of years by people all over the world, and it can be considered a tasty and healthy food item. This is the conclusion from professor Ole G. Mouritsen, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy at the University of Southern Denmark, who has scientifically studied the species dulse (Palmaria palmata).

Dulse has traditionally been eaten by populations along North Atlantic coasts in countries such as Iceland, Ireland, England, Scotland, France, Norway and along the North American and Canadian Atlantic coasts. Dulse has particularly fine gastronomic qualities, and it can be commercially grown in tanks.

Previously other scientists from i.a. the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration have cautioned that dulse may contain dangerous levels of the neurotoxin kainic acid, which, when consumed in large doses, can lead to brain damage. Professor Mouritsen’s research now shows that dulse contains only extremely small doses of kainic acid, and that a person needs to eat 150 kg fresh dulse in one go in order to experience the poisoning effect observed in animal studies.

"Dulse is - when you observe common sense rules for freshness and hygiene when handling food - perfectly safe to eat. No person can eat 150 kg in one go", says professor Mouritsen.

He and his colleagues also measured dulse’s content of heavy metals, inorganic arsenic and iodine - substances that may occur in seaweeds and may be harmful in large doses.

Dulse contains only very small concentrations of iodine, arsenic, mercury, cadmium and lead, and they are all below the WHO-defined limits. Nor the content of vitamin K is alarmingly high.

"Not even people who take blood thinning medicine need to worry if they eat dulse in moderation," says professor Mouritsen.

Two well-known seaweed species (Sargassum muticum and Sargassum fusiforme) are known to have a very high content of inorganic arsenic, which increases the risk of cancer. S. fusiforme is not found in North Atlantic waters, but can be purchased in stores. S. muticum is found in North Atlantic waters.

For his own part professor Mouritsen is not nervous to harvest and eat seaweed from North Atlantic waters.

"There are many delicious, healthy and safe seaweed species in North Atlantic waters. Just stay away from old seaweed washed up on the beach and harvest only seaweed from clean waters", he adds.

Dulse is a particularly delicate seaweed, he points out, and he is supported by restaurant chefs. Through time dulse has been one of the most popular seaweed species in the parts of the western world with a tradition for eating seaweed.

"Dulse has a very appealing taste. It tastes best as dried and can be added to bread, omelets, soups and fish dishes. It can be fried and served as a crisp substitute for bacon or sprinkled over a salad", suggests professor Mouritsen.

Other interesting edible seaweed species from North Atlantic waters are: Winged kelp (Alaria esculenta). Raw in salads. Roasted and granulated with fresh fruit. Oarweed (Laminaria digitata). Cooked in soups. Sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima). Raw in salads or packed around fish. Sea lettuce (Ulva sp). Raw in salads or dried and crushed into bread, dressings or omelets. Good source of iron. Bladder Wrack (Fucus sp). Blanched - watch it change color from light brown to green when it hits the boiling water. Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
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