5 Reasons To Love Seaweed
Yeah, it kind of freaks me out when I’m swimming in the ocean, minding my own business, and I feel it brush up against my leg as if it wants to be friends… but I have a new-found appreciation for seaweed.
It all started with these seaweed snacks I bought at a Japanese supermarket last week. Now, be warned, you know you’re eating something straight from the sea when you take a bite out of one of these thin sheets of seaweed. It’s certainly an acquired taste. But, in my opinion, these are salty little sheets of heaven.
As I was downing my first package, I couldn’t help but wonder what this seaweed was doing to my body upon its entrance. It turns out this sea-inhabiting vegetable can offer quite a bit of benefits. I must mention that a lot of seaweed claims are not yet backed by concrete evidence, but there seem to be tons of seaweed-eaters who swear by it! Here are 5 reasons why.
Iodine. Seaweed contains an incredible amount of iodine – which is something that’s hard to come by. Your daily dose is packed into just one gram of it. More than half of your body’s iodine is stored in the thyroid gland, which plays a very important role in your body’s metabolic processes.
Hormone regulation. Studies suggest that seaweed can help control estrogen, which is necessary for the health of sexual organs. Because of this, seaweed is believed to help keep PMS in check, and even lower breast cancer risks.
Detoxification. Seaweed is believed to protect the body from heavy metals and other environmental impurities by turning them into harmless salts that are easily flushed from the body. It also contains lots of chlorophyll, which helps remove toxins from the body.
For the skin. The wide array of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids contained in seaweed are thought to do wonders for the skin – like hydrate, nourish, promote elasticity, and increase blood flow to its surface. I’d be interested in trying out a seaweed wrap at a spa!
For the hair. Similarly, seaweed is thought to give shine, texture, and nourishment to the hair by being applied externally (many hair products contain seaweed extract for this reason) – and eating it is believed to help hair grow faster, as well.
Any seaweed lovers out there? Let us know why you love it!
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