Photo by Silas Baisch on Unsplash
PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PACIFIC HARVEST
A vegetable of the sea, crucial component of climate control, and an important food source for sea creatures, did you know that there are many varieties of seaweed which are delicious to eat?
Seaweeds offer a simple way to add nutrition to your diet, here are some of the benefits of consuming seaweed:
Nutrition
A raw and plant-based wholefood, seaweed contains a variety of vitamins and minerals, including iron, magnesium, calcium, and iodine (which your thyroid gland needs to function).
One of the reasons why people living in Japan are said to be the healthiest in the world is because of their high iodine intake through sources like seaweed.
Seaweeds are rich in amino acids and can also offer a great source of vitamin B12, which prevents tiredness and keeps our blood cells healthy – also hard to find in your food if you are following a plant-based diet since most sources of Vitamin B12 come from animal proteins.
Happy gut
The fibre in seaweed is higher than the fibre content of most fruits and vegetables and helps to promote gut health. The fibre content also keeps you fuller for longer. Just as seaweeds act like sponges in the sea, cleaning and neutralising their environment, they perform the same functions in our gut, supporting the elimination of toxins and heavy metals.
Delicious taste
Seaweed is not necessarily sweet, sour, salty or bitter, but is a great source of umami flavour. Umami is described as a pleasant savoury flavour, perhaps meaty or broth-like, leafing a satisfying aftertaste at the back of the mouth. Some say an umami taste stimulates the appetite. And as we get older and lose our taste and smell sensitivity, we can continue to benefit from the umami taste. Each seaweed variety has a different flavour, for example, Dulse has a smoky flavour, whilst Sea Lettuce offers a subtle sorrel like flavour.
Future food
There’s also a sustainable side to seaweed. As it is carbon negative, fast-growing and nutrient-dense, it’s hailed by many as ‘food of the future’.
Seaweed doesn’t need fertiliser to thrive. It can either be harvested from the ocean or beach in a sustainable way which encourages regeneration and minimises damage on the surrounding marine environment or farmed to be grown at a large scale on land or in the ocean.
Versatility
Pacific Harvest offers a range of seaweeds in various formats which makes their range versatile. The Power of Three Flakes offer a blend of all three seaweed colours in one product, which can be used to flavour food during cooking or as a garnish. Seaweed Salt is another new product, closely following overseas trends which offers lovely flavour and nutrients from the seaweeds blended with an organic New Zealand sea salt. Seaweeds are excellent as a salt replacement, garnish or seasoning, or use leaves in salads, stir-fries, or stews. The powder form is a great way to add nutrients to smoothies.
And if you require meal inspiration, why not check out Pacific Harvest’s extensive recipe catalogue? From Wakame Pesto Pasta to an Irish Moss Smoothie bowl, there’s something for everyone.
Pacific Harvest also participates in the Made With Care initiative by the New Zealand government. As Pacific Harvest shares a special connection with the land and sea, they believe in the Made With Care ethos that “when nature thrives, we all thrive”.
Pacific Harvest are specialists in seaweeds, having been focused solely on seaweed since 2002! Their range includes a variety of ethically and sustainably harvested seaweeds that are tested according to the requirements in the local Australian New Zealand Food Code.
Seaweed is non-GMO, low fat, gluten-free, dairy free and densely nutritious and cleansing, produced by nature and packed with care and passion by Pacific Harvest. They are good for you and good for our planet.
