Iodine * Iron * Vitamin E
Nori seaweed (Porphyra umbilicus) is most familiar as the wrapping around sushi, and is also known as "purple Laver" due to the inky-black colour, that oddly, turns bright green when toasted. Sea Power Natural Nori is hand-harvested wild from the clean, clear Atlantic Oceans then carefully dried. With a slightly sweet, incredibly mild taste, this might just be our new nutritional power-packed favourite!
Suggested Uses: Leaf is delicious straight out of the bag, or lightly crisp-ed in a dry skillet or similar (colour will change to bright green). Use Leaf/Flakes crumbled over soups, grains, salads, stirfries, bread mixes, stocks, popcorn or any savoury dish. NOTE: Adding seaweeds to the pot when cooking legumes or pulses (like beans or lentils) can shorten cooking time.
More about Nori
Vast and widely unexplored, the oceans are a veritable source of nutritional sustenance and among them, the edible seaweeds. One of the most popular and nutritious seaweeds is nori – yes, the ‘green stuff’ that holds sushi together.
Nori is an edible algae which turns dark green when dried. It has long been attributed to health and longevity in Asian cultures. In Korea, nori is an integral part of their culture, served as soup on birthdays and given to women for three weeks after childbirth. According to elders, it helps replenish and rejuvenate the body. Today, nori’s reputation as a natural health food has been firmly established, as attested by the Japanese proverb, ‘two sheets of nori keep the doctor away’. Read on to find out why.
NORI’S NUTRIENTS
Nori offers one of the broadest range of nutrients of any food, including many found in human blood! Because the chemical composition of seaweed is so close to human blood plasma, they are excellent at regulating and purifying our blood.
Nori nutrients include calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc and then some! Nori can actually contain up to 10 times more calcium than milk! Nori is packed full of vitamins too. It offers vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K, as well as niacin, folic acid and taurine. And thanks to the level of vitamin C it contains, the bioavailability of its abundant iron content is increased.
As well as measurable amounts of polyphenols like carotenoids and flavonoids, nori contains other phytonutrients, including several types of alkaloids with antioxidant properties. Nori also contains chlorophyll (a pigment that makes plants green) which is a powerful, natural detoxifier that can help eliminate waste products from our body. Nori is also loaded with fibre and protein. In fact 30-50 percent of nori’s dry weight is protein, and much of the rest of it is digestible fibre.
What’s most impressive about nori is the iodine content. You simply can’t find a more concentrated source of the stuff! Missing in almost every other food, this essential mineral is vital in maintaining healthy thyroid function.
EATING NORI CAN HELP YOU AVOID IODINE DEFICIENCY
Typical Western diets are low in iodine. This is because people are restricting their sodium intake in response to the dangers of consuming excess salt, or because their diet is full of processed convenience foods. These highly processed foods contain loads of poor quality (iodine-free) salt.
When iodised salt consumption is reduced, it’s actually pretty easy for people to become iodine insufficient or deficient. Without sufficient levels of iodine, your thyroid function can become impaired, meaning it’s harder for your body to burn fat. This can lead to fatigue and weight gain.
Nori is an excellent source of iodine, so adding it to your diet at least three times a week can help keep your thyroid in check. Plus, eating nori may help reduce cholesterol levels, according to a Japanese study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
HOW TO ADD NORI TO YOUR DIET…
- Blend sheets of nori with a little bit of sea salt and bam! You’ve got a seaweed sprinkle. This can also help reduce the amount of salt you add to your foods.
- Sprinkle crushed up toasted seaweed snacks over your salads, or soups.
- Fill a nori wrap with tofu, baked kumara, avocado, quinoa and greens. It will be loads better for you than that 8 pack of sushi.
- Hummus or nut cheese spread over some seaweed snacks makes an awesome low carb, high protein snack. Of course, it can be enjoyed on its own as a crispy snack, just like a bag of chips -but way better for you.
When buying seaweed, choose certified organic where possible. Seaweeds absorb the properties of their environment, which includes any pollutants in the water. Certified organic seaweeds have been grown and harvested in unpolluted waters that are free from harmful chemicals. You’ll find organic seaweeds from some supermarkets and health food stores.
