Do you seaweed? I'm accepting new tele-health patients, and Crispy Layered Seaweed Snacks
What should you do if you're addicted to seaweed? --> Sea kelp.
Hello and welcome to The Nutritionist’s Kitchen newsletter. I’m so glad you’re here! If you enjoy my content and want to support this space, consider becoming a paid subscriber.
Subscriber-only features include access to every recipe and meal plan I post, individualized nutrition recommendations, class discounts, giveaways, and more!
Thank you for reading.
Do You Seaweed?
All jokes aside, seaweed or sea vegetables are possibly the most SUPER of all the superfoods!
Now, I know the term superfood doesn’t actually come with standard criteria or a qualifying list of foods; rather it’s just a fun word to use for foods that pack an extra nutritional punch—and seaweed punches back hard! 💥
Seaweed is a very nutrient-dense food that provides a multitude of health benefits. *Some people* even say it’s the healthiest food on Earth—do you agree?
If not, what do you think is the healthiest food on Earth?
Nutritional Benefits of Seaweed
Each type of seaweed contains different nutrients, just like different vegetables, and those nutrients can be affected by various elements (lifecycle stage, climate, harvesting, etc.).
But there are some similarities across the board, such as most all types of seaweed contain: protein, calcium, iodine, copper, omega-3s, vitamins A, B12, C, E, K, folate, and more.
Seaweed supports healthy thyroid function which is something we don’t talk a lot about in standardized medicine. The more common approach is to treat thyroid dysfunction with Rx medications after a problem has already occurred rather than tend to a healthy thyroid along the way.
Taking care of your thyroid before issues (hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, etc.) arise is really important and one way to do this is by eating foods that are naturally rich in iodine (such as seaweed, shellfish, dairy, etc.).
Iodine helps your body manufacture thyroid hormones, which are necessary for healthy thyroid function (and can really help people with low thyroid hormones aka hypothyroidism which is more common than having too much thyroid hormones aka hyperthyroidism).
What else makes seaweed so special?
Seaweed was once traded as a form of currency.
It’s nutrient-dense as I already mentioned.
Research shows that they may help with heavy metal detoxification in humans.
Also, certain varieties act as a natural food thickener in homemade and commercial processes.
When stored and prepared properly, seaweed tastes amazing!
Seaweed is highly regenerable, growing upward of 4-inches daily.
Research shows that seaweed, when fed to cattle, may decrease methane emissions.
Seaweed helps detoxify our water sources and oceans.
Climate researchers believe in the coming years that it will become one of the most beneficial resources for the health and future of our planet.
Wild versus Farmed – Which is Better?
There are benefits to both. When done properly and responsibly, wild seaweed is flavorful, sustainable, and has little impact on the natural environment (and is also a ton of fun to harvest!). However, sourcing wild seaweed can be a challenge and considering toxicity from the surrounding water is crucial.
Farming seaweed can occur in both the ocean or on land. Farmed seaweed is incredibly sustainable however it’s important to avoid seaweed that’s been farmed with chemicals or additives. There aren’t a lot of regulations around farming practices, so make sure to read labels, ask questions, and contact the suppliers.
Wild Seaweed Harvesting Guidelines For information local to you, check out your state’s Department of Natural Resources website.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***For more information about the nutritional properties of seaweed and new and exciting ways to incorporate it into your diet, join me virtually on Thursday, January 13th at 5 pm PST for my newest virtual cooking class!
Register here! —> https://www.pccmarkets.com/class/wild-edible-seaweed/
I’m pleased to announce that I’m accepting new tele-health patients!
If you’re interested in working 1:1 with a registered dietitian nutritionist on your health and nutrition goals, please email me or visit my website to learn more.
I specialize in integrative and functional nutrition—this is a patient-centered approach that promotes the concept of food as medicine for optimal health and the prevention of diet and lifestyle-related disease.
It’s easy! We work together via a HIPAA-approved tele-health platform to create a customized nutrition plan including dietary recommendations, meal planning, recipes, supplements, and herbs to meet your personal health goals.
—> email: info@carlyknowles.com
Crispy Layered Seaweed Snacks
These bitesize seaweed snacks are an easy and quick snack to make, and they taste really good, too! They’re crunchy and salty and contain ample amounts of protein, healthy fat, and seaweed for essential vitamins and minerals. Also, nori seaweed is a fantastic source of naturally occurring iodine which contributes to healthy thyroid function.
Makes: 8 servings
¼ cup almond butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
8 sheets dried nori seaweed
1/3 cup unhulled sesame seeds
1 cup sliced almonds
Preheat oven to 300 F degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a small mixing bowl, mix the almond butter, soy sauce, water, and sesame oil together until smooth. Set aside.
Lay one large square sheet of nori flat on a clean plate. Using a pastry or basting brush, brush a thin and even layer of the almond butter mixture on the nori covering the entire sheet. Next, evenly distribute 4 teaspoons of sesame seeds and then an even flat layer of almonds, about ¼ cup. Place a new clean sheet of nori on top, pressing down firmly to adhere to the contents. Transfer onto a baking sheet and continue making the remaining three. In the end, there should be four large squares total, two on each baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until each square is wrinkled and has shrunk slightly. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer each square to a cutting board. Cut each into 16 even square bitesize pieces by making three equidistant cuts on either side. Transfer the small pieces back to the baking sheet to cool completely. They’ll crisp up even more as they cool.
Store in an airtight container or reusable bag for 5-7 days.