Seaweed Benefits for Health and Slimming

Seaweed is amazing stuff. Seaweed benefits for our health are legendary and it can easily lay claim to being one of the world's super foods.

The best news is that seaweed benefits are easy to access because it is cheap and plentiful and modern methods of drying and packaging make it accessible to almost everyone.

So what are the main health benefits of seaweed?

Seaweed health benefits

Seaweed of different kinds contain differing amounts of trace elements. That said, most of the common different types contain an impressive array of minerals and vitamins.

Here is a brief list of the main nutrients found in the common types of seaweeds.

Laver (Nori) provides good amounts of vitamins A and C, potassium, magnesium and riboflavin (B2). It's also a good source of iron.

Dulse is especially rich in protein (up to 20%) and also contains magnesium, iron and beta carotene (which our bodies use to make vitamin A).

Kelp (Kombu) is a great source of iodine also provides iron, magnesium and folate (vitamin B9).

Wakame (sometimes called "brown seaweed" - because, like many, it is!) is a type of kelp which has been exploited in recent years as a valuable slimming aid. It contains good amounts of an essential fatty acid called EPA. Brown seaweed has been shown to have many benefits, including protection against diabetes and fat-burning properties.

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Seaweed benefits in a pill?

You can even get the benefits of seaweed in a pill. Kelp tablets have been sold in health food shops for many years as an easy way to get some of the many health benefits of seaweed. Kelp tablets are especially valued as natural source of iodine, the mineral which keeps the thyroid gland in good condition and prevents goitre.

Brown seaweed can be obtained as a supplement to help with weight loss.

The benefits of seaweed can also be found in skin and hair products.

Seaweed has been written about as the "fountain of youth" because it has so many health benefits. This book from Valerie Gennari Cooksley explores the subject in depth: Seaweed: Natures Secret to Balancing Your Metabolism, Fighting Disease, and Revitalizing Body and Soul

The health benefits of seaweed deserve to be better known and understood. Here is a great resource which also makes a valuable contribution to green living. In order for the health benefits of seaweed to be properly realised and utilised it is important that the ocean environment is kept clean and free from toxic matter.

Whether you get your seaweed benefits from food or from seaweed extract or from supplements, or from using body care products containing seaweed*, you can be sure that you are using an ancient and tested route to good nutrition.

*The skin absorbs nutrients (and chemicals) from body care products applied to it; always read the labels carefully and avoid products with parabens and other toxic chemicals.

For more about seaweed and health please see Seaweed Health Benefit. This article contains information about the industry and lots more on the different varieties of seaweed available.

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