Sea Vegetables: Energy Boosters for Chronic Fatigue and Thyroid Exhaustion

Greens from the sea are among the most nutritious foods on the planet.  They provide the iodine that’s necessary for  proper thyroid function,  zinc for adrenals suffering from exhaustion, calcium and magnesium for osteoporosis, protein, essential fatty acids for your immune system and iron for anemia prevention. As if that’s not enough, they provide trace minerals and can pull heavy metals and toxins out of your body.

So why don’t you eat them on a regular basis?

1- You just don’t know how powerful sea vegetables are

2- You have no idea how to prepare them in delicious ways

3- Slimy green stuff from the ocean is not your idea of a meal

Sea Vegetables are just not appreciated in our Western World. If you frequent Japanese restaurants, sushi and seaweed salad may be familiar menu items, but, unless you’ve been following a macrobiotic or raw foods diet, it’s unlikely that you serve these foods with any regularity at home.

Sea vegetables are easy to prepare and serve and can add fun and diversity to your daily culinary repertoire. With a bit of creativity and experimentation, wonderfully delicious dishes can be prepared from them!

Food manufacturers often use processed sea vegetables as thickeners or stabilizers in a variety of common products, from instant pudding to toothpaste. As “hidden” ingredients, sea vegetables are not be of significant nutritional value. Served as part of main meals and in salads, soups and wraps, sea vegetables offer an abundance of otherwise hard to get nutrients.

Sea vegetables are very rich in nutrients and phytochemicals. They’re loaded with chlorophyll, fiber, and minerals, including significant amounts of sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and many other trace minerals naturally found in the ocean. When reconstituted, sea vegetables expand three to seven times their original volume, so small amounts go a long way.

Available in dried form year-round, most sea vegetables are re-hydrated before adding to dishes. Some, like kelp, dulse, nori and sea palm are delicate enough to eat dry. Others, like arame, wakame and hijiki become more tender and appealing when they’re soaked in water to soften. Irish moss can be soaked and used as a thickener in puddings, pies and gravies. Still others like Kombu are usually not eaten by themselves, because they are tougher, but are either ground and used as a seasoning or used whole as a flavoring in soups and stews.

To make a basic sea vegetable salad, simply soak the sea vegetables in water to soften. Drain, reserving the soak water for future use. I usually do equal amounts of sea and land vegetation, like carrots or cucumbers. Kale, collard greens and cabbage make great additions as well. Combine the sea vegetable with the land vegetable and pour a sauce or marinade over them. Let it stand at least 15 minutes to absorb flavor. One of my favorite marinades contains ginger, garlic, sesame oil, lime juice, cayenne and salt. In cooking, dried sea vegetables can be added directly to soups or stews and to the cooking liquid of beans or rice.

For details about how to learn to make the most delicious creations form greens from both the land and sea, sign up for Get Your Green On You can attend the class in person and get to experience the incredible tastes or attend the web class.  Either way, you’ll get a recipe booklet, access to the digital recordings after the class and a follow-up live teleseminar with Dr. Ritamarie and Chef Alicia.

Get GREEN for Vibrant Health

Love, Health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie

www.DrRitamarie.com