Dried Seaweed Is The New Potato Chip

Last week, one of my closest girlfriends left Los Angeles to move back to her hometown of Curitiba, Brazil. While she and I are both hoping this move is temporary, it was a quick decision, and she basically had to pack up her entire life in about 7 pieces of luggage. There were a few odds and ends she could not take, so of course, she left them with her trusted buddy-me. One item was a foam roller that helps eliminate and/or prevent muscle knots and soreness. Definitely something I can use.

The other was a food item. Go figure, as we are both in the nutrition field. The food was not something I would normally buy myself, but this particular friend is a big Costco shopper, so packaged bulk items that were left in her apartment were either going to go to me or to the trash. I had been hearing a lot about the health benefits of this particular item, but had never really been one to snack on this sort of food.  What is this food, you may be wondering?  I am talking about dried seaweed. And it is actually quite tasty.

According to a few different online food articles I have read, eating dried seaweed has become a popular food trend on the West Coast and is now starting to spread nationwide. Apparently, parents are buying this snack for their kids as a potato chip alternative, because it is salty and crispy, minus the extra oils and calories. Below is a picture of one piece of seaweed in a snack pack. These packs have around 7-8 of these pieces in them.

So what is it that makes seaweed so healthy? It is not just the health claims of improved weight loss, cancer prevention and lowered cholesterol. Those claims have all been a little exaggerated. Here is the real deal...

Seaweed grows in the ocean (hence the name SEAweed). While it is growing and living its life under water, it picks up a range of minerals and other nutrients. Seaweed is also a simple food, making it easy for the body to break down and release the healthful substances inside, providing a variety of vitamins and minerals. 1/3^rd cup of dried seaweed contains approximately 17 calories. Seaweed also has no fat or other unhealthy components, and it is usually prepared without any oils or other unnecessary additives.

Seaweed does contain high amounts of sodium and iodine. Dried seaweed contains as much as 312 mg of sodium per serving. For a healthy person who can eat up to 2,300 mg of sodium a day, this accounts for 13.5 percent of the sodium you may consume in a day. However, if you have hypertension or heart disease -- or you are at risk of developing heart disease – you should consider limiting your sodium intake further to 1,500 mg. Eating dried seaweed may be not be the best thing for you if you qualify for the lower limit of sodium intake. 

Also, eating a serving of dried seaweed, and you consume 6,720 percent of the daily-recommended intake of iodine. While your body requires iodine for the healthy function of your thyroid, too much is a bad thing. Consuming a serving of seaweed occasionally will not harm your health, but taking in this food regularly may lead to the development of thyroid conditions, including cancer. Another reason we nutrition people teach that thing we call MODERATION.

In my opinion, the optimal diet focuses on a variety of fruits and vegetables. Since seaweed grows in the ocean, it contains certain vitamins and minerals that aren't as available in land-grown vegetables. This extra variety makes seaweed a good food to mix into your diet.

So how can you eat this dried seaweed? As I mentioned in the beginning of this blog, it is sold in bulk in snack packs at Costco. Whole Foods sells it in snack packs as well. I haven’t looked at all the different grocery stores, but I would assume some of your local health food grocers carry this option. If not, there are also online options such as Amazon.com or Asian, organic or specialty food markets in your local area. You can see below what a typical snack pack looks like. Cute, huh?

Once purchased, you can eat dried seaweed plain, or you can sprinkle it in salads, soups and on noodle or rice dishes. ENJOY!