Sally McKenna Food Writer,

Author Extreme Greens

Farmed Irish Seaweed: An Ocean Wonder Food?

Vitamins

Wonder Food?

Minerals Probiotic

Antioxidants

Wholefood

Healthy

Energy Boosting

Low Calorie Fibre Bio-Available

Functional

Ecotone

“A transitional area between two ecological

communities.”

The shoreline is an ancient world, the place

of our ancestoral beginnings, never

resting, never the same twice.

Why is seaweed so healthy?

Shore Profile

Each variety of seaweed has its own habitat. Photosynthesis: Carbon dioxide + light + water = oxygen and sugar

∗ Chlorophyll is the green in seaweed that contains light-absorbing pigments. Other pigments can be red, blue, brown or golden.

Chlorophyll

The chlorophyll molecule has a ring structure similar to the heme molecule in blood.

Seaweed behaves like blood…

∗ Seaweed finds all it needs in seawater. ∗ Our blood mimics the mineral composition of ocean

water. ∗ Human lymph and seawater share the same chemical

compound. ∗ Blood is “our own private ocean”. ∗ In Japan, wounded soldiers were given juice of

seaweed when they didn’t have enough blood to keep them alive until blood would arrive.

Sea Water

∗ Salt is essential to life. ∗ When captured in the wild, salt fuses together over

70 trace elements and minerals. ∗ It is only through the “big bang’’ of a dying star as it

explodes into a supernova that enough heat is generated to create an element.

Star Dust

∗ People around the globe live in a chronic state of mineral deficiency.

∗ Some of the scores of minerals in seaweed include selenium; zinc; calcium; magnesium; potassium and iodine.

∗ Iodine was given to soldiers to keep them healthy and has a role to play in the prevention of breast cancer.

Sea Minerals

∗ Seaweed helps you lose weight by inhibiting the action of an enzyme that controls the digestion of fat.

∗ Seaweed controls levels of blood sugar and this decreases food cravings.

Bladderwrack

Seaweed and Skin

Moisturising

Soothing Energising Anti-microbial

Immune boosting

Anti-Fungal

Anti-bacterial Makes your hair shine

Protecting

∗ Seaweed is Probiotic. ∗ Seaweed is Prebiotic. ∗ Seaweed contains both soluble and insoluble dietary

fiber. ∗ Alginic acid has a detoxing effect (which is why

seaweed is prescribed post-chemotherapy).

Seaweed and Digestion

∗ Seaweed has more anti-oxidants than raspberries. ∗ Seaweed has twice as much Vitamin C as orange juice. ∗ Seaweed has ten times as much Calcium as cow’s milk. ∗ Seaweed has fifty times as much Iron as spinach.

∗ There are ninety-seven bio-available nutrients in seaweed,

more than any other plant, and scientists recommend you eat it regularly, eating from all three groups.

The Stats

∗ Seaweed is a natural functional food, adding nutritional fiber and probiotics.

∗ Alginates allow bakers to increase hydration.

∗ Seaweed is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic and contains natural antibiotics.

Functional Food & Medicine

∗ In 1908 Kikunae Ikeda discovered and named Umami. ∗ Umami has a synergistic effect on other foods, and

makes other food taste better and have a better texture.

∗ In 2000 taste receptors discovered to detect Umami. ∗ Why do we need to Taste? ∗ We are genetically hard-wired to enjoy seaweed!

Taste

∗ Our grandmother’s could recognise and identify seaweed, can we?

∗ Prátaí; Páiste; Fermainn – potatoes, children, seaweed.

∗ Seaweed is our birthright and should play a role in our economic future.

The next challenge?