In our enthusiasm for rare ancient “Superfoods’’ which we hope might unlock the secret of eternal health, we can often overlook the simple, abundant, local foods that might enrich our health. I think one of the most overlooked foods locally is seaweed. This month I decided to focus on seaweed and share some of the amazing information I have read about the benefits of adding it to our diet.

Historically in Ireland seaweeds have been used in soups and stews, as a cough remedy/convalescent food, for pain-reducing baths, as a glaze for pottery, an ingredient in soap, cosmetics and glass making, and as a fertiliser. There is evidence of the use of seaweed as food as far back as 2700BC, but a lot of the traditions surrounding seaweed had been forgotten – until recently, when it was suddenly discovered that seaweeds could answer a lot of our health problems.

Where many of our land-grown foods typically contain a narrow range of nutrients, hence the need for a varied diet, the wild seaweeds which grow in abundance off our coasts provide all the macro-nutrients that we need for good health. It is now known that seaweeds can help to lower cholesterol, promote healthy digestion and weight, reduce blood pressure, and protect from cancer and other chronic illnesses. Because seaweeds are fat free, low GL and can be found right here at home it is easy to see why they are becoming the new Superfoods. Weight for weight, seaweeds contain more iron than steak, more fibre than prunes and more calcium than cheese!

An interesting theory I came across is that where it was once thought that the Japanese had lower levels of cancer because of the soya they eat, it is now thought that this could be due to the high levels of seaweed in their diet. Scientific research into the anti-cancer properties of seaweed covers brain cancer, breast cancer, intestinal cancer, leukaemia, throat cancer and lung cancer. For more information on this look up the Seagreens Website which gives all the research references.

If you have bone density concerns, a local Cork company might have the answer. We now know in terms of absorption, some of the best forms of calcium are from plants, such as kale, broccoli, but it seems seaweeds can beat most land plants hands down. Marigot based in Carragaline harvest a ‘calciforous’ seaweed called Lithothamnion calcareum from the waters of West Cork, and make a food supplement from it called Nature’s Calcium. Nature’s Calcium is one of the best-absorbed forms of calcium on the market, and is ideal for anyone with osteoporosis or osteoarthritis in the family.

For people interested in detoxing heavy metals, seaweeds can be a significant part of the answer. Research using Seagreens by Dr Jack Levenson (founder of the British Society for Mercury-Free Dentistry) found that in patients taking Seagreens the mercury was eliminated through the bowels rather than the kidneys (good as it reduced kidney damage) and eventually Dr Levenson removed all the other elements from his detox protocol as everything was already in the Seagreens mix.

An Irish company called Quality Sea veg makes a ‘Dulse Salt’ and a mix of flaked seaweeds called ‘Sea Spice’ which I use instead of salt to reduce sodium and add flavour to breads, soups, stews and all cooked dishes. As I mentioned above, the English company Seagreens make capsules and a ‘Sprinkle’ which are a combination of 3 types of highly nutritious ‘wrack’ seaweeds in a very easy to take form – if you take 2 capsules a day you get a very good basic amount of minerals and vitamins and then any seaweed you eat can be extra. I also love Carrageen as a colds remedy (for a recipe call in to Organico or look at our website).

One odd but interesting testimonial I found about Seagreens: “I see a lot of health benefits from Seagreens: from improved energy and stamina, to better memory and skin. It is the only supplement I have found so far that stops children biting their nails. Nail biting is a sign of nutritional deficiencies, until you remove the deficiency no matter what you do, the child will keep re-cycling nutrients by nail biting. Obviously Seagreens provide the right combination of nutrients to remove that nutritional deficiency’’ (Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD in Neurology and Nutrition, Cambridge).

If you find it hard to imagine eating seaweed take a look at ‘Irish Seaweed Kitchen’ by Prannie Rhatigan (€35 from many bookshops and healthfood shops) which is a fantastic full colour exploration of seaweed and how to include more of it in our diet. Prannie is coming to the Bandon Healthfood shop this month to give a workshop – see details below, it will be amazing!

Did you know the Japanese seaweed Kombu is a natural source of the flavour enhancer MSG. It isn’t harmful like the synthetic MSG but can be used to make many cooked dishes taste great. You can also use Kombu to help make beans more digestible – just put a piece in the pot when you soak and cook the beans and your digestion will thank you!

Seaweed products to look out for:
• Quality Sea Veg Sea Spices, Dulse Seasalt, and Spirulina Flakes for adding to soups, breads & vegetable dishes; Carrageen for making a soothing cough remedy.
• Seagreens Capsules, Iodine Capsules and Sprinkle for convenient seaweed supplementation.
• Organico Super Bread (containing seaweed & seeds) and our new Savoury Scones with Sea Spices.
• Nature’s Calcium – capsules of seaweed high in calcium for strong bones.