Seaweed
I love looking around my local Asian supermarket. I found a whole section of seaweed and seaweed related products (though the products seem to contain lots of ingredients that are far removed from Paleo). Seaweed is something I've never had at home before – and certainly haven’t cooked with – and I'm curious to try.
Seaweed is supposed to be a great source of iodine that is otherwise hard to obtain through diet, but which plays a crucial role in the thyroid. It contains lots of different health promoting minerals.
I've been looking into what I can do with different types of Seaweed. Apparently dulse granules can be sprinkled on many foods and nori can be used to make paleo wraps! Kelp is supposed to be good as a snack on its own.
Next time I venture near the Asian grocery store, I'm definitely going to buy some!
Have you incorporated Seaweed into your diet? What is a good type and dish to start experimenting with? I’d be very interested to hear your seaweed comments, below!
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I love seaweed!! I ate it tons in Japan, not surprisingly. (Of course, I really miss the huge range and the reasonable prices I got over there. XD)
I think the easiest way to start with seaweed is to buy the sheets of it — nori, usually — and make wraps. My favourite is tuna and mayo, maybe with some chopped veggies (I love raw capsicum). Just put it down one side of a sheet of nori and then roll it up. It’s basically a wonderful vehicle for getting food to your mouth. 🙂 Keep in mind that you want to get the dry nori a bit damp before it will stick to itself (which is what seals a wrap) and also before it will be easy to eat. So making sure the filling is moist (like the tuna) is good. I often spread lines of mayo down the final edge that I want to stick to the rest of the wrap to ensure a seal. 🙂
Several Japanese friends also taught me the lovely snack of just squirting some mayo inside your nori, rolling it up, and eating it like that. It’s kind of an acquired taste, but I love it! Japanese mayo has no sugar in it, and is much tarter than generic Western mayo. Now I’m doing homemade mayo and find the taste somewhat similar, so I’m happy!
Oh, and as for ingredients, just check all the labels. Some nori sheets have a lot of stuff in them, but the good nori sheets are just “seaweed” and nothing else. 😀
Thanks so much for that! Right, I’m definitely going to take your advice and start with Nori. Wraps sound like they could work really well!
Being half Japanese, half Peruvian I’m lucky I got to eat seaweed from a young age (Japanese nori in sushi and kombu in stews, Peruvian yuyo in cebiche). I’m using seaweed once or twice a week at breakfast, either nori as a wrap or rehydrated dried seaweed. Both go really well with canned salmon or tuna + avocado.
That’s good you had such an early introduction. Very impressed you have it for breakfast!
I love seaweed too! One of my favourite way to use seaweeds is to add a finely chopped strip of kombu to bone broths, stews and soups. You can also use kombu to help soak legumes and grains, if that’s your thing. Good luck on your seaweed adventures!
That sounds good Michelle, wouldn’t have thought of adding it to bone broth!
Hi,
It’s great to read a paleo-related blog from someone else who is in Australia! One seaweed related product that I’ve seen mentioned a lot on American paleo blogs is kelp noodles, I’ve looked in a few Asian stores here in Melbourne but as yet have been unable to find them, have you come across them in Sydney?
Thanks Emma!
I’m quite new to the world of Seaweed, so haven’t come accross kelp noodles yet – I’m sure someone reading this will be able to offer some suggestions though….
Hi,
You can get kelp noodles on ebay.
I haven’t tried them yet – I just started Paleo 6 weeks ago after being sugar free since June. I have lost 16kg and feel great.
Hi, did you ever find a good source in Melbourne. I’m trying to improve my diet and want to add Seaweed?