All The Benefits of Eating Seaweed and Why I’m Loving It Lately

This is so fucking random, but I’ve been eating seaweed lately. Like a lot of it.

There’s this tiny stand at the farmer’s market called Dave’s Korean Gourmet & they have this miso dressing made with pear juice.

If you want the exact ingredients it’s: miso, ginger, vegetable brine, apple cider, & pear juice. It’s TO DIE!!

They also have this seaweed salad I’m obsessed with. I add sesame seeds & the pear/miso dressing & it’s just the best. I mean, it doesn’t get better.

As I became more obsessed with this medley, I realized seaweed has so many benefits & keeps me feeling really full. This is GOOD! You may have read my post on pregnancy weight gain, but if you didn’t, I still have about 20 lbs to lose.

Benefits of Eating Seaweed:

♡ Supports thyroid function. Seaweed contains a lot of iodine & your thyroid needs this iodine to help with your energy levels, reproductive system, & repair cells all over your body.

♡ Contains tons of vitamins & minerals: Vitamin A, C, E, & K, folate, calcium, zinc, magnesium & sodium if we’re being specific.

♡ Packed with antioxidants. Antioxidants neutralize free radical damage & are super good for your skin.

♡ High in fiber. Fiber, fiber, fiber! It’s been a big theme on The Skinny Confidential over the last couple years. Fiber is great for digestive health, keeps you fuller longer, & is key for keeping things moving. ( If you’re into fiber, you have to listen to Tanya Zuckerbrot of The F Factor Diet on TSC HIM & HER podcast. )

♡ Can help reduce risk of heart disease. Seaweed does this by decreasing cholesterol levels.

As I said, my favorite benefit is feeling full afterward. Combine that with all the vitamins & minerals & I’m obsessed. Also, shout out to Vitamin B12, which actually gives you energy. Seaweed really has it all.

Even though I love a seaweed salad, you can also get all these benefits by eating dried seaweed. You can find in on Amazon & in most grocery stores. Just make sure it’s non-GMO. Such a good source of selenium & iron too- & a great little snack.

You could also get creative & use it as a salad topper or throw it in some bone broth with lemon, ginger & chili flakes.

Sidenote: if bone broth isn’t in your fridge or freezer, it should be. My faves are Owl Venice, Twenty-Five Eight or Belcampo ( check out the podcast episode with the founder of Belcampo here ).

You can find lots of good quality bone broth in the freezer or fridge section of your favorite grocery store. You wanna make sure the jelly ( collagen ) is on top & if you want to make it at home, I highly recommend using Curry Girls Kitchen’s recipe. Ok, phew, that was a tangent.

Before we go, it’s important to note that spirulina is a form of seaweed too. We’ve been talking about spirulina a lot lately because I just can’t get enough. Specifically Hawaiian spirulina because of Hawaii’s climate. It makes for a higher quality strain that’s richer in carotenoids, antioxidants & enzymes. Also, the nutrient-rich water of the deep ocean in Hawaii gives the spirulina a rich mix of calcium, magnesium & 94 other trace minerals. Like, just get the Hawaiian one, k?

You can take it in pill form, but I like to put it in my psycho-specific smoothie too.

SO !! Eat your seaweed, drink your bone broth, make your miso dressing. If you wanna go crazy, throw some in your smoothie. Hey, at this point I’ll do anything for health & beauty.

PS. If you do go to Dave’s Korean Gourmet booth at the farmer’s market in LA, be sure to get their spicy tempura, shiitake mushrooms, spicy cucumbers, & load the fuck up on that miso dressing. I’m not kidding.

x, lauryn

+ more on bone broth & why I love it here.

++ scope why I’m into matcha lattes.

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