Have you had your seaweed lately? If not, you may want to add it to your detox program. Seaweeds, also known as sea vegetables, are part of the large family of marine algae. Seaweeds have long been used in Eastern healing systems, including Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. Modern research shows that seaweeds have protective effects against liver injury and that antioxidants in seaweeds may help prevent aging and other diseases through their ability to scavenge free radicals. Seaweeds are also used medicinally to help people detox from radiation exposure.
Edible seaweed is one of the richest sources of vitamins and minerals, including iodine, selenium, iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, beta-carotene, vitamin E and B-complex vitamins. Choose from kelp, dulse, kombu, arame, wakame, nori and sea palm.
"Two tablespoons a day is a therapeutic dose," advises Linda Page, ND, PhD, who eats seaweed every day. She recommends eating a dulse, lettuce and tomato sandwich or having six pieces of sushi daily. "Bodies have much the same composition as the ocean, and seaweeds are the ocean's detoxifier," says Page. "It only takes three weeks to see a difference."
