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Good for your body - inside and out!*
The American diet is sorely lacking in mineral intake. Minerals are chemical messengers that are a necessary dietary element in order for all the body’s systems to work optimally. Sea vegetables are not often used in this country, yet they are rich in minerals. Here is the scoop on these readily available veggies:
Agar This gelling agent derived from red seaweed is used mainly to thicken juices with fruit, pudding, pie fillings, and vegetable aspics. This is the vegetarian alternative to animal-derived, chemical-based gelatins. It has no taste or color and is available in flake or powder form.
Arame A dark-brown, spaghetti-like sea vegetable with a mild, sweet taste is a delicious side dish sautéed alone or combined with land vegetables such as yams and green onions. This is an excellent ingredient to use in a stir-fry or salad. You may also choose to mix it with rice, fresh chopped veggies, or a vinaigrette for an exotic salad. Soak arame for 5 minutes then simmer for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
Dulse Simply rinse this vegetable and add it to desired foods. It has a mild flavor and is a good choice for first-time sea vegetable eaters. High in protein, iron, vitamin A, iodine and phosphorus, this vegetable is delicious with potato and corn dishes. Dulse does not require cooking. Try a DLT (dulse, lettuce and tomato) sandwich. This item is also great in soups.
Hiziki This can be added to noodle dishes or a stir fry with tofu, carrots and onions. The most mineral rich of all sea vegetables, hiziki is high in calcium and protein. Season with roasted sesame oil, cider vinegar and tamari. This vegetable has a strong taste. Combine with cooked onions, carrots, celery, sunflower seeds and tamari for a cold salad. Rinse, soak 20 minutes and rinse again. Simmer 30 minutes to 1 hour. This will expand to over 4 times its original volume when soaked.
Kelp Use this as a salt substitute or condiment. Usually kelp comes in powdered form. High in calcium and iodine, kelp is a natural tenderizer and flavor enhancer. This vegetable has a slightly sweet flavor. Like kombu, it can be added to beans and stews. For a unique salad dressing, combine and blend 1 Tbsp. with avocado, tomato, lemon juice, minced garlic and 1/4 cup broccoli.
Kombu This grows abundantly in cold ocean waters from Maine to Japan. The most frequently used seaweed, kombu is especially delicious and beneficial when cooked with beans. For slow-cooking soups or stews, add a 4-6 inch strip. When tender, remove, chop up and return to dish. For short-cooking dishes, soak kombu 20 minutes before adding.
Silky Sea Palm Rich in calcium, iodine, phosphorus, sodium and iron, silky sea palm can be added to simmering soups, stews, rice or bean dishes.
8. Wakame- Sweet-flavored and tender, this vegetable is commonly added to miso soup. To make a wakame salad, bring 1 to 2 oz. soaked wakame to a boil and simmer 15 minutes. Drain, chop and let cool. Toss wakame in 1 tsp. rice or cider vinegar and 1 tsp. shoyu. Add 1 cucumber cut in thin half slices and 4 sliced radishes. Garnish with sliced scallions. Soak 5 minutes before using. This cooks in 5-10 minutes. Remove tough center rib with knife after soaking.
HERB BATHS
Herbs are yet another rich food source of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes. Your skin will absorb these soaks directly into your blood. You can steep 1 ½ gallons of strong tea to add to your bath or make a muslin tea bag to place into your running bath water. The tea bag can double as a scrubber for removing the dead skin and increasing circulation. Use any combination of herbs, seaweed, dead sea salt and essential oils.
Milk Thistle This tonic helps to detoxify the liver. There is a whole herb extract that you can use regularly for a gentle cleansing; 10-15 drops under the tongue daily for one to three months. The helpful constituent is silymarin; this protects liver cells by actually preventing toxic substances from entering cell membranes.
Burdock Root This actually absorbs and binds to poisons and chemical residues within the body and helps eliminate them through the large intestine. This herb also helps remove wastes through the skin, kidneys and mucous membranes.
Goldenseal Secretion of bile is stimulated in order to improve liver health for natural detoxification. It also destroys toxins and is a natural antibiotic useful for infections of all kinds.
Red Clover Blossom While purifying the blood and stimulating the liver and gallbladder to eliminate toxins from the body, red clover blossom helps with chronic skin problems such as psoriasis and eczema when they result from body toxicity.
Pau d’arco This is a blood cleanser that inhibits virus replication within the body.
Nettles A powerful, high chlorophyll blood cleanser, this drives waste from the body by stimulating the kidneys to secrete more water.
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