8 Benefits of Amazing Seaweed for Health

For those of you who like food such as sushi or onigiri, it is definitely no stranger to seaweed. Seaweed enters the algae group and consists of several types such as brown algae, red algae, and green algae. The food served with seaweed is on average from Asia. However, did you know that seaweed is not only delicious, but also beneficial for health? What are the benefits of seaweed for body health?

What are the benefits of seaweed?

Seaweed is also called vegetable sea, or marine vegetables. We know that vegetables have low calories. A bowl of raw seaweed or wakame seaweed has less than 20 calories. Want to know what are the benefits of seaweed for health? Check out the following:

1. Helps maintain or lose weight

Some types of seaweed, such as brown seaweed, contain the pigment fucoxanthin, which can help the body's metabolism to convert fat into energy. This is reinforced by a study published in Food Chemistry, found that alginate (natural fiber found in brown seaweed) can help about 75% to block the absorption of fat in the intestine.

2. Helps accelerate wound healing

The benefits of seaweed that is no less important is to help the wound heal quickly. Seaweed is rich in vitamin K, and this vitamin coordinates with platelets - a type of cell that can form clots / blood clots. Vitamin K will send a chemical signal where platelets collect blood and freeze it, so that when you are injured, the wound will stop flowing. You can choose any type of grass, but keep in mind that wakame has less vitamin K content.

3. Strengthen bones and teeth

Seaweed also contains calcium. If you are allergic to cow's milk, consider other foods that contain calcium. Seaweed, and Wakame consists of 60 mg of calcium, about 6% of the daily calcium requirement. Lack of calcium can affect muscles, and cells that coordinate with the nervous system.

4. Increase energy

Other content found in seaweed is iron. The benefits that you can get from iron are producing energy that needs to be burned by the body when doing daily activities. Lack of iron can cause anemia, so you become easily weak and lethargic. You can increase your iron intake by eating seaweed. A bowl of seaweed provides 1.1 or 0.8 mg of iron. Incorporating seaweed into daily food can help you achieve the daily needs of 8 mg of iron in men, or 18 mg of iron for women.

5. Good for diabetics and cholesterol

Seaweed also contains omega-3 fatty acids. A piece of seaweed contains the same omega-3 fatty acids as two avocados. The function of omega-3 fatty acids is to increase good cholesterol or HDL, and reduce bad cholesterol or LDL.

6. Avoid swelling of the thyroid gland

Iodine content in seaweed is something that is quite rare in other foods. Taking healthy iodine levels is important for maintaining a healthy thyroid. Problems with the thyroid can cause several symptoms such as weakness, muscle weakness, high cholesterol, even in severe cases can cause serious medical conditions such as goiter, heart palpitations, and impaired memory.

7. Fight disease

Vitamins contained in seaweed are many, such as magnesium, copper, zinc, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, vitamins A, B12, B6, and C. Some of these nutrients are antioxidants. Besides containing flavonoids, seaweed also contains other high antioxidants such as carotenoids. The antioxidants themselves function to prevent damage to the body due to free radicals, and are good for cardiovascular health.

8. Slow down the spread of breast cancer

Recent research has found sea vegetables can regulate estrogen levels, so the risk of breast cancer is reduced. However, that does not mean seaweed is used as a treatment for various diseases, or guarantee protection against disease.

How much should we eat seaweed?

Eating too much seaweed can cause excessive iodine in the body. You have to eat just enough, not too much. For those of you who suffer from hyperthyroidism - an overactive thyroid gland - you should avoid it, because iodine will further stimulate the thyroid.

Seaweed takes minerals in the sea, where they live. It could be that this plant absorbs arsenic and other heavy metals. When consumed in excess, it certainly will not be good for the health of the body.

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