Goddess of greens

This was a very good week for me because I read an article about a potential cure for Type 1 diabetes, a chronic illness that has plagued my family, and many others. I wasn't surprised to discover that the root of this treatment was brown seaweed. I've long believed that cures for all of our ailments can be found in nature. In fact, I think most of us believe this. All we need do is scan the daily newspaper to discover the ways brilliant minds are using the bark of trees to fight cancer, various perennials to battle everything from allergies to skin ailments, and fish oil to lower the risk of killers like heart disease and stroke.

Of course I'm not onto anything new here. Seaweed and kelp have been ingested for thousands of years, and constitute a building block of the Asian diet--arguably the collectively healthiest people on the planet. Yet the idea of ingesting it has never appealed to me.

Perhaps it's the name: seaweed. Anything with the word "weed" in it (other than the recreational variety that many people find quite appealing), includes negative connotations. Weeds grow unchecked and unwanted in otherwise desirable places. In truth, this family of beneficial plants is more like an underwater forest, providing nutrients and shade to the marine life in much the same way trees shelter and feed us land-dwellers.

Maybe--and this is a BIG possibility--it's the texture. When I think of seaweed, the word slimy comes to mind. For me (and many others, I suspect) there's something inherently distasteful about touching any body part to any slick, wet substance, no matter how beneficial it may be. When my kids were little, they would refuse to swim in any part of a lake with seaweed. The soft, billowing underwater tentacles reaching upward from the ground and brushing their skin freaked them out.  And I've gotta say, I understood. To this day, I cringe when a piece of seaweed wraps itself around a limb.

We all must live and learn, though. It's 2016--a new year chock-full of promise, and ripe for resolutions. Topping my list is the determination to extend my love of plant life from above ground to below the water's surface. If you have similar resolutions, here are ten good reasons to love seaweed:

1. A longtime dietary staple in the East, it is credited with an ability to bestow a long life, health and beauty.

2. Scientists have determined marine-algae was man’s first food; it’s excellent at battling both hunger and obesity.

3. Studies have linked seaweed intake with an increase in wound healing, while decreasing the severity of skin issues and infections like the herpes virus and acne.  The amino acids in the plant seem to have super-antioxidant properties.

4.This "goddess of greens" (which actually comes in three varieties: green, brown and red) is jam-packed with dietary fiber and minerals (ten times that of vegetables grown on land), and the perfect balance of essential fatty acids – the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3s thought to reduce the risk of psychological illnesses.

5. It is also one of nature’s richest sources of protein, containing all the essential amino acids, including taurine needed for bile salts, which remove cholesterol from the body and is one of the few non-animal sources of vitamin B12, needed for healthy nerves and blood.

6. It touts detoxifying benefits, relying on it’s diuretic properties for smoothing cellulite-mottled thighs. Studies are underway to determine seaweed’s potential for mopping up heavy metal pollutants found in exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke, too.

7. It's high in magnesium and calcium, optimum bone-building minerals to battle against osteoporosis.

8. Seaweed is loaded with insoluble and soluble fiber, which work together to increase feelings of satiety. Exciting new studies show seaweed can even slow the rate at which carbohydrates are absorbed, reducing blood sugar spikes by as much as 14%. Promising news for diabetics.

9. Fat-fighting fucoxanthin found in wakame seaweed burns fatty tissue: studies revealed that mice on a high-fat diet experience less weight gain when their food is supplemented with seaweed.

10. Seaweed could prove a major factor in preventing heart disease. A study of the long-lived Okinawans found that seaweed was one of the ten vegetables they consumed regularly and could help account for their clog-free arteries, low levels of cholesterol and low homocysteine (a heart-damaging chemical) levels. It’s widely accepted that omega 3s reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition, using seaweed in foods to give a satisfying salty taste has the advantage of high potassium content that doesn't interact with the salt in the bloodstream--so doesn't elevate blood pressure like ordinary table salt does.

Seems seaweed is a must-have at the dinner table. If the thought of eating it makes you want to gag rather than salivate, try seaweed in powder form. It's available at health food stores everywhere.