● Calcium (for skeletal health, heart health, nervous system function)

● Magnesium (activates enzymatic activity, essential for heart health)

● Potassium (naturally prevents high blood pressure, provides cellular energy)

● Sodium (essential for the correct balance of body fluids - our internal "ocean")

● Iron (as hemoglobin, transports and distributes oxygen to all your cells)

● Iodine (thyroid health)

● Chromium (works with insulin to regulate blood sugar)

● Copper (protects nerve sheaths, builds supple arteries, required for iron absorption)

●  Absorbs and naturally reduces or eliminates radioactive elements and heavy metal contaminants from our bodies.

Sea vegetables are wild ocean plants, or marine algae, enjoyed daily as a pantry staple and concentrated healing 'Superfood' in many coastal parts of the world. As our air and water become more acidified through pollution, minerals are leached and depleted from our land fields, and they wash down to the sea, where the wild seaweeds incorporate them. When we eat seaweeds, we take these minerals back into our bodies, and these minerals help us maintain an alkaline condition in our bloodstream, which is a healthy condition, resistant to fatigue and stress.  Popular American East Coast sea vegetables include Dulse, Kelp, Alaria, Laver/Nori.  (Asian varieties are Nori, Hiziki, Arame, Kombu and Wakame.) Sea vegetables contain essential nutrients, minerals and trace elements in a bio-available optimally balanced form.  Small amounts of nutrient power-packed sea veggies add a rich flavor and enhance the nutritional value of every recipe.

Seaweeds have admirable qualities: they are flexible, they are tenacious, sustainable, prolific, and they are the oldest family of plants on earth. These plants link us to the primitive vitality of the sea. The earth's sea-blood within seaweed strengthens our own salinity that we carry within us.  Our "inner ocean" - the saline fluids around and in our cells and organs - recreates the primal ocean environment, with a similar range and balance of minerals. Sea vegetables concentrate this mineral matrix into a power-packed 'SuperFood'. When you eat sea veggies, your cells recognize this natural, harmonious, health giving balance.

Seaweeds and Sea vegetables are rich in minerals and trace elements, including calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, iodine, manganese, chromium and more, at levels much greater than those found in land vegetables and surpassing the US RDA. Sea veggies also provide fiber, and enzymes - a veritable medicine chest of proteins, complex carbohydrates and all 54 trace minerals and elements (which act as magnets in the blood to bind other nutrients), vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B6, and vitamin B12.  Sea vegetation is especially high in iron, calcium and iodine, the only vegetal source of this brain food, and several varieties are remarkably rich sources of natural fluoride.  Visit our Recipes section for easy use of this nutritional "Superfood".

Any research on seaweed will reveal that KELP and other sea vegetation is being studied for its positive effects on cancer prevention, cardiovascular health, degenerative disease combatant, detoxification, infection control, intestinal cleanser and healer, respiratory enhancer, sexual health and hormone support, thyroid balancer, weight-loss aid, and wound healer.  Marine phytochemicals found only in sea vegetables have been shown to absorb and eliminate radioactive elements and heavy metal contaminants from our bodies. Other recent research of sea vegetables demonstrates the inhibition of tumor formation, reduction in cancerous growth and balance of cholesterol, glandular system and nervous system, as well as anti-viral properties. They have been shown to control blood clotting and have been used for other types of ailments including signs of defeating arthritis.

For centuries cultures around the world have been harvesting sea vegetation as a food source and healing modality. Cultures that are based around islands and coasts have spent years using sea vegetation to cure ailments and as food sources. The multiple uses of sea vegetation in society is mind boggling.  For instance, not only have Japanese people  integrated the daily use of sea vegetation as a food source for centuries, but much research has been done on the longevity of the Japanese and their lack of heart problems, kidney problems, and other chronic  ailments. They have used it to relieve a multitude of ailments including arthritis, osteoporosis and low blood sugar.  Ancient Greeks have used sea vegetation for body building, to sacrifice to the Greek gods, and as a food source.  Hawaiians and Ancient Polynesians have used sea vegetation for food, heart problems, arthritis pains, and a lot more. They even put a certain type of sea vegetation on wounds to prevent infection from occurring. These cultures are just a small example of how far back sea vegetation has been used.

Both Japanese and Chinese cultures have used sea vegetation for cancer, tumors, and other deadly diseases. The cure to almost any ailment has been sitting right in front of our eyes, or in this case right under the water, and we just walked past it for many years, by only utilizing Sea Vegetation in food processing, pharmaceuticals, and beauty products. Recently scientists have been conducting research on the use of sea vegetation in cancer research and are actually getting good results. We are no longer walking past what has been proven to be one of many overlooked 'SuperFoods' left on our planet.

Sea Vegetation is renewable and grows globally in most coastal regions. The life of a kelp plant is about three years and, spent in a tidal flow that reverses direction every six hours. Imagine being anchored by a holdfast, your hollow stipe gently lifting you toward the sunlight, your wide blade/frond growing in the ocean's inflow ~ outflow ~ inflow ~ outflow......and you're one of the regenerating, renewable global KELP multitude that have been doing this since the beginning of the planet. KELP in the first year grows to a foot long, the second year, six feet long, and in the third year, twelve feet long and exposed to turbulence on the surface at low tide. The vitality of sea vegetation essence translates easily in a bio-available format for all human consumption as an ultimate Superfood.

It's really quite convenient. Simply add small amounts of cut, bite sized pieces to your favorite soups, salads, stews, pasta, grains, sandwiches, veggie dishes, stir-fry and other favorite recipes. Use as an entree, seasoning or stock base. Make a weekly "Broth of Vigor" or, as the Japanese call this flavorful soup base - Dashi.   Each package comes with instructions and recipe suggestions.   Visit our Recipes section.

 Remember that dried sea vegetables are a highly vital wild food and provide super-concentrated nutrition - a little goes a long way.  For a variety of Atlantic sea vegetables with a multitude of recipes and uses, we suggest our "Ocean Delight Sampler" - comes complete with maximum versatility, nutrition and taste. Our nutritionally power packed "Tri-Blend Sea Mix" is already chopped and mixed for easily adding to any recipe. Use sparingly - as most recipes use less than 1/4 oz (1 tablespoon) per serving!  One pound dry seaweed equals 10 pounds of wet freshly harvested seaweed.  Rehydrate and watch it expand!

Seaweeds like kelp, digitata, alaria, NORI and dulse can be softened in a marinade that includes vinegar or lemon juice (to help release minerals into solution) together with other liquids and sweeteners like tamari, ginger, seasonings, juice, honey, etc. The longer the seaweeds marinate, the softer they become. Keep refrigerated until consumed.

Most sea vegetables are sometimes rinsed and usually soaked in fresh water before use, but this process may be unnecessary with some varieties . Dulse, for instance, may be eaten right out of the bag as a healthy, "salty" snack. Alaria, Nori or Digitata may be roasted in a low temperature oven until crisp and then crumbled or ground for easy use as a condiment or soup & veggie mix.  All the varieties, including Kelp, may be lightly soaked and simmered to re-hydrate and tenderize, and then cut into attractive shapes and sizes and added to any favorite, soup, stew, salad, pasta or grain recipe.

Your body, which is made up mostly of water needs to hydrate food in order to transact with it, so why not give it a break? Unless you really want a salty condiment, use recipes that involve water-  hydration, marinating, soaking or simmering.  However, the choice is yours:  raw, rinsed, to heat or not to heat, to cook or not to cook, soak, simmer or even roast.....  truly, your choice is limitless.   Visit our Recipes section.

Sea Veggies can contribute minerals, enzymes, vitamins, protein, healing fiber, and marine phytochemicals to any Raw* or Living foods diet, and easily bridge the gap of any traditional cooked recipe .

*About Raw Foods----  Many Sea Vegetation and SeaWeed customers are proponents of the Living Foods and Raw Foods diet, often touted as the ultimate vegetarian, organic and plant–based diet. These folks do not cook their food, thus preserving all the naturally occurring enzymes, which are destroyed at temperatures above 105° F.  People who eat raw and live foods claim increased vitality, health, and spiritual connection, while leaving less of an environmental footprint.

All our "SeaWeed Man" wild-crafted sea veggies are raw, whole leaf, untoasted, and air-dried under low temp conditions - less than 80° F thus, the original enzymes are unchanged and therefore suitable for a pure Raw Foodist diet. Sea vegetables are sometimes rinsed, usually soaked, marinated or simmered in fresh water before use but, Dulse, for instance, may be eaten right out of the bag as a healthy, "salty" snack. If you are a raw foodist, you will discover you can chew "soft dulse". Soft dulse is bone-dry dulse that has been allowed to reabsorb some humidity from the air. This kicks off an enzyme process that softens the cell walls of the dulse, much like making fermented foods.

Most varieties of Sea Vegetation are easily cut into salads, added to cold dishes or hot soups, and in the roasted crumbled flake form are easily blended in drinks or sprinkled on everything. Visit our Recipes section. The 5 varieties of whole Sea Vegetables we offer are kelp, digitata, alaria, U.S. Nori, & U.S. Dulse. All may be eaten uncooked, right out of the bag but suggestions for some varieties are to soak, simmer or marinate prior to use.  As a comparison, the traditional Japanese sea veggies arame, hijiki, and wakame are all processed with heat above 105° F - in fact the arame and hijiki are often boiled or blanched prior to hot drying, destroying many of the beneficial enzymes and nutrients.

 Brendan Brazier, Canadian Ironman tri–athlete, raw foodist and author states in his book, "THRIVE, A Guide to Optimal Health & Performance Through Plant–based Whole Foods" that,  "Seaweed is an exceptionally good source of minerals and trace elements. DULSE and un-toasted NORI, for example, provides the perfect mineral complex in a natural form. The daily consumption of natural–source minerals and trace elements is important for optimal health. Especially significant for active people, adequate mineral consumption allows the cells to stay hydrated longer, thereby improving endurance. Sea vegetables are a superior source, as they are also chlorophyll–rich and alkaline–forming."   

Whether you choose to consume raw or cooked Sea Vegetation~  there are good reasons to JUST EAT three to five grams of unprocessed, wild-crafted, identity preserved Seaweed every day. Keep in mind, there are added benefits to cooked seaweeds - Sodium alginate, the chelating agent in brown algae, is a long polysaccharide chain molecule that needs to be broken down by heat so that it can reach deeper into the body (bio-available), beyond the intestinal wall, into the blood and bones to more readily assist with detox.  Consider "Tri-Blend Sea Mix" for a hearty 'Ocean Delight' soup, chowder, stew or grain recipe, or for a detoxifying diet or a quick "Broth of Vigor". Think of cooking or heating as a simple form of predigestion and parasite/pathogen control that has co-arisen with evolving humans since the discovery of fire. Used wisely, it can be very beneficial.

 What about the whitish surface powder? If you're concerned about the white powdery substance on the surface of stored Sea Vegetation, don't worry! Sometimes as these sea veggies dry out a whitish powder will appear; this powder consists of precipitated salts and sugars and is safe to eat - you can rinse or use as is. In KELP, the principle sugar is mannitol and the salts are predominantly potassium and sodium. Mannitol is much less "sweet" than fructose, sucrose, glucose or pentose, and even less sweet than complex sugars found in brown rice syrup, yet it still adds a subtle flavor quality. This, along with the high mineral component and the naturally occurring glutamic acid is why kelp makes beans taste so great, cook so quickly and digest so easily.

This whitish powder also appears on DULSE sometimes, but not as often. It seems harder to manage the osmotic process in the brown sea weeds (KELP, DIGITATA and ALARIA) than the reds (DULSE and NORI), perhaps because the brown sea veggies are thicker. While we are more skilled than ever at handling sea veggies from harvest to packaging, our sea veggies are not processed to the point of total control. This is actually one of their unique selling points: minimally processed whole foods, whole leaf, enzymes intact.  In any case, a light rinse before use lessens sea vegetables' salty taste. You will lose some sodium and potassium salts, but very little if any calcium, iron, magnesium, etc. Remember to save the rinse water for cooking. Visit our Recipes section.

STORAGE  Sea veggies are dried and rich in mineral salts and keep well unless subjected to a lot of moisture, heat and/or direct light. Direct light will bleach the plants over time and may have some effect on nutritional quality. Most Sea Vegetation has a shelf life of at least 2 years at room temperature in tightly sealed container out of direct sunlight.  The shelflife of soft dulse, kept cool, is 1 year. The strong taste and odor of Sea Vegetation may surprise some people but storing in tightly sealed glass or plastic will help keep the odor from permeating the kitchen or pantry. Sea veggies also readily absorb odors, so keep them tightly sealed. If sea veggies are stored in conditions of excessive moisture or heat, mold or deterioration may occur which is readily visible as discoloration or an odor of mildew. Recommended storage containers are the re-sealable bags or glass jars with screw top lids. Sometimes as plants dry out a whitish powder will appear; this powder consists of precipitated salts and sugars and is safe to eat - you can rinse or use as is, however it is not a good idea to rinse sea veggies unless you plan to use it immediately.  Do not rinse and store or soak and store, unless you refrigerate or use within 24 hrs.   If a visual inspection doesn't indicate any problems, the product should be fine to use safely. 

OCEAN DELIGHT SAMPLER includes 6 packages

over 1 pound total weight of assorted whole leaf seaweed

(That's equivalent to over 10 pounds of wet harvest!!)