<Japanese People Love Seaweed>
Seaweed is one of the most common items that Japanese people eat with every meal. “Nori,” or thin dried sheets of seaweed, used for wrapping sushi rolls, is quite well known even among those who may be otherwise unfamiliar with Japanese food. There are a wide variety of edible seaweeds. It comes in different colors, sizes, tastes and textures. Examples of commonly eaten seaweed in Japan include wakame, nori, hijiki, kombu, mozuku, and mekabu. Wakame is often used as a topping for salads or tofu (soybean curd), or put into miso soup. Nori, on the other hand, is commonly used for wrapping sushi, onigiri (rice balls), and senbei (rice crackers). Kombu is indispensable for making “dashi-jiru,” or Japanese soup stock. Moreover, at grocery stores carrying Japanese food, you can find various jars and plastic packages of preserved “ tsukudani” (the various ingredients usually include kombu or nori). Seaweed, indeed, comes in almost infinite varieties and has a myriad of uses.

<Harvesting Seaweed Has a Long History>
Seaweed is widely consumed not only in Asia but also in some areas of Europe. But nobody loves seaweed as much as the Japanese. It is said that Japanese began eating seaweed as early as the Jomon period (14,000 – 400 BC). People in those days did not yet have a way to make salt, and seaweed has a high sodium content. It is probable that seaweed served as an important sodium source in ancient times.

<Eating Seaweed Helps Make You Healthy and Beautiful>
Many readers may have heard that seaweed is good for your health and beauty. That is because seaweed contains lots of minerals and vitamins. Calcium which helps build bones; iron that prevents anemia; vitamin B which assists in metabolism; potassium that controls blood pressure; and dietary fiber which helps promote regularity are examples of the beneficial nutrients that abound in seaweed. The slimy component of seaweed is also a rich source of fucoidan. Research conducted about ten years ago found that fucoidan might have anticancer effects. The benefits the natural nutrients of seaweed have to offer are truly amazing. Our previous article on “ Natto” talked about the value and health benefits of the sticky enzyme nattokinase. We really should recognize the immeasurable health benefits brought on by the sticky, slimy and gooey foods Japanese people love so much!