Most people don’t
think of turning to the Earth’s oceans for vegetables, yet there is a vast
source of nutritious food available there that is just now reaching the
mainstream diet in the United States .
Because it’s dehydrated and milled form easy in use, to store and transport.
Now well known that:**The optimum nutritional
micro-environment of every cell in the body is vital to achieve or restore optimal health; deficiencies in this
environment cause the body to be more susceptible to diseases and
degeneration.**
There is now scientific consensus that a
healthy nutrition is the most powerful
mean of preventing disease but one of the problem is that is difficult to get it all from normal food. Seaweed can
really help here.
The
Atlantic coast of Ireland is one of the most productive seaweed growing areas
in the world. Its climate, over 5000 kilometres of rocky habitat, abundance of
nutrient-rich waters and large tidal flow make it an ideal habitat for macro
algae or seaweed. The gulf stream
.carrying clean water full of nutrients and
oxygen from Mexico to Ireland all year round. . More than 600 different species
of seaweed have been identified in Irish waters. One reason for this diversity
is it’s located between 51 and 55° N. A range of
latitudes
that straddle both the northern limit for some warm-water species and the
southern limit for some cold-water species.
We harvest our seaweed at Coulagh bay and the ring of
Beara.
Coulagh Bay
has no industrial discharge areas, nor any city sewage discharge nearby. An other way to guarantee that the
seaweed harvested will not be polluted.
Commercial uses of
seaweed:
·
Nutritional drink manufacturers choose
a supplement of one or more seaweeds for their health benefits—providing
essential mineral and trace minerals, vitamins for sea formulations, super
nutrition drink formulas, herbal extracts.
·
Food manufacturers and food service
providers using milled seaweed to impart a salty taste to their products.
Reducing the amount of sodium content. Others for their moderate binding
qualities or to lightly thicken cooked product. You will find seaweed in
different seasoning blends, salad dressings, frozen entrees sauces and gravies,
soup stock, trail mixes and baking.
·
Traditionally for the vegetarian
market. A
good source of protein and enzymes for people on vegan, vegetarian,
macrobiotic, and raw food diets. Until recently the big users on a individual basis. The so-called health food shops.
·
Seasoning. Another less known property is the flavour enhancement. Seaweed
contain natural MSG. Synthetic MSG is used a lot to improve flavour profiles.
There are indication linking MSG to body weight increases. Kelp is used more
and more to enhance existing flavours without the use of synthetic MSG or other
chemicals.
·
Natural HBA manufacturers use seaweed
in cosmetics, shampoos and skin treatments.
More recently as source of alginic acids (sodium
alginates), to remove pollutants, heavy metals and radioactive isotopes from
the body and the bones. | 
