Are you one to regularly add salt to your fries? What about on soup? Your eggs? Avocado? Or anything else? If you said yes to any of those, read the following carefully. Did you know that just a teaspoon of table salt, which is how much one normally shakes onto fries, contains about 6 g of salt. The recommended maximum amount for adults is 5 grams. Dominic Wimmer, a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV in Freising stated that around 77% of our salt intake comes from industrially processed foods. But we know that we add salt to much more things throughout the day, not including the salt already contained in breads, cheese, and meat products. The sodium level in salt is very high and is linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney ailments, osteoporosis, or even stomach cancer. Today, we will be talking about an alternative you can use instead of that salt sitting on your dinner table.
Photo credit to Lofoten Seaweed
If you paid attention to the title you probably guessed that salt substitute we’re going to be discussing about is seaweed. That’s right, seaweed is our topic today. Several researches have pointed out that brown seaweed or kelp specifically is the best substitute for salt because of its low salt content. Continue reading to learn 5 highly informative points about why you should ditch the salt.
1. Salt is Pretty Bad
Salt is very high in sodium chloride. The World Health Organization (WHO) has ranked salt highly on the list of things that can shorten lives. But referring to earlier, high sodium intake is the major single risk factor for high blood pressure, hypertension, osteoporosis, and other diseases. Not only those, high sodium is also related to bloating and even an increased risk of stomach cancer. These sound really risky and dangerous, but that is because it is and people should be careful.
2. High in Nutritional Benefits
Enough about salt, let’s move on to why you should try seaweed out. Let us expand the benefits of seaweed. Janie Oliver even quoted seaweed as “the most nutritious vegetable in the world” because when he incorporated into his new diet it helped him lose 14 pounds right before his 40th birthday. Seaweed gets it salty taste because of how rich it is in minerals. The minerals it contains include iodine, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc. Being rich in iodine is essential for proper thyroid function, which has an important role in the metabolism, growth, and development in the body. Even though the seaweed is pretty salty, it contains about 85% less unhealthy sodium than regular salt. Author of Seaweed Cookbook, Xa Milne, explains that seaweed in its dried form “contains on average 10% sodium chloride, as opposed to 98% in table salt.” That is a lot of health benefits in this sea grass. Have you heard any benefits of salt? Very little.
Photo credit to Lofoten Seaweed
3. Good for Skin Health
You might have noticed a lot of skincare products containing seaweed or kelp. That is because they are rich in antioxidants, animo acids, and vitamin C. These help “hydrate, minimize fine lines, promote collage production, boost radiance, and help treat hyperpigmentation in skin,” said Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. These seagrass are also popular for those with acne and rosacea, and also safe for all skin types.
4. Umami, the Fifth Taste
The large quantity of minerals contribute to the flavor of seaweed. But products of the sea are known for a taste that salt does not even come close to, umami. Umami is known as the fifth taste, after salt, sweet, sour, and bitter. This umami taste is best known in foods such as parmesan, Marmite, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Umami is best described as savory and is the basically the naturally healthy version of MSG.
5. Easy to Add on Any Dish
Having high umami readings, seaweed easily makes any food super savory. Wouldn’t you like that on everything you ate? Felicity Cloake, author on The Guardian, tried out this supernatural seasoning for herself. She found it really useful to have, and does not feel guilty using it because of its high health benefits, unlike salt. She described it as “intensely savoury, rounded, salty depth they give to a bloody mary, a plate of noodles or a salad”. This will surely make you want to try it out for yourself.
Now at Vorda, we are always striving for healthier ways. That’s why we have this product, the Arctic Seaweed, handpicked by Lofoten Seaweed in naturally beautiful Lofoten Islands, Norway. It contains both sugar kelp and winged kelp, commonly known as wakame. Wakame seaweed is infamous for being in miso soup and seaweed salads. It is edible seaweed, so please enjoy. The seasoning we provide is very convenient to sprinkle over anything. You don’t have to worry about your food having a fishy taste if you don’t like it, this seasoning will just provide you a flavor rich in umami. So what do you think? Do you think seaweed is a healthy salt substitute? Will you continue using salt? Let us know your comments and opinions down below. Look forward to more healthy educational topics next week.
The ocean plant is harvested from the Lofoten Islands of Norway. This blend of Sugar Kelp and Winged Kelp combines ocean flavors and mineral nutrients in a savory mixture. Known for its strong umami taste. This pure seaweed blend is an ideal salt alternative adding a savory umami flavor to any dish.
Photo credit to Lofoten Seaweed
References:
1. Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. "Seaweed instead of salt for your diet." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 July 2016. <https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160706091739.htm>.
2. Jakobsen, Siew Ellen. "Can we use seaweed instead of salt?". Sciencenorway. 24 July 2016. <https://sciencenorway.no/forskningno-norway-salt-consumption/can-we-use-seaweed-instead-of-salt/1435656>.
3. Jones and Taylor. "Seaweed & Vinegar Tesco launches ground seaweed flakes as healthier alternative to salt for Brits to put on their chips". The Sun. 6 November 2019. <https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/10287252/tesco-seaweed-chips-salt-alternative/>.
4. Cloake, Felicity. "A cry for kelp - is seaweed really a superfood?". The Guardian. 22 June 2017. <https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jun/22/a-cry-for-kelp-is-seaweed-really-a-superfood>.
5. "How does the thyroid gland work?". NCBI. 17 November 2010. <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279388/>.
6. Brickell, Susan. “The 9 Best Seaweed Skincare Products, According to Dermatologists” Health. 8 August 2019. <https://www.health.com/beauty/seaweed-skincare-products>.
7. Sources from Arctic Seaweed supplier: Lofoten Seaweed. https://lofotenseaweed.no/
