Kelp health benefits and nutrition facts
The Korean nutty, crunchy, sweet and salty chips which are full of umami flavour are basically fried kelp. With the new and refreshing wave of East Asian cuisines taking over the world, we were introduced to the usage and benefits of seaweed. Let’s look at the wonderful world of healthy seaweed -- kelp.
What is Kelp?
Eating seaweed as a concept is new to India, but for countries in the far east, it is a regular part of a balanced and healthy diet. Kelp features prominently in Chinese, Korean and Japanese cusine. In Japan, kelp forms an important dietary component, served along with most meals.
Kelp is a large, brown seaweed that typically grows in shallow saltwater near coastal areas around the world.
You can eat it raw, cooked, as a powder, and it's included in a number of supplements. There are about 30 different varieties of kelp. It provides nutrition for a wide range of sea life.
The term “kelp” originated in Europe and was used to describe the ash of burnt seaweeds. During the 16th century, seaweeds were harvested and burnt for sodium compounds, iodine, and potassium compounds.
Kelp is widely found in Japanese and Korean cuisine. It can be eaten by adding organic, dried kelp into soups and stews, using raw kelp noodles in salads and main dishes, sprinkling dried kelp flakes onto foods as a seasoning, serving it cold with oil and sesame seeds, blending it into a vegetable juice or fry it, toss a bit of msg or salt and eat it as a snack.
Kelp nutritional facts
The following nutrition information is for 1 cup (15g) of dried seaweed-
Nutrients
| Measure (Daily Value)
|
Calories
| 44
|
Fat
| 0.6 gm
|
Sodium
| 86.2 mg
|
Carbohydrates
| 7.9 gm
|
Fibre
| 0.8 gm
|
Sugars
| 0.5 gm
|
Protein
| 4.8 gm
|
Kelp health benefits
Kelp is a highly nutritious food that is a great source of dietary fibre both soluble and insoluble. Seaweeds like kelp can reduce the risk of heart diseases, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. It can also improve gut and bone health, and prevent cancer.
Raw kelp is a concentrated source of iodine and contains minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron.
Kelp also contains bioactive compounds with antioxidant activities. When consumed as a part of a healthy diet, kelp can offer many health benefits. Following are some of them.
- Promotes weight loss
- Boosts immune system
- Lowers blood pressure
- Reduces inflammation
- Balances hormones
- May prevent cancer
- Improves metabolism
- Improves digestive health
- Helps thyroid functions
Rich source of iodine: Kelp in its raw form is a concentrated source of iodine, which is important for a variety of bodily functions like regulating the thyroid gland, improving cognitive functions and raising energy levels.
May prevent cancer: Kelp has cancer-preventing polysaccharides known as laminarins. They block the formation of blood vessels on tumours, preventing them from becoming cancerous or malignant. It also contains manganese and zinc, which have cancer-fighting antioxidant properties.
Can aid weight loss: Kelp is low in fat and calories. It also contains a natural fibre called alginate. Studies suggest that alginate may help stop the gut from absorbing fat.
Can fight chronic diseases: Kelp is high in antioxidants, including carotenoids and flavonoids, which help fight against disease-causing free radicals.
Reference:
1. Aoe, S., Yamanaka, C., Ohtoshi, H., Nakamura, F., & Fujiwara, S. (2021). Effects of Daily Kelp (Laminaria japonica) Intake on Body Composition, Serum Lipid Levels, and Thyroid Hormone Levels in Healthy Japanese Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind Study. Marine drugs, 19(7), 352. https://doi.org/10.3390/md19070352
4018670/
2.FoodData Central. U.S Department of Agriculture
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