How Am I Supposed to Realistically Eat Seaweed?

The World Wild Fund partnered last year with Knorr brand foods in the UK and put together the Future 50 Foods report. This list contains foods that have a lower environmental impact than meat, contribute to a more sustainable planet, help reduce the the health costs of obesity and disease related to diet and highlight under-consumed foods. Sounds helpful, right? 

We agree with the growing consumer trend to take a more ethical approach to choosing foods, and the more retailers and brands that get on board, the less cumbersome and expensive this shift on shopping and consumption habits can be for consumers. 

We would like to talk about the 50 foods on the list in a series of articles to see if we can help our readers find realistic ways to embrace some of these foods. The report is a great start, but how many people will read a list like this and run out to their local store to buy algae? We are here to help! 

Starting this week with number one on the list is Laver seaweed. It’s the red algae found mostly in Japanese cuisine and commonly used for wrapping sushi. One stand out quality of this food is it’s umami flavor, which is normally a flavor profile found in meat and not plant-based foods. It can be added to soups and salads, and in Wales you may find it used to make laverbread, which is slow cooked seaweed, seasoned and served with toast. 

Whats also great about seaweed is that it can grow in the sea year round and without the need for fertilizers or pesticides. 

For your health, you can count on a healthy dose of Vitamin C from this food as well as a natural way to obtain iodine. Read more here about different types of seaweeds and the health benefits!

There are loads of great recipes on the web that use laver seaweed, or commonly called “nori.” Here is one we love for Vegetable Fried Rice from Maine Coast Sea Vegetables! Easy to make, plant-based, and makes use of other nutritional stars such as garlic, ginger and veggies. 

If you have a recipe you’d like to share that uses seaweed, please share on our Facebook page! We’d love to hear how you’re using this great sea vegetable!