Once you start using these crazy looking sea creatures, there's just no going back. The amount of nutrients they contain is enormous and they are filled with properties not so available in other foods.

I imagine what you're all wanting to know is how they taste. Well mild, surprisingly. It's not like eating seaweed that's been washed up on the shore. Once they're added to your food you can't really taste them. Their taste is more distinct in a salad.

There's so much talk about heavy metals and the damage they do, and yes it's true but sea veg' help to eliminate these nasty toxins for your body. They also help to maintain good thyroid health and reduce phlegm. (Great for asthmatics and those suffering with rhinitis and chesty coughs.) Old folklore tells us they help to keep your hair from greying as well as being one of the few natural sources of fluorine, essential for teeth and bone health.

If you're consuming lots of sugar, or have done in the past, these organic minerals are going to be really beneficial to you as sugar destroys the mineral condition of your body. An added bonus is they're high in protein and calcium. The list of their qualities goes on however - ovarian and prostate health, hormonal imbalance, sexual potency, reduces blood stagnation, increases intelligence and a clear mind. I'll stop there but the list of their virtues is long.

Now what are they and how do you use them?

Kombu: is a long stick like sea weed. It increases the nutritional component of whatever it is added to. It is highly alkaline. Add kombu to your legumes when cooking them. This will make their nutrients more available to you and reduce gas. Add it to anything with water like brown rice, quinoa, soups, curry's, anything. It will hydrate and become soft, so pull it out, slice it up and pop it back in the pot. Or if left long enough (like in a casserole) it will pretty much dissolve.

Arame: hair like strands. You can hydrate this by covering it in water then add flavour with a little ginger and tamari. Leave it in the fridge then pull it out (drain first) and add to salads, steamed vegies or stir fry's. You can also add it dried to any dish with water.

Nori: these are the sheets that wrap around rice to make nori rolls and futomaki. I like to use these sheets like flat bread. So I add a few steamed veg', maybe a bit of quinoa and tahini dressing and top it with soaked arame. Roll it up in a cone like way and chomp. Or you can tear it up over your veggies, or slice it to garnish miso soup. You can also bake it on a oven tray with a drizzle of olive oil, a few drops of sesame oil and sesame seeds. This makes a yummy snack or addition to a salad. Naturally you can make your own nori rolls (recipe on my RECIPE page) using brown rice.

Wakame: This one tastes the most like the ocean. Soak it in water to hydrate then chop up into a salad with shitaake mushrooms, grated ginger, mirin and toasted sesame seeds. Or add it to anything with water as you would the kombu and arame.

There is also dulse, which usually comes as a flake to add into soups and casseroles, and agar agar which you would use instead of gelatine to set food.

I encourage you to start using these gorgeous elixirs from the sea. Once you do you will start to notice your glowing skin, shiny hair, lighter mood and overall better health. I have included a few recipes on my RECIPE page using sea vegetables. Give them a go!

ps. The picture above is of wakame, in all its glory. There are more pictures of different seaweeds on the GALLERY and STORE pages.

'Til next week.

Janella