Natural Sea-Kelp.

Seakelp draws an extraordinary wealth of mineral elements from the sea that surrounds it and can account for up to 36% of its dry mass. The mineral macro-nutrients include sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, chlorine, sulphur and phosphorus; the micro-nutrients include iodine, iron, zinc, copper, selenium, molybdenum, fluoride, manganese, boron, nickel and cobalt.

Usually sold in their dehydrated form and stored in an airtight container in a cool dark place, such as a kitchen cupboard, they will keep indefinitely. During the low temperature drying the moisture content should be reduced to 10% or less and the resulting product has a good nutritional profile. Store it airtight because seaweed might absorb moisture of the air subsequently loss in quality.

The consumption of vitamins and minerals is essential to life. They contribute to good health by regulating the body’s metabolism and assisting the biochemical processes. Our common heritage is still the sea, we arose from the sea and our internal bodies  do reflect this. The almost unlimited access to mineral resources disappeared when we left to live on land, the mineral and trace element in plants are just a fraction of there presents in seaweed because the minerals are simply not available. Our hormonal system however can use minerals and trace elements which are abundantly available from seaweed to repair tissue, build new cells, and create hormones responsible for regulating blood pressure, metabolism, fertility, sexuality, and reaction to allergens, and encourages rhythmical working of the heart in all its aspects: physical, emotional, and inspirational.

Iodine is essential for the body of humans and other animals and is detected in every organ and tissue.  It is found in high levels in the thyroid, breast, liver, lung, heart, and adrenals.  

However Iodine is a relatively rare element in the Earth's crust, but is concentrate in the oceans. It is the heaviest essential element known to be needed by all living organisms, but its rarity in many soils has led to many deficiency problems in land animals and inland human populations.  

Algae

Water quality is vitally important. All our sea vegetables are harvested from the Atlantic in Coulagh Bay which is free from pollution and has no industry based around it.

Composition.

Seakelp & algae contain the full spectrum of organic (photo-synthetic) vitamins, all minerals and 72 natural ionic sea trace minerals, lipids, plant sterols, amino acids. Omega 3's and 6's, anti-oxidants, growth hormones, poly-phenols i.e. The high density of nutrients found in algae is extremely important for many reasons.

Kelp Seaweed, past and present .

Comparisons of population groups have demonstrated beyount any doubt the close and consistent relationship between the adoption of the affluent diet (Northern European and U.S. general populations) and the emergence of a range of chronic, non-infectious diseases, such as coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, various cancers, diabetes mellitus, gallstones, dental caries (cavities), gastrointestinal disorders, and various bone and joint diseases.As part of a healthy lifestyle, increasingly functional foods are introduced which should  help towards the prevention of ill-health or contributing to the reduction of disease risk factors. They are not to be seen as disease cures. 

Basic benefits of including Sea Kelp for optimisation of nourishment into a daily diet are extensive: increased longevity, enhanced immune functioning, revitalization of the cardiovascular, endocrine, digestive, and nervous systems, and relief from minor aches and pains. It  is no wonder seaweed has been part of the traditional diet of all coastal cultures, including the people of Japan, Korea, China, Iceland, Denmark, Wales, Scotland, Hawaii, and the South Pacific Islands. The Japanese are among the greatest consumers of seaweeds and many seaweed or sea vegetable varieties are best known by Japanese  and Chinese names. Kelp is known as kunbu or haidai.

Traditional used as, and recommended as medicine in Japan;

Kelp (Haizao and Kunbu) are salty and cold, and enter the liver, lung, and kidney meridians. Both can clear heat, transform phlegm, soften hardness, and dissipate nodules. They can also promote urination and reduce oedema. In clinical practice, they are often used together to treat nodules such as goitre and scrofula.

One of the best with the seaweeds is Haizao Yuhu Tang. This formula of 12 ingredients includes Sargassum, Ecklonia, and Laminaria. Used to treat a condition of goitre which was so severe it made the throat look like a large flask. However, these seaweeds have been adopted into formulas for treating other soft swellings, including ovarian cysts, breast lumps, lymph node swellings, lymphomas, and fat accumulation from simple obesity.

Seaweed uses. 

They are a vast assortment of seaweed and sea  vegetables products on the market and in health stores including powder, flakes, kelp granules, Irish moss, dulse leaf, chlorella tablets, bladderwrack vegi capsules, blue green algae, agar agar..

Easy in use, using sprinkle-on shakers to added to food / recipes, sprinkled on drinks, or mixed in shakes.

Detoxification/Alginic acid/ iodine.

There is no family of foods more protective against radiation and environmental pollutants than seaweed, algae and ... sea vegetables. That Seaweed contains compounds which bind with and remove toxins from the tissues of animals and humans.. Many using seaweed for this purpose already some time, to compensate for using polluted food, compensate for air, water, land and products. Brown seaweed’s such as kelp, rockweed contain this alginic acid which can binds with the toxins rendering them indigestible and carries them out of the system. Alginate is non-toxic and is not reabsorbed into the rest of the body from the gastrointestinal tract. Alginate is specific and consistent in its reaction, is resistant to stomach acidity and the enzymes present in the intestinal tract ... it has also been shown to have no adverse effect on the ability of humans to assimilate calcium and other natural minerals.

The other is iodine.

Iodine is a relatively rare element in the Earth's crust, but is concentrate in the oceans. It is the heaviest essential element known to be needed by all living organisms, but its rarity in many soils has led to many deficiency problems in land animals and in human populations.

Important because ease of attachment to organic compounds, gentle because it is a very  heavy element (slow) having the right power/properties as commonly needed by living organisms. The transport of iodine and its organification (synthesis of organic compounds)  can be blocked by Br- ions, chlorine and fluor due to a mutual competition between bromide, other halo ides and the iodide anions. Therefore, bromine seen as having a zombifying potential. ( Retarding of the body/functions). The removal of bromide from tissue and organs will only take place when there is a access if iodine and the right pH. Mineral assimilation is affected by pH or minerals have

different pH levels at which they can be assimilated into the body. Minerals on the lower end of the atomic scale can be assimilated in a wider pH range, and minerals higher up on the scale require a narrower pH range in order to be assimilated.. Iodine, which is high up on the atomic scale, requires near perfect pH for its assimilation into the body.. Iodism, an unpleasant brassy taste, runny nose, and acne-like skin lesions, is caused by the bromide that iodine extracts from the tissues.

Seen as a valuable product, nutritive, source of salt, for seasoning/fermenting or as medicine.

Seaweed is the generic term given to thousands of types of marine plants that range from microscopic algae to kelp which can be several hundred feet in size. Almost all seaweeds are edible and will contribute to the health of mankind, animals, birds, fish, enrich the soil. There are many kinds of edible and nutritious seaweed. Cultures that have sea-based diets tend to be very healthy and long lived such as the Inuit of the Bering Strait or the Japanese.

Please note that because seaweed is high in iodine, people with hyperthyroid (overactive thyroid glands) should not digest it.The vast majority of people, 98 to 99 percent, can take iodine in doses ranging from 10 to 100 mg a day without any clinically adverse affects on thyroid function. The prevalence of thyroid diseases in the 119 million people in Japan who consume high amounts of iodine is not much different than that in the U.S

However Iodine insufficiency problems are aggravated and complecated by use of agents that interfere with the utilization of iodine. These include the halogens (class of chemicals to which iodine belongs) fluoride, bromine and bromides, and chlorine.          

From a nutritional point of view, Kelp contains vitamins A, B, E, D and K, is an excellent source of vitamin C, and rich in minerals and proteins.

Aids digestion, works as a blood purifier, relieves arthritis stiffness, and promotes adrenal, pituitary and thyroid health. It is a demulcent that helps eliminate herpes outbreaks.

Kombu is a meaty high protein seaweed. It is higher in natural mineral salts than most other seaweeds.

Kombu (sometimes konbu) is typically sun-dried and used as a flavoring in soups and rice or it may be pickled and used as a condiment. It can also be boiled and added to vegetable dishes, and it is a necessary component in a popular Japanese soup stock called dashi, can be added to soups and salads, or it can be steamed or boiled and eaten plain. Seaweed used to replace salt. Average consumption in Japan is 6 gram (3DR)/day.

The main differences between land plants and seaweed is that  Land plants require a rigid structure cable of withstanding the constant pull of  gravity, which marine plants do not need. Instead they do need a flexible structure to accommodate the varying stresses as result of current and wave motion.

Starchy foods or fiber.

Starchy foods, once avoided by dieters as fattening, are actually a good source of energy for those who want to lose weight. Many people think that starchy foods such as bread, potatoes and pasta are high in calories. They aren't - until the bread is thickly buttered, the potatoes generously topped with sour cream, and the macaroni mixed with cream and cheese sauce. Starches (and proteins) provide only four calories per gram, while fat provides nine calories per gram. Without the toppings, or with only moderate amounts, complex carbohydrate foods can be less fattening than animal-protein foods that naturally contain fat.

 An void in the American diet is the extensive use of  foods of animal origin and saturated fat as found in milk and red meat.

Diabetics also may benefit from a diet high in complex carbohydrates and low in fat and sugar, according to the American Dietetic Association. Some researchers believe that dietary fiber improves the ability of diabetics to process blood sugar.All together those dieters, athletes, and other health-conscious people have made complex carbohydrates - once a simple staple for the poor - into a new-found "in" food.

Kelp is rich in Dietary fiber which is generally accepted as having protective effects against a range of diseases. The term ‘dietary fiber’ is defined as plant material that resists digestion by the secreted enzymes of the human alimentary tract . However they may be  fermented by micro flora in the colon. Most hydrocolloids can be listed as fiber. Increased fiber consumption has been associated with lowering total serum cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, modifying the glycemic and insulinemic response and protecting the large intestine from disease. Increase of fiber to assist against including colorectal cancer, coronary heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and diverticular disease. Lack of fiber a problem of Western society. Non-digestible oligosaccharides have aroused significant interest in recent years due to their ability to stimulate growth of potentially beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacteria in the gut.

 Your lifestyle and dietary choices can make an enormous difference to your lifespan and to your quality of life in later years.