Boryung Korean Roasted Seasoned Seaweed (Nori or Kelp), Crispy Texture and Savory Taste, 25 Gram, Pack of 10

seaweed typically comes in three varieties: brown, red, and green. The most commonly eaten (and researched) are the brown varieties such as kelp and wakame, followed by red seaweed, which includes nori (yep — that’s what most sushi chefs use).

While seaweed-based cuisine has a proud history in many Asian countries, Japan has made it into an art form, employing over twenty different species in their fare. In a restaurant, you’re most likely to consume seaweed in a small kelp (kombu) salad, simmered into miso soup, or wrapped around a sushi roll.

At just two tablespoons per serving, it’s true that seaweed isn’t a realistic source of many vitamins, and its benefits can occasionally be exaggerated. Seaweed contains vitamins A and C, and is also a source of calcium, which is one of the reasons some red seaweed supplements are included as part of some treatment plans for osteoarthritis . However, serving sizes are often not large enough to get a decent boost in these nutrients.

Seaweed’s best-known benefit is that it is an extraordinary source of a nutrient missing in almost every other food: iodine . Consuming healthy levels of iodine is critically important to maintaining a healthy thyroid, a gland in your neck which helps produce and regulate hormones. A malfunctioning thyroid can result in a wide range of symptoms such as fatigue, muscle weakness, and high cholesterol (to name a few). In severe or untreated cases, it can lead to serious medical conditions like goiters (a swelling of the thyroid gland), heart palpitations, and impaired memory.