Seaweed as a Natural Source of Iodine–Supporting Digestive and Heart Health

Rich in iodine and vitamin K, seaweed can do health wonders, experts say.
Seaweed as a Natural Source of Iodine–Supporting Digestive and Heart Health
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The slippery and slimy nature of sea vegetables, including their green, reddish, or brown colors and fishy smell, makes them seem alien to many of us. Nevertheless, seaweed comes with a variety of health benefits worth exploring.

Introducing Sea Vegetables

Edible sea vegetables are also called macroalgae. They may seem like underwater plants but have fundamentally different structures. They are comparatively simple and lack the much more complex and diverse tissue of plants, such as stems, flowers, leaves, and bark.

Up to 30,000 varieties of sea vegetables exist around the world, according to scientists—each with a unique look, flavor, growing season, and nutritional value.

Alexandra Roach
Alexandra Roach
Author
Alexandra Roach is a board-certified holistic health practitioner, community herbalist, and master gardener. She studied sustainable food and farming and lives with her family on an off-grid permaculture homestead. Roach works as a journalist and author, and writes with a broad perspective on health, gardening, and lifestyle choices.