At a first glance, you might not be too impressed and excited about this title BUT if you give me just one minute to explain the reasoning behind this as well as the true facts on WHY we really should switch to eating more sea vegetables as an alternative for fish and seafood products.
Sea weed is a general term that refers to a large number of algae and other marine plants (about 145 varieties known), it is incredibly versatile and does have all the nutrients you require, not only is it packed with protein but also with micronutrients such as your vital trace mineral Iodine, Iron and even your essential omega 3’s that everyone seems to think come from fish….they actually come from seaweed witch get eaten by fish.
Not only is it used in many different areas from cosmetics, food, biofuel, cattle feed and even bioplastics but it is to be found everywhere in the world and does not require much for it to grow, just a nice nutrient rich stream of water and you are good to go, meaning, no need to destroy land and provide chemicals for it to grow.
Together with the fact that it grows over ten times faster than your normal land crop, you can imagine what a huge potential this sea vegetable has.
When it comes to food, the most common varieties found are Nori, Wakame, Kombu, Dulse, Arame, Kelp, Sea lettuce, Sea spaghetti, Chlorella and Spirulina.
Mostly popular in Asian countries for centuries Europe and the US are starting to recognise it as a nutritious food to introduce into their dishes.
In plant-based and vegan cuisines it is best known as a great alternative for fish and seafood for it’s “fishy” taste plus the fact that it’s rich in nutrients that you otherwise you would acquire by eating animal source products.
As an ocean lover that I am and because I have witnessed so much polluted areas and have analysed and studied marine life from dolphins to fish for their high concentration in heavy metals and other chemicals coming from plastics I am convinced that seaweed is the best and most sustainable way to go. Not to mention that we are literally emptying our oceans from any marine life possible due to overfishing.
Popular dishes where seaweed are used are your sushi, your poke bowls, your miso soups and salads…
Here I made an easy poke bowl using nori sheets which I cut in strips, added some tofu bits, raw red pepper , cucumber and avocado. Sprinkle a dressing based on sesame oil, soja sauce and lime juice and you are good to go!
As I want more people to start transitioning into a plant-based diet, my recipes are super easy and simplistic but of course you can use your creativity and play with ingredients and make amazing dishes!
To give you another example of what you can do with seaweed is this very simple vegan caviar.
By simply taking 3 tbs of chia seeds and blending them with water and a nori sheet, you get this “caviar” looking recipe. You can add this to an “egg” salad like I’ve done here below using crumbled tofu, vegan mayonnaise, kala namak salt for the eggy taste, a bit of spring onion and then the caviar on top!
You can of course, go more into a molecular gastronomy to make a more realistic looking caviar with the use of sodium alginate and Calcium chloride, but I will leave this for future posts. Keep it simple and tasty, and you will do just fine!
In case you are wandering, the other toast has a beetroot salad made with beetroot, vegan mayonnaise, fresh dill, some capers and gherkins and spring onions on top.
For anybody wanting to transition into a more plant-based diet, if I have ONE recommendation to give, it is to start slowly, to not overwhelm yourself by thinking you have to cut everything out in one go.
I understand this is not easy to do, trust me, I have been there, so, take it one thing at the time, start with your least favourite animal source product, if it’s fish, start by cutting fish out of you diet and substitute it with seaweed, if it’s dairy, cut all dairy products or start just by milk, then yogurt then cheese if you must….there are tons of alternatives out there when it comes to dairy…step by step is key.
It is a process, a journey that should be seen as an adventure to try new and exciting flavours, your mindset is key to succeed as your brain hates change and loves to stay in it’s comfort zone, it will trick you and make it difficult for you, but with a strong will, anything is possible…and on top of that, if you have a support group, or person, an accountability partner that supports you, encourages you, stimulates you, then you have no reason to not succeed .
If you need some help in this process, don’t hesitate and contact me.
info@onehealthoneplanet.com
I have created a program specially for you, to make sure you become best plant eater there is. You will get the results and the support you want and need. It is just a 30 day program, with easy recipes, easy tools and resources to follow step by step to make sure you can transition into it smoothly.
https://onehealthoneplanet.com/plant-based-program/
I hope you reach out, together we can make a difference, for our health and our planet.
Love,
Eleonore
