Heal Your Thyroid, Lower Blood Sugar, and Fight Heart Disease With This Tasty Snack

As we grow old, it turns into increasingly essential to get the correct vitamins from the meals we eat. For girls, meaning vitamins that assist wholesome hormone ranges, assist forestall illness, and allow us to keep up a wholesome weight — simply to call a couple of. And whereas it could really feel like there are loads of “superfoods” to select from, seaweed actually checks all three of those containers. 

In fact, you recognize seaweed because the algae that grows within the ocean, however it’s additionally a scrumptious deal with. It’s primarily eaten in Asian international locations like Japan and South Korea (when you’re a sushi fan, you’re already onboard), and it’s loaded with vitamins that may increase thyroid well being, decrease blood sugar, and combat cardiovascular circumstances.

Seaweed advantages the thyroid as a result of it’s wealthy in iodine — a nutrient the thyroid depends on to make sure hormones. Thyroid issues are considerably extra widespread in ladies, and issues get even trickier throughout and after menopause after we usually tend to turn out to be iodine poor. So getting extra iodine in your eating regimen can assist keep off thyroid troubles. The truth is, one sheet of nori seaweed (essentially the most generally used seaweed snack) comprises 25 p.c of the RDI (advisable day by day consumption) for iodine, and one teaspoon of kelp comprises as a lot as 59 instances the RDI for iodine! Seaweed additionally comprises one other thyroid boosting nutrient known as tyrosine, which is used with iodine in thyroid hormone manufacturing. 

Moreover, seaweed is being studied for its potential advantages to these combating blood-sugar circumstances like diabetes. Researchers from one examine together with 60 grownup topics concluded that fucoxanthin, a substance present in seaweed, could profit blood sugar management. Particularly, this examine discovered that even those that had been genetically predisposed to insulin resistance (a marker of sort 2 diabetes) had improved blood sugar by the tip of the trial. Fucoxanthin has additionally been linked to reductions in physique fats, and one other animal examine discovered that the alginate in seaweed prevented blood sugar spikes after topics had been fed a meal excessive in sugar. It’s believed that alginate may cut back sugar absorption into the bloodstream. 

Not solely can seaweed assist combat thyroid and blood sugar points, however it may additionally assist keep off age-related circumstances like coronary heart illness. Seaweed has been proven in research to decrease levels of cholesterol, and excessive levels of cholesterol are a serious indicator of coronary heart illness. What’s extra, seaweed comprises fucans — a kind of carbohydrate that forestalls blood clotting, which may trigger coronary heart illness.

With all these advantages and a dense nutrient profile, seaweed may simply be one of many healthiest superfoods for ladies — notably as we age. You will get seaweed from sushi or seaweed salad in a Japanese restaurant, and you may also buy roasted seaweed sheets to eat as a savory snack all through the day. Fortunately, supermarkets and well being meals manufacturers are making seaweed increasingly available for purchase — you possibly can even purchase seaweed snacks on-line. We love these from from Annie Chun’s ($19.99, Amazon).

This text initially appeared on our sister web site, For for Girls