Sharks are strong and healthy.
If you want your blood to have the strength of a shark, a dose of vegetables from the sea can help.
Eaten regularly, sea vegetables can be a valuable source of essential vitamins and minerals. They contain a variety of protective compounds that may help ward off some serious health threats, such as cancer.
Japanese researchers studied the effects of extracts from eight different kinds of sea vegetables on cells that had been treated with potent cancer-causing agents. The results showed that sea vegetables, indeed, have tumor-suppressing power.
Alfred Bushway, PhD, professor of food science, University of Maine, believes that sea vegetables are partially responsible for the lower cancer rates in sea-side countries like Japan, where sea vegetables are as common as our potato.
Kelp has been to shown to reduce tumor growth.
Two types of sea vegetables, kelp and dulse, have been reported in research studies to reduce the risk of intestinal and mammary gland tumors in animal studies.
Research at Ryerson University in Toronto determined that after 72 hours, dulse extracts inhibited human cervical cancers cell growth by up to 78 percent, and kelp slowed cell growth and cell division by up to 69 percent.
Yvonne Yuan, PhD at Ryerson determined that red dulse contains even more powerful antioxidants that work to combat cell-damaging free radicals.
Have you ever wondered why whales are so healthy?
You don't see whales, dolphins or sharks swimming around with the sniffles, and they don't get cancer unless they have been exposed to human pollution, such as the radiation from nuclear power-plant meltdowns, like Fukushima.
That's because they are swimming in a sea of immunity – a sea filled with sea vegetables they skim off the ocean's swells.
Certain sea vegetables are packed with higher levels of vitamins that boost the immune system and protect against a host of diseases. Topping this list is nori, also known as laver, which is sold in paper-thin, green, dried sheets.
Nori is generally used to wrap sushi, and is used in soups, salads, and pasta.
One-ounce of nori contains 11 mg of vitamin C and 1,500 IU vitamin A. The combination of natural levels of A & C can safeguard against night blindness and vision problems, such as macular degeneration.
Sea vegetables provide essential and non-essential nutrients and trace minerals, including potassium, B12, and iodine. Most minerals are on the surface of sea vegetables, however, so be aware that when you prepare them, rinse them very lightly. Don't soak them.
When buying sea vegetables, it is easy to purchase liquid vitamins that have not been processed in the lab. Dried forms are also very easy to store and to use.
Remember, the more unaltered, the better.
And, make a trip to the sea-side. Let your body breath in the rich mineral air, swim in Nature's sea of immunity, and eat fresh food from the sea.
It doesn't take a lot of sea vegetables to get their benefits, so don't over-use, mainly due to the iodine and sodium levels.
Studies show that that as little as 1/4 ounce of dried sea vegetables can make a significant contribution to your diet. Add small bite-size pieces to salads, soups, stews, grain dishes (like over rice and pasta), stir-fries, and sandwiches.
I suggest having a hair analysis done periodically to check your sodium and iodine levels, especially if you eat sea vegetables regularly.