QuestionHow do you feel about using these in the diet and how do you feel about sea vegetables such as Nori,hijiki,kelp wakame,ect.??
AnswerWell, I took a lot of processed chlorella and kelp pills during my pre-rawpalaeo supplement phase and they were completely useless, to be honest. Raw seaweed is another matter. I've only very rarely eaten seaweed(only as part of an occasional sushi meal or when I buy a lot of seaweed-covered live mussels etc.)so I can't give a definitive answer from my own experience. However, the prevailing scientific literature indicates that the protein etc. in blue-green algae, at least, is poorly digested by humans:-
http://healthpsych.psy.vanderbilt.edu/HealthPsych/algae.htm
It's also been mentioned in numerous articles that the vitamin B12 present in many seaweeds, such as nori etc. is also poorly absorbed by humans, as it's only an analogue and not properly utilisable, making them an ineffective B12-substitute for vegetarians:-
"Spirulina, an algae available as a dietary supplement in tablet form, and nori, a seaweed, have both appeared to contain significant amounts of B12 after analysis. However, it is thought that this is due to the presence of compounds structurally similar to B12, known as B12 analogues. These cannot be utilised to satisfy dietary needs. Assay methods used to detect B12 are unable to differentiate between B12 and it's analogues, Analysis of possible B12 sources may give false positive results due to the presence of these analogues.
Researchers have suggested that supposed B12 supplements such as spirulina may in fact increase the risk of B12 deficiency disease, as the B12 analogues can compete with B12 and inhibit metabolism." taken from:-
http://www.vegsoc.org/info/b12.html
My (tentative) conclusion would be that raw seaweed probably does contain some fully-utilisable nutrients, especially the minerals, but that it's best if it's only a very small part of one's diet.
Hope This Helps,
RPG
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