You probably remember us talk about nori seaweed snacks and how much we love the 30 calorie, awesome alternative to salty snacks with a fraction of the sodium. You know we’ve suggested sprinkling them on salad and other places instead of salt.
Well guess what? Our hot commodity seems to be gracing all of the supermarkets lately, not just our New York City health food stores! If you haven’t noticed, seaweed is venturing over to the U.S. from Asia – and this is a good thing, since it’s loaded with ton of nutrients! While there are many varieties of seaweed, they all contain essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamins A, E, C, and K plus copper, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc.
More exciting news?! Seaweed has been shown to aid in weight loss as well! It’s low in fat and calories and supplies a small amount of fiber. It seems a natural seaweed fiber called alginate, found in kelp, may help suppress fat digestion in the gut, according to a new study in Food Chemistry.
Researchers used a model digestive tract and found that ingesting even a small amount of the seaweed fiber blocked fat absorption by a third. Of course, your body does need some fat (and certain fats are healthier than others), but for people who are really overweight or obese, preventing some fat absorption is helpful as it prevents calories from getting into the body so it can be very helpful for losing weight (this is the same reason why some FDA-approved weight-loss drugs block fat absorption in the intestinal tract).
While there are many seaweed varieties – we wanted to focus on the mildest form, nori seaweed which is rich in Omega 3s and is the one that is mostly used as a wrap with sushi rolls.
Want to experiment with seaweed? Look no further than our Spicy Tuna Seaweed Wraps!
Spicy Tuna Seaweed Wraps
Serves: 2
Ingredients
2 nori seaweed sheets
1/2 medium cucumber, cut into spears
1/2 avocado
1/2 cup canned tuna (the photo above uses sashimi, but canned works well and is easier for most people to get)Chili Pepper
Mrs Dash or Trader Joe’s 21-Salute Seasoning
Dash of wasabi powder
Directions
- Lay the seaweed sheet flat.
- Drain the can of tuna and mixed together with avocado as you mash the avocado into the tuna.
- Mix Chili Pepper and other seasonings in. Depending on how spicy you like it, you may want to add more chili and wasabi powder.
- Dampen both ends of the nori wrap and add a few cucumber spears to one end of the nori wrap and add half of the tuna mixture. Do the same to the other wrap, 1/4 cup of tuna.
- Roll seaweed sheet up like you would with a yoga mat. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts: 147 calories, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 31 mg sodium, 6 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 14 g protein
- 2 nori seaweed sheets
- ½ medium cucumber, cut into spears
- ½ avocado
- ½ cup canned tuna (the photo above uses sashimi, but canned works well and is easier for most people to get)
- Chili Pepper
- Mrs Dash or Trader Joe’s 21-Salute Seasoning
- Dash of wasabi powder
- Lay the seaweed sheet flat.
- Drain the can of tuna and mixed together with avocado as you mash the avocado into the tuna.
- Mix Chili Pepper and other seasonings in. Depending on how spicy you like it, you may want to add more chili and wasabi powder.
- Dampen both ends of the nori wrap and add a few cucumber spears to one end of the nori wrap and add half of the tuna mixture. Do the same to the other wrap, ¼ cup of tuna.
- Roll seaweed sheet up like you would with a yoga mat. Enjoy!