Benefits of seaweed in your diet

Seaweed has been eaten for centuries in countries like Japan, Korea, and China. In 2018, the Japanese ministry reported that the number of Japanese citizens who were older than 100, had risen to reach 69, 785. From that number, over 88% of those were women.

Seaweed hasn’t quite caught on as well here in the UK, and the only times you’re likely to come across it are in sushi, or your local Chinese takeaway (and even then, it’s more than likely cabbage and not seaweed). But, due to growing research into its health properties, seaweed is now tipped to be the food of the future in the western world.

Bursting with nutrients

There’s so many benefits to eating seaweed. We usually like to focus on the fact that it's an insanely rich, natural source of vegan iodine, but seaweed is so much more than that. It's packed full of nutrients, and our seaweed granules come with 6 EU approved health claims, and there's more promising research on its way.

Seaweed contains fucoxanthin and hesperetin. One is known as a carotenoid which helps to promote the burning of fat, and the other is a flavonoid which can contribute to the building of muscle and maintaining bone health.

Building muscle and shedding fat

A study published by the Korean Food Research Institute who fed rats wakame over an 8 week period, found that the distance the animals could run was increased by 15%. This was thanks to increases and quality of the muscle the rats developed. They found that the blood flow was improved and that there was a greater production of mitochondria. This explosion of mitochondria is significant, as that's the part of the cell that’s responsible for creating energy output.

Another study published by Newcastle University in 2014 found that alginate (a polysaccharide found in brown algae) can be used to slow our body’s fat absorption, helping to keep off that excess weight. Participants who ate a diet including seaweed reduced their fat absorption by a third, clearly showing the benefits of using seaweed for weight loss. Hokkaido University in Japan also conducted research into seaweed for weight loss, discovering weight loss potential in wakame due to the inclusion of a pigment known as fucoxanthin. Participants who consumed fucoxanthin lost five to ten per cent of their body fat through the experiment. This is because the fucoxanthin helps to build muscle and shed fat.

Peak Blends Seaweed granules

We’re so proud of the source of our seaweed. It’s 100% organic and vegan friendly. It’s sustainably harvested from the lochs of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. The species that makes up our superfood granules is called Ascophyllum Nodosum, a type of brown seaweed also known as Knotted Wrack.

The only thing that goes into our seaweed superfood granules is just that, seaweed. No added salt, sugar, preservatives or nasties. It’s the easiest way to get all the benefits into your life.