People in both China and Japan have been eating sea vegetables, or seaweed, for centuries. However, eating this excellent addition to a healthy diet is much less common in the Western side of the world. Not only is seaweed a vegetable, contributing to our daily intake of fruits and vegetables, but it is rich in many vitamins and minerals and is an excellent source of both protein and fiber.

Seaweed, or sea veg depending on your choice of nomenclature, is rich in vitamins and minerals. It contains significant amounts of iodine, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. The iodine content is significant enough that seaweed was once a treatment for goiters, caused by an iodine deficiency. Vitamins B12, C, and E are present in significant amounts, as well as carotenoids, a potent antioxidant.

Sea vegg can be a source of many health benefits. They contain vitamins, minerals and other phtyochemicals. These phytochemicals can improve the health of hair and skin, reduce cholesterol levels and boost the immune system. Research also shows that the alginic acid contained in sea vegetables helps to eliminate heavy metals, such as lead and mercury, from the body.

Although it varies some by species, seaweed is also considerably higher in protein than most vegetables. The brown seaweeds are generally lowest in protein, at around 5-15% of dry weight. The red and green seaweeds have on average twice as much, 10-30% of dry weight. Some varieties of red seaweed, such as dulse and nori are even richer in protein, and have protein contents equal to or greater than that of soybeans.

If, however, you aren't quite ready to sit down to a plate of nice, crunchy arame or wakame, you can get many of seaweed health benefits just like you may get many of your other vitamins and minerals: in pill form. Sea Vegg is a blend of twelve different sea vegetables and contains many of the seaweed nutrition benefits found in the raw plants.

Sea Vegg has many of the benefits of seaweed, containing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, flavenoids, and omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. These are all also found in raw seaweed. Studies have shown that Sea Vegg also contains antibiotic and antiviral compounds. Algal polyphenols, an antioxidant that may help reduce cellular oxidation damage, are also in the supplement.

There are many ways to get seaweed today. It is usually available in speciality grocery stores, ethnic markets, and health food stores. When you buy it, it is usually in dried form, sold in packets and can be used to make homemade sushi or eaten for a snack. It can be soaked to make a salad or as an ingredient in soups. If you perfer to not eat seaweed, but still want the health benefits there is a pill called Sea Vegg that you can take on a daily basis.