When I look at face products I imagine that the product will be seeping into my bloodstream and I will have to be metabolised by it in one way or another, so I want it to be good, natural and something that will not compromise my liver or dirty my blood. Therefore, when I hear that a product is good enough to eat, I like that product A LOT!
The first moment I used the Lisa Armitage face oil I could feel my skin drinking it in. That felt good and then I thought, can I eat this? … it kind of sparked an idea that I need to really study the ingredients and share their edibility with you, or at least my favourite!
I took a look at the ingredients for inspiration for this blog and I was spoilt for choice. I saw so many wonderful herbs, fabulous oils and good foods, things like rosemary and Siberian Ginseng as well as green tea, apples and avocado. I mean how cool is that? But in the end, I decided to write about Algae, the reason being that Algae is something we don’t often write about and we rarely eat, unless it happens to feature in a prepared smoothie. However, this is a very important ingredient as it contains essential minerals as well as iodine, which is needed for thyroid.
Your thyroid is a gland which you don’t really think about until it begins to give you a bit of jip. However, it is responsible for many things in your body but mainly your temperature, metabolism and your heart, digestive function, muscle control, brain development, mood and bone maintenance. So, a not inconsiderable responsibility for a lowly gland and yet we know little about it, rarely focus on it and don’t pay it much attention until it under or over performs, causing either Hyper or Hypo Thyroidism.
The thyroid gland, as we age, generally becomes less active but one way of giving it a boost every now and again is by giving it a little iodine in the form of algae. NOTE: In cases of hypothyroidism that are autoimmune, meaning the body’s immune system is attacking its own tissue, supplemental or high dietary iodine can actually cause what is known as a flare-up. So check first.
There are different types of algae:-
- Ever had miso soup?
- A form of edible kelp, kombu is widely eaten in East Asia. …
- If wakame is the most versatile sea veggie on this list, nori is perhaps the most recognizable from your favourite Japanese restaurant.
- Dulse – used in fish dishes, but a great hangover cure
- Hijiki – used in soups and salads in Korean Restaurants
- IrishMoss – a wonderful mucilaginous herb, great for the lungs and colon.
Many Asian countries have sworn by the healing powers of algae for millennia and it has entered their diet in a natural way. In the Philippines they created a noodle made from seaweed which is known to be rich in calcium, magnesium and iodine.
The Japanese population have eaten seaweed as a major source of their diet for centuries and their diet is considered one of the most sophisticated and health giving in the world.
In Korea, Japan and China sheets of dried red algae are used in soups and wraps to create sushi or onigiri and the very humble irish moss can be used as a food additive which is very beneficial for lungs and colon.
In England we grow the Samphire, which is not really a seaweed, although we call it that. It actually comes from the parsley family and is more like an asparagus growing in the sea!!! However, it does have health benefits too.
I think the lesson here is that the sea throws up the most amazing health giving foods in all shapes and forms. Even more reason to respect it. So, at the end of this blog, I want everyone to remember that every human being on earth is 70% water and that we rely on the oceans as much as the air we breathe, so let’s really make sure our New Year’s resolution is to respect them as much as we respect ourselves.