I was looking for some nori at my local Whole Foods and they were out. Emerald Coast is another company they carry but it said the nori was toasted. I went online to see how much cheaper it is to buy in larger quantities. I have read on here or elsewhere that none of the stuff is truly raw--it's dried at too high a temp. Also I read that Maine Coast is sourcing from China!!! Do you know about this? I am blown away if true. In the meantime, I think I will buy toasted nori at some place in Koreatown or the Little Saigon 'hood on the North Side of Chitown! Because I trust S. Korea much more than China any day! They charge a lot less too!

banana who Wrote:
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> ..................................Also I read
> that Maine Coast is sourcing from China!!! Do you
> know about this? From China or To China?....both
are equally ridiculous. Maine Coast Sea Vegetables is a very
small company.....almost like a Momma-Poppa operation. I buy
a seaweed from them called Sea Lettuce, also Dulse.
Here's a video of Paul Nison talking about a variety of
supplements (including Seaeeds). I know the 'pure' Vegans here don't approve.....WY
P.S. I don't know what to make of Paul's Beard. It's more 'rugged'
than 'cute'.....don't you think?

[il.youtube.com]

I am beginning to believe that our oceans are too toxic to provide even plant foods that are safe. And as for Paul Nison's beard--yeah, it's a bit Yusuf Islam.

With all the oil in the Gulf of Mexico, and the gulf stream carrying water from Florida to Europe, I have to wonder if any ocean-based food on the east coast is going to escape that pollution.

I guess this would be the time for me to start selling local seaweed...hmmm, probably a bit to soon for such a joke, huh?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Curator Wrote:
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> I guess this would be the time for me to start
> selling local seaweed.
I don't get it.....WY

Eat Kale, just pretend it's a really chewy ocean veg. And hey, you can grow that right in your own backyard! You can be like Ariel, harvesting her waving fronds of seaweed from next to her ocean palace.
Nah, too trippy.

Im on the northern california coast yogi, so my ocean veggies wont be affected by the spill, if everything on the east coast was contaminated, or even if people are just afraid of it being contaminated, then opening up a seaweed business would probably be more lucrative now for some one on the west coast than it would have been before this horrible disaster, as people will be less comfortable buying from the east coast, and if its contaminated then there would be no competition from the east coast...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Wheatgrass Yogi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't get it.....WY
Scratch that. I just got it. Pretty funny....WY

Yeah, I thought they were a small company, also, and HELLO! From Maine!!! So why would they have to do this? Read it and weep (from the MC Web site):



<Ever since we began harvesting indigenous seaweeds in 1971, our friends and customers have been asking for a good, clean nori sheet. After unsuccessfully trying to make a rough and tough sheet from our local porphyra species, we learned that the Chinese were making excellent nori sheets and started selling those. Several years ago we traveled to China and started the process of organically certifying nori through the Chinese branch of OCIA International, our seaweed certifier here. Now, with the help of a third party importer, we are pleased to support the Chinese nori farmers and provide you with a premium product that we have, so far, been unable to grow ourselves. This nori has not been heated above 105° F during its production and is suitable for use by raw and living food eaters. Use Maine Coast Nori to make traditional sushi or California rolls - or invent your own filling for this low-fat, nutrient-dense food wrap. The production and export of this nori involves no human rights abuse and, to the best of our knowledge has no connection with the Chinese government.>

That last sentence makes me giggle a bit...Toodles!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/2010 04:01AM by banana who.

banana who Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yeah, I thought they were a small company, also,
> and HELLO! From Maine!!! So why would they have to
> do this? Read it and weep (from the MC Web site):
So...Maine Coast Nori is imported from China. But only
that one item, and only because Maine Coast can't manufacture its
own to meet the demand here in the States. I've tried the Nori by
mistake. I ordered some without knowing it was a wrap......WY

Yikes. Glad I read about this!

I LOVE their nori flakes and flaked sea lettuce.

I am boycotting all food from east of the mississippi due to toxic rains with oil, benzene, and corexit 9500.

Double yikes!

Do you know a good source of seaweed, back2eden, and nori sheets?

I think there are some good certified organic raw nori brands. I'm currently eating Navitas Natural certified organic nori, and sometimes a very small quantity of certified organic powdered kelp that came in bulk from Frontier Herbs. Less than 1/16 of a teaspoon of kelp per day provides sufficient iodine. 1 1/2 sheets of nori provides sufficient iodine (Vegetarian Nutrition Update 2005, Vegetarian Dietary Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association).

Consuming too much iodine can have adverse effects. But iodine is a pretty important essential nutrient. "Essential" means that humans have to have it, and we have to eat it to get it. I'm not aware of any reliable raw vegan iodine source, except seaweed. It's especially important for pregnant raw vegan Moms, since babies are vulnerable to cretinism if their mothers are iodine deficient. That's something to very seriously consider. According to WHO, iodine deficiency is the number 1 preventable cause of mental retardation, worldwide.

I'd suggest avoiding hijiki because of the high content of inorganic arsenic. The content of inorganic arsenic in most other seaweeds is negligible, but kelp supplements have been found to have excessive inorganic arsenic.

Gulf oil hasn't reached the entire ocean yet, but the importance of iodine from whole ocean plant foods is one more huge reason to keep the ocean clean.

Ah, the Maine coast.. President Obama and family have been vacationing there visiting Mount Desert Island and Bar Harbor, where my ancesters first settled. It's seaweed heaven there.

Unfortunately, the latest oil spill is not the first nor the last - there have been many of them all over the world. Also, it is not the only way the sea is polluted, so the West Coast ocean waters are not completely safe - as far as I know.

I still want to hope that even though oceans are polluted, the pollution levels are not that high everywhere (yet), so it is still safe to eat seaweed and other sea food.

What I could never figure out is how something from the ocean can possibly be certified organic when the sea is so vast? Doesn't it have to be something contained to really know what it's like? I mean, I can see testing for purity but how in God's name can you say that it's 100% organic?

banana, good question!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2010 09:13PM by suncloud.

I sent the following questions to Navitas:

What is required for seaweeds to be certified organic? Are all wildcrafted seaweeds eligible for organic certification? How does the consumer know that organic seaweeds contain any less toxic residues/heavy metals/etc. than seaweeds that aren't certified organic?

info@navitasnaturals.com

Not sure that it was sent correctly though. If anyone else would like to send these or similar questions to any of the organic seaweed companies, maybe we can compare notes.

Here's the reply from Navitas:

"Thank you for your interest in our company. Our seaweed products are grown in the sea of Japan. They are farmed and are certified organic and raw. The organic certification comes after extensive testing for pesticides, herbicides, and heavy metals. Each batch is tested before we ship it to the United States."

"There is a lot of information on our website if you get a chance to look at it. Or if you have any other questions feel free to email me."

"Thanks!"

Cahill Walsh
Navitas Naturals

---------------------------

I would have also sent an email to Maine Coast, but their website appeared to be on vacation. I think I sent an email to one of their distributors.

Seems like Navitas is OK. Good thing, because their nori is really good. I guess if a person wanted to, they could contact Navitas and ask for a copy of the lab test results.

I think the link in my previous post doesn't work correctly. I sent the message again, and typed in the email address (instead of using the link).

Thanks, Suncloud. My local Whole Foods doesn't carry that brand so I will check out the Web site. I am really looking forward to getting a better deal on nori sheets because .50 a sheet doesn't really cut it.

I read a while back that some tests were done on sea vegetables and had showed contaminants like mercury and other pollultants, I can't find the link to post though now

I get icelandic kelp as it is one of the cleaner oceans, this is what it says.

Botanical Name: Laminaria digitata
Origin: NW Coast of Iceland
Sourcing Notes: Our kelp is hand harvested from a remote bay off the northwest coast of Iceland, in a manner that supports regeneration, and sustainability of the species. The plants grow deep in the tidal zone, away from the shipping lanes, where they are not exposed to the pollutants that may be present in other areas. Seaweed harvested from coastal regions near areas of heavy industry (such as the US and Japan), are prone to higher levels of contaminants such as heavy metals.
Organic: QAI Certified Organic



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/2010 03:22PM by Ariel55.

One really good thing about kelp is it takes so little to meet the iodine requirement - less than 1/16 teaspoon/day. 1/2 teaspoon/day is too much, according to Becoming Raw.

(An advantage of nori is that it has a wider range - 1 1/2 sheets/day are required; up to 10 1/2 sheets/day can be eaten infrequently).

If we're trying to eat just enough seaweed to meet our needs and avoid the heavy metals, kelp might be the most efficient and cheapest means.

Seems the kelp supplements should be avoided though, because tests have previously shown them to be high is arsenic.

I like nori though.

Hijiki is high in arsenic. Not sure about other sea veggies. Sirova has sea lettuce, sea spaghetti, duslse and something else. I think I got the something else!! j/k

Paul

[www.sirova.com]

For anyone who's interested, Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology, 6th edition, by Seeley, Stephens, Tate says this:

"In adults, the lack of thyroid hormones results in a reduced rate of metabolism, sluggishness, a reduced ability to perform routine tasks, and myxedema, which is the accumulation of fluid and other molecules in the subcutaneous tissue..."

"The thyroid gland requires iodine to synthesize thyroid hormones...One thyroid hormone, called thyroxine, contains four iodine atoms and is abbreviated T4. The other thyroid hormone, called triiodothyronine, contains three iodine atoms and is abbreviated T3... "

"A lack of iodine in the diet results in reduced T3 and T4 synthesis. A deficiency of iodine is not as common as it used to be. Table salt with iodine addied to it (iodized salt) is available in most grocery stores..."

A lot of people here (including me) probably don't eat table salt. Iodine can come from a whole food source: seaweed.

I think it's very important to keep our oceans healthy!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/2010 07:31PM by suncloud.

I think there's a health advisory out on seaweed from a cove in Guam where a few people died some years ago from a mistery ailment after eating some seaweed. Washington state publishes advisories about certain spots to avoid harvesting seaweed along its coast. The Gulf of Mexico of course has its sea food advisories with the oil spill. Canada and Australia have health advisories out on hijiki, but not the US. A few Boston beaches have been closed to swimming due to bacteria levels this week. Hmmm, Maine Coast Sea Veggies is shut down this time of year possibly for the same reason maybe waiting for cooler water temperatures and better conditions for harvesting? California kelp is known for its very high iodine, like Icelandic kelp, but this depends on how the kelp is processed, iodine being a volatile element and sometimes completely disappearing in dried seaweeds like it does with sea salts. Seaweeds from the sea of Japan have been found to be healthy even though in a high arsenic region. Sea life seems to actually thrive with a certain amount of naturally occuring arsenic. Whether it's the Jananese people or coastal Icelandic sheep they don't seem to get sick eating the local seaweeds some containing high levels of iodine or arsenic. I think there are cultural and natural regulators at work. The Japanese eat hijiki in small servings.

My understanding is that there's "organic" iodine and "inorganic" iodine - not in the sense of "organic" as we know it, but in the sense that "inorganic iodine" is a heavy metal pollutant.

Exposure to the less toxic "organic" form of arsenic hasn't been associated with adverse health consequences.

If the seaweed has been tested for heavy metals, it should be OK. Health agencies of Canada, the UK, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia have all issued advisories for consumers to avoid hijiki. Tests in 2005 on hijiki and
other species of seaweeds, including tests on internet products, found inorganic arsenic only in the hijiki. The other seaweeds had less than the detectable limit.



[www.sciencedirect.com]

its unfortunate, the kelp im familiar with here on the california coast, is far more palatable in a soup than juiced or eaten raw...I cant stand it juiced, and its...odd and very very tough raw...maybe thats cause its bull kelp?lol...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?