How can I include Seagreens in my diet?

There are many Seagreens® Culinary Ingredient can be included in your diet. It can be used instead of salt in any cooking. To give you ideas, we’ve put together a menu plan for inspiration:

Monday

Breakfast

Scrambled egg on wholemeal toast (made with Seagreens Culinary Ingredient) with Seagreens Mineral Salt

Lunch

Homemade tomato and lentil soup

Dinner

Baked spicy salmon with Seagreens Culinary Ingredient, chilli seeds and a little lemon juice, sweet potato wedges and steamed seasonal vegetables

Tuesday

Breakfast

Fresh chopped fruit with strawberry yoghurt and half a teaspoon Seagreens Culinary Ingredient

Lunch

Wholemeal Seagreens bread with baked beans

Dinner

Chicken and vegetable stir fry

Wednesday

Breakfast

Porridge with fresh chopped fruit

Lunch

Homemade sweet potato soup

Dinner

Homemade pizza with Seagreens Culinary Ingredient in the base

Thursday

Breakfast

Muesli with semi skimmed milk

Lunch

Tuna pitta bread with salad

Dinner

Soba noodle salad with wrack seaweed and purple sprouting broccoli

Friday

Breakfast

Porridge with chopped fresh fruit and ½ teaspoon Seagreens Culinary Ingredient

Lunch

Poached eggs on toast

Dinner

Sea side chicken bites with steamed vegetables

The recipes using Seagreens are all available on the blog www.seagreensseaweed.blogspot.com  Seagreens and Wise Choice Nutrition have produced the menu plan to show how Seagreens can be incorporated into a healthy balanced diet. If there is a specific recipe you would like, please email info@wisechoicenutrition.co.uk

January detox

Seagreens® are effective in detoxification through 4 key methods:

1. Cleansing of the digestive tract, blood, lymph, kidneys and improved metabolism of food (by a unique range of polysaccharides and pigments including chlorophyll, all the antioxidant vitamins and minerals);
2. Removal of toxic and heavy metals and radiation (by special polysaccharides, the complete range of amino acids and minerals);
3. Improving the alkaline-acid balance and the full metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, helping protect against acidosis - the most alkaline forming of all natural foods, over 75 times moreso than apples - (by the special polysaccharides and naturally chelated minerals, trace elements and compounds);
4. Providing the richest source of natural, stable, fully ‘chelated’ iodine (bound to protein ions) with all the micro-nutrients needed for its metabolism, like selenium. An essential food for the thyroid and hormonal system which in its turn regulates almost every bodily function.

Seagreens® arctic wild wrack seaweeds contain all the antioxidants and important ‘detoxification’ nutrients like zinc, magnesium, selenium, molybdenum as well as all the other minerals and trace elements, enzymes, amino-acids and important compound nutrients.

·         A range of natural foods and herbs including seaweed also have powerful, natural chelating properties:
Chlorella contains chlorophyll known to bind and remove cadmium, lead and mercury, and glutathione, useful in liver detox.

·         Spirulina may be especially useful in lead chelation .

·         Cilantro (Chinese parsley and leafy coriander) has been found to assist excretion of toxic metals including mercury .

·         NAC, MSM, charcoal, selenium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamins A, C and the B complex are all useful adjuncts to therapy, all of which are contained in Seagreens®.

A low fat diet containing plenty of antioxidants including such vegetables as onions, garlic, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and kale will assist detoxification.

Guardian Weekend voted Seagreens® one of the two “best detox aids on the high street” in 2005. 

For more information visit www.seagreens.co.uk

Happy New Year

Happy New Year from Seagreens!

Most New Year’s Days are spent surviving a hangover followed by making New Year’s resolutions, some of which may even include not drinking as much next year! Maybe your resolution is to stick to your resolutions and do better than last year? Most of us make them but don’t last very long with sticking to them.

What are your New Year’s resolutions for 2013? Is it to eat healthily? Do more exercise? Lose weight?

If you are looking to lose weight, take a look at your overall diet now and think about what needs to change. Start by making small changes which will cumulatively have a big difference on your health. It may not be instant but changing habits is key.

Seagreens® Food Capsules and Culinary Ingredient have been proven by scientific studies to help with weight loss. The capsules are taken daily and help increase your satiety (feelings of fullness) meaning you eat less and therefore lose weight. The Culinary Ingredient is ideal for adding to all your cooking as a salt replacement.

Both are suitable for vegans, allergen free and contain over 70 different vitamins and minerals. All Seagreens products are harvested from Human Food Quality™ seaweed. So start this New Year with a healthy addition to your diet for the whole family.

To find out more visit www.seagreens.co.uk 

Christmas

We would like to wish all our readers, customers and Seagreens fans a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We hope you have a lovely, peaceful and restful time.

Remember, if you are running low on products you can stock up at your local health food shop or online. For details of local shops enter your postcode on the page http://seagreens.co.uk/Products/StockistSearch.aspx or from http://www.oceansofgoodness.co.uk/

Best wishes for 2013.

The Seagreens team

Healthy hummus recipe

Another recipe by food blogger Rachel Gillon

Hummus

 Many of my recipes seem to be about eating healthy meals, but what about healthy snacks or appetisers before a meal? A quick to make snack and a more healthy option than many of the cheesy and high fat dips in the supermarket is Hummus.

Made from chickpeas and tahini, a sesame seed paste it can be whizzed up in a few minutes and served with warm pitta bread, breadsticks and crudités. It is a great way to get kids experimenting with raw vegetables and my favourites are celery sticks, carrots, peppers and broccoli.

It is also one of those recipes that once you have a basic dish you can make different varieties by adding other ingredients. Coriander works well as does caramelised red onion, chilli and roasted red peppers. One of my favourites is to add approximately 2.5ml of Rosé Harissa and serve with some added chickpeas on top.

This is my basic recipe but you can adapt to suit your own taste by increasing or reducing the amount of lemon juice and yoghurt. For seasoning I use Seagreens Mineral Salt which    is a mixture of Hebridean seaweed and 50% Cornish sea salt.

1 400g can of chickpeas

3 desert spoons of Tahini

2 large garlic cloves

2 - 3 desert spoons of natural yoghurt

3 - 4 tbsp of rapeseed or olive oil.

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp of Seagreens Mineral Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Place all the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, yoghurt, oil and half of the lemon juice and seasoning in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Taste and adjust the seasoning and if needed add the remaining lemon juice.

This is a good healthy snack and would be ideal in lunch boxes or simply as nice light lunch.

Hummus also makes a nice vegetarian starter with vegetables and pitta bread or on one big platter with the accompaniments for everyone to share. Add some extra small dishes such as olives, sundries tomatoes and its a perfect starter to a meal rather than a snack.

Simple salmon supper

Including fish in the family's weekly diet, particularly oily fish such as salmon, mackerel,tuna and sardines is something that some people struggle with. My own boys, given the choice would chose beer battered fish and chips before a salmon or mackerel fillet.

Over the years I have learned to vary the flavours and ways of cooking to ensure that they did get their recommended portions of fish every week

This salmon recipe is one that I cook regularly and if you're looking for a quick salmon dinner then this is one for you. I've also started using 'Seagreens' with many of my recipes and I find it works really well with this dish.

4 Salmon fillets

3 Tbsp Olive or cold pressed rapeseed oil

Zest of 1 lemon

2tsp Seagreens mineral salt.

Couscous

200g Couscous

350 ml water

100g pitted olives sliced

10-12 Semi dried tomatoes roughly chopped

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

Seagreens Mineral salt to season.

To serve

Handful of torn basil leaves

Place the couscous in a heatproof bowl and pour over 350ml of boiling water.Cover with cling firm and leave for 10 minutes.

Place the salmon fillets in an ovenproof dish.  Mix the lemon zest and the olive or rapeseed oil together and pour over the salmon. Sprinkle the Seagreens salt over the fish and roast for 8 -10 minutes or until,cooked.

Divide the couscous between 4 plates and top with a salmon fillet. Scatter with torn basil and serve.

Written for Seagreens by Rachel Gillon, a food blogger from Renfrewshire. You can read Rachel's blog here http://aweepinchofsugar.wordpress.com/

Herb and Seagreens Mineral Salt Bread

This recipe is from Hannah Bailey who runs Wise Choice Nutrition. It was made in a breadmaker and ingredients are listed in the order for the specific machine. All machines vary so check before you start.

Herb and Seagreens Mineral Sat Bread (large loaf)

1 1/8 cups of water
2tbsp butter
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp Seagreens Mineral Salt
2 cups white flour, 1 cup wholemeal flour
1 1/4 tsp dried yeast
1 tbsp mixed dried herbs

You can visit Hannah's website at www.wisechoicenutrition.co.uk or Seagreens website to find out more about Seagreens and the products at www.seagreens.co.uk 

Latest media article

Did you see a mention of seaweed in the press last week? It's becoming increasingly popular with chefs and can retail for up to £200 per kilogram!!

Rory MacPhee has become the first person with a license to sell seaweed. In the UK, it is not currently legal to forage for food and then sell it on without a license. He is a founding member of the Seaweed health Foundation which is an independent foundation promoting the benefits of seaweed.

You can read more about the work he is doing here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/food/9675415/Seaweed-harvested-in-England-as-trendy-chefs-boost-prices.html

Seagreens bread

This recipe was sent in By Jan Booth who also makes soaps using Seagreens. Check out www.ostrich-oil.co.uk to find out more about her soaps.

To make the bread :


1 tsp yeast
475g honey & sunflower seed flour ( or any good quality flour of your choice)
11/2 tsb sugar
25g butter
11/4 tsp Seagreens Culinary Ingredient (200g jar - www.seagreens.co.uk/culinary)
320ml water (tepid to activate yeast)

Follow bread maker instructions and add to the bowl in the given order. This is a medium basic recipe and I set to dark crust.

If you don't have a bread maker, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl until the dough has slightly sticky texture. Tip out and knead to stretch the gluten. The dough is ready when it bounces back after being stretched which normally takes around 5 minutes of kneading. Put the dough back in the bowl and cover with oiled cling film in a warm place (airing cupboards are idea) for about 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size. 
Preheat the oven to 180 C or Gas Mark 6. Lightly grease a loaf tin and place the dough in the tin then into the preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped.

To find out more about Seagreens visit www.seagreens.co.uk. To purchase the products, check the website for your nearest stockist or visit www.oceansofgoodness.co.uk 

The Natural Products Show Sweden

This week Simon, MD of Seagreens is in Sweden at the Natural Products Show. The show has a variety of exhibitors with products for health and nutritional supplementation and for food ingredients and cooking.

Seagreens has developed a range of products to enable the easy and convenient addition of their organic, dried and milled seaweed into the diet. Seagreens Culinary Ingredient adds flavour as well as being an effecive salt replacement.  A diet high in salt is known to increase the risk of cardiovasulcar diseases (high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease). As such, Seagreens provides a salty flavour without the high sodium levels and increases the nutritional value of meals. Seagreens also contains a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals to support health.

Recently, Eat Balanced has launched their range of nutritionally balanced pizzas which are available in Asda stores and contain Seagreens in the pizza base. The pizzas are a balanced meal containing the right proportions of fat, carbohydrate and protein. To find out more visit www.eatbalanced.co.uk

Seagreens  is also available in capsule form which can be taken as a supplement and may benefit a variety of conditions including:

• weight management
• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• digestive conditions such as IBS

Research has demonstrated that Seagreens species could be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of many other diseases and conditions. The product is allergen free, organic and kosher certified and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Visit the Seagreens Healthcare Summary for more information http://www.seagreens.co.uk/University/SeagreensHealthcareSummary.aspx

Due to the intensive farming procedures which are followed in this country, the nutritional quality of our food has decreased significantly over the past 50 years. A teaspoon of Seagreens Culinary Ingredient contains more iron than a plate of broccoli. 

If you would like to know more about Seagreens, visit the website www.seagreens.co.uk or email post@seagreens.co.uk To find out more about the Natural Products show visit http://www.naturalproductsscandinavia.com/

Pork and bean casserole

This is a bit of a made up recipe so quantities aren't exact I'm afraid.

200g diced pork
1 red onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
4 large mushrooms, sliced
2 apples, sliced
1 tin of mixed beans in tomato sauce
1 tbsp tomato puree
Pinch of mixed herbs
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Seagreens Culinary Ingredient
1 stock cube
400ml water

Serve with freshly steamed seasonal vegetables.

1. Fry the onion, garlic and pork in a little olive oil. Add the mushrooms and apples and fry for a further 3 minutes,
2. Stir in the beans, tomato puree, stock cube, water and herbs. Bring to the boil then transfer to a large oven proof dish and cook at 170 C for 2 hours.
3. Serve with steamed vegetables and potatoes or rice if you wish

Eat Balanced's Seagreens Pizza

This week, Asda have started stocking some of the Eat Balanced pizzas which contain Seagreens. They have been developed by the Eat Balanced team to create a nutritious pizza which tastes great and, as Seagreens is from a sustainable source, it is environmentally friendly too.

The pizza bases have had half the salt replaced with Seagreens, which reduces sodium levels and adds additional nutrients to offer a more nutritional product. Seagreens is Human Food Quality Seaweed ^TM and contains over 70 different vitamins and minerals which are needed by the body.  It has a salty flavour but is much lower in sodium than salt (sodium chloride). It is sodium which is believed to have the detrimental effects on health (see previous blog post).  Pizzas are naturally quite high in salt due to the cheese on the topping and so by replacing salt with Seagreens, the sodium levels are very much reduced.

Not only does Seagreens add nutritional benefits, it also tastes great and has a nutty flavour which adds depth to the pizza flavour. Eat Balanced pizzas have been designed with nutritionists to create a pizza which is actually healthy and creates a balanced meal all in one product. They are higher in fibre, vitamins and minerals than standard pizzas. Each pizza contains just the right amount of salt, protein and carbohydrates along with the added nutritional benefits from Seagreens.

This is a pizza you can eat guilt free.

To find out more about Eat Balanced visit www.eatbalanced.com and to find out more about Seagreens visit www.seagreens.co.uk

Seaweed pizza

With the Eat Balanced pizzas containing Seagreens now being available in Asda, here is a pizza base recipe for you to try at home and create your own pizzas on:

375g plain flour
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp Seagreens Culinary Ingredient
7g dried yeast (fast acting)
225ml warm water

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the water and mix to form a dough then shape to make the base.
2. Add your tomato puree and then your toppings of choice
3. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 C/ Gas Mark 5 for 20 to 25 minutes.

By adding Seagreens to the pizza base, you are lowering the salt content of the pizza as well as adding lots of vitamins and minerals which are found in Seagreens. The Culinary Ingredient adds a new depth of flavour to pizzas whilst improving their nutritional profile too. We will be posting more about the Eat Balanced pizzas in the next blog post.

Let us know your favourite pizza toppings and send us your pictures to info@seagreens.co.uk. To find out more about Seagreens and it's uses, visit www.seagreens.co.uk.

Soba Noodle Salad with Wrack Seaweed and Purple Sprouting Broccoli

This is a fantastic recipe which is quick to make and can be vegetarian or have meat such as chicken or prawns added if you prefer. Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

250g Soba Noodles
250g purple sprouting broccoli
1 tsp Seagreens Salad and Condiment
1 tsp Sesame seeds

For the dressing:

2 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
1/2 tsp diced green chilli
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2tsp chopped fresh ginger
2 tbsp Soya Sauce
3 tbsp Rice Vinegar

Method:

1. Cook the soba noodles in boiling water for 3-4 mins, then drain and rinse in cold water.  Add boiling water to the Seagreens Salad and Condiment to rehydrate the seaweed. Leave to stand for 8 mins then sieve. Steam the broccoli until tender, then rinse under cold water.
2. Combine the broccoli, rehydrated seaweed and cooked noodles in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Pour it over the salad and toss before serving. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

You can buy the Seagreens products in some local health food shops or at www.oceansofgoodness.co.uk 

How does sodium affect our bodies?

Although sodium is needed by the body for various functions such as electrolyte balance, the movement of products between cells and nerve conduction. However, too much sodium has been linked to conditions such as high blood pressure and other heart diseases.

In July, the University of Alberta in Canada released a press release with findings which may explain why high sodium levels have also been linked to osteoporosis and kidney stones. The full study was published in the American Journal of Physiology- Renal Physiology.

It was discovered that consuming too much salt on a regular basis, slowed down sodium absorption so any potentially harmful excess passed through the system. It was suggested that this natural decline in absorption may also affect calcium absorption. After further research, researchers believed this to be the case.

The findings from the study suggest that when the body tries to remove sodium in the urine, it also excretes calcium. Calcium is needed for bone strength and density which could explain why a salty diet can cause osteoporosis. Kidney stones are formed by an excess of calcium in the urine so this may explain their formation.

The recommended amount of salt per day is 6g which is approximately a teaspoon. Salt is often found in hidden food sources such as bread, cereals and ready made sauces. Where possible try to make your own and of course, if you want to add salt to food, swap it for Seagreens Culinary Ingredient or the Mineral Salt.

To find out more visit www.seagreens.co.uk or to buy visit www.oceansofgoodness.co.uk

Seaweed protein and heart disease

People who eat a restrictive diet through being vegetarian or vegan can struggle to consume all the vitamins and minerals needed by the body. Unless you are a very creative cook, it can be difficult to consume all the essential nutrients through food especially when you are vegan. Vegans may suffer from vitamin B12 deficiency due to the foods they cut out.

In 2011, a study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry has found that seaweed contains an important compound which can have a big impact on your health. After reviewing several journal articles, it was discovered by scientists in Ireland at the Teagasc Food Research Centre in Dublin, that a protein based compound is important for heart health. Several species of seaweed were found to contain bioactive peptides. These compounds may help prevent cardiovascular conditions and blood drainage issues including raised blood pressure.

High blood pressure is one of the major risk factors in cardiovascular disease. However, through lifestyle and dietary changes it can be controlled. High blood pressure is often known as the silent killer because it rarely has symptoms. As you get older, blood pressure naturally increased slightly and factors such as smoking, lack of exercise, heavy drinking and an unhealthy diet can contribute to it.

Mediterranean Couscous with Seagreens

Here's a really quick and easy mid week dinner idea. You can add in or swap the vegetables to suit your family's likes and dislikes. Serves 4 Ingredients 200g Couscous  1 Red pepper  1 Yellow pepper  1 Red onion  1 Courgette  Small knob of butter  1/2 tsp Seagreens Culinary Ingredient  Ground black pepper Olive oile If you like have meat with your dinner, add in some chicken breasts to the tray of roasted veg

Method: Roast the vegetables (and chicken) with a little olive oil, flavour with the black pepper and Seagreens. Cook the couscous according to the pack, normally for approximately 5 minutes in boiling water with no heat and a lid on the pan until all the liquid has been soaked up. Add a little butter to it at the end and then stir in the vegetables and serve.

Salmon and Spicy Vegetables with Seagreens

Nutritionist Hannah Bailey from Wise Choice Nutrition shares her latest recipe using Seagreens. This is a rough guide with no exact quantities so adjust to feed the number of people you are cooking for. It also works really well cold the next day for lunch too.

Fresh or tinned salmon

3 new potatoes per person, cut in half

1 carrot per person

Broccoli

Runner beans

1 tbsp olive oil

2 spring onions (or red onion)

10 cherry tomatoes per person

Tomato puree (2tbsp per person )

1 garlic clove, crushed

1tsp harissa paste (more if you like it spicier)

1 tsp Seagreens

Ground black pepper

1tsp Smoked paprika

1.       If you are using fresh salmon, pre-heat the oven to 200^OC/ Gas Mark7, bake in a foil parcel for approximately 20 minutes.

2.       Meanwhile, cook the potatoes, carrots, broccoli and beans until soft, drain and in a separate pan, fry the onion in a little olive oil.

3.       Add the tomatoes and garlic to the onion and gently brown until the tomatoes begin to soften. Add the tomato puree and remaining ingredients. If the sauce seems a little dry, add a couple of tablespoons of water. It is not meant to be runny sauce rather more a coating for the vegetables.

4.       Cover the vegetables and add the salmon then serve.

To find out more about Hannah visit www.wisechoicenutrition.co.uk

Featured Business of the Week: Oceans of Goodness

Oceans of Goodness, based in West Sussex, is run by Robert & Stefani Monteath-Wilson. They are Seagreens specialists selling only Seagreens products. They sell the entire Seagreens product range by mail order nationwide and indeed worldwide.

They have several thousand customers who regularly purchase their Seagreens using the Oceans of Goodness fast same-day despatch service.

Most customers use the Oceans of Goodness web site to place their orders. The web site contains comprehensive information about the use of Seagreens such how they can help people and pets and dosages etc. To view the product range please click here

But those customers who like to speak to a real person can telephone 01293 520460 where they can obtain advice and information about the products.

Oceans of Goodness give discounts for Practitioners as well as anybody who makes purchases of three or more of the same item.

Robert & Stefani have been using Seagreens for more than 10 years and have been running Oceans of Goodness for 5, so are very knowledgeable about everything Seagreens.

Customers receive regular emails, if they want to, providing topical information about Seagreens as well as monthly special offers. And every customer receives an informative annual postal newsletter.

Oceans of Goodness are happy for you to use your local health food store to obtain your Seagreens, but if you prefer the convenience of mail order or do not have a local stockist then the excellent Oceans of Goodness mail order service is happy to help you.

If you would like to purchase a Seagreens product, please visit the Oceans of Goodness website (www.oceansofgoodness.co.uk) or for more information, visit the website or call Robert and Stefani on 01293 520460.

Seagreens and Spelt Scones

Makes 8 small scones / 5 Medium scones

Ingredients

125g Self-raising white flour
75g Wholemeal Spelt Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Seagreens Culinary Ingredient
50g Butter
100ml Sour cream
50ml Milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C.
2. Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Chop the butter into cubes and add to the bowl, rub together to make a fine bread crumbs. Mix together the sour cream and milk and add to the bowl. Bring the mix together into a dough. If the dough seems dry add another ½ tablespoon of milk to make a soft smooth dough that will leave the bowl clean. It's important not to overwork the dough or the scones will be heavy.
3. Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Roll it out evenly to about 3cm thick. Cut the dough using a round cutter (9cm for medium scones/ 6cm for small scones). You may need to re-roll the dough to make all your scones.
4. Place them on a floured baking tray, brush the tops with milk,(you could sprinkle some grated cheese on top of the scones) then put them in the oven for 12-15mins, or until the scones have risen and are a nice golden brown colour.