The Asian and American Diet Seaweed and Fucoxanthin

For thousands of years, Asians have known the many dietary benefits of seaweed. They praised it in 8th century poetry and reserved as a special honor for nobility. But, it eventually made its way into the mainstream and has become a staple in Asian cuisine. Other than a source of nutrition, it has long been used in Asian culture as medicinal supplement for a variety of health issues. The presence of vitamins, minerals and the antioxidant properties of fucoxanthin, found in popular brown seaweed, may be the reason for this.

What is considered "Asian" food in the Western world is a lot different from authentic Asian dishes. In fact, many dishes considered "Chinese" or "Japanese" did not even originate in those respective countries. For example, popular menu items chop suey and egg foo yung are decidedly different from the actual Asian dishes fu yung don and tsap seui. They had to be westernized to appeal to the American palate. Fortune cookies are completely American having been created in Los Angeles.

Where the Asian diet consists mostly of vegetables, to include seaweed, and grain with a minimal portion of meat. On the other hand, meat is the centerpiece of the American diet. Therefore, more meat dishes were created and sauces were thickened and sweetened. Newest on the scene are fast-food versions of Asian cuisine.

In the United States, seaweed is considered a health food, more of a specialty than an everyday food. With growing concerns about weight gain and cardiovascular problems in American society, a change is occurring and people are moving towards more healthful diets, even seaweed is growing in popularity. Sushi bars, which use seaweed as wraps, are popping up everywhere and becoming popular among a wide range of people, even teenagers frequent them instead of their usual fast-food burger joints.

Embracing seaweed might be in the best interest of Americans because of the high levels of Vitamin A, B12, calcium, iron, iodine, high protein and more. Plus, seaweed is mostly a carbohydrate so it is a good source of dietary fiber. Brown seaweed varieties like wakame are also contributing to other areas of health. Who knows what other possibilities are out there for fucoxanthin and other algae properties.

Over the last twenty years, Americans attitude toward seaweed has improved. The increasing popularity of the raw diet and macrobiotic diet, made famous by celebrities, has also helped. Both of these eating styles are supportive of seaweed as a whole and natural food. The unfortunate aspect of swapping cultural cuisine is that while Americans may be starting to see the light and moving to a more healthy diet, Asian society, particularly in the urban areas, is trending away from their low fat eating practices and welcoming the American fast-food way of life and is now seeing an increase in weight gain and cardiovascular problems. Sound familiar? Moving towards a more traditional Asian diet of vegetables, rice, beans with just a little bit of meat may not be a bad idea for everyone. If eating seaweed, cooked or raw, still makes you cringe, there are capsules available for a shot of seaweed nutrients.

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