What is dulse? It turns out Suzy Cohen has the answers as to how this form of seaweed can actually be tasty and healthy too.
Dulse (similar to pulse) is a kind of algae that grows on rocks located on the shoreline of the Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. It is eaten in places such as:
- Nova Scotia
- Iceland
- Ireland
Interestingly, Cohen notes that cooked dulse looks and tastes slightly like bacon. A seaweed that can taste like bacon? Who knew?! However, dulse is healthier than bacon as it contains antioxidants, which help with cancer prevention. It also has:
- Fiber: useful for cleaning out the “bad” cholesterol in your arteries and cleaning your colon.
- Carotenoids: includes alpha and beta-carotene, as well as zeaxanthin and lutein. These help you fight off illness and maintain your eyesight.
- Iodine: a necessary element for the thyroid gland, as well as for the prostate and beasts as well.
- Vitamin A and C: for maintaining membranes and protecting your immunity.
- Omega 3 Fatty Acids: necessary for keeping your heart healthy and brain too.
- Free Glutamate: helps with digestion and adding flavor to food. Important to note, this is not the same as MSG but it can affect some people similarly who are sensitive.
To consume dulse, Cohen recommends buying the seaweed in powder form. This is helpful because you can add it to many different kinds of dishes by sprinkling it onto your food. However, you can also cook dulse leaves as well (hence the bacon comparison).
Cohen does not recommend that people with certain conditions eat dulse. These include those who struggle with anxiety or are withdrawing from alcohol or from the benzodiazepines class of drugs. This is because the glutamine in dulse can make the symptoms from withdrawal worse.
Want to learn more about dulse? You can read the full article here: Quick: What’s Red, Salty, Chewy and Delicious?
