--- title: Eat This Now: Seaweed description: In the last few years, seaweed has evolved from sushi-roll staple to everyday snack, thanks to the growing popularity of brands like SeaSnax. But is... canonical: https://time.com/archive/7135978/what-to-eat-now-seaweed/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2013-06-13T16:00:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-16T09:58:42.973Z article:section: Health og:title: Eat This Now: Seaweed og:description: In the last few years, seaweed has evolved from sushi-roll staple to everyday snack, thanks to the growing popularity of brands like SeaSnax. But is... og:url: https://time.com/archive/7135978/what-to-eat-now-seaweed/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt07e8423b7a17029c/698a92afe6e84a58c52b900b/166591290.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5600 og:image:height: 3150 og:image:alt: 166591290 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Eat This Now: Seaweed twitter:description: In the last few years, seaweed has evolved from sushi-roll staple to everyday snack, thanks to the growing popularity of brands like SeaSnax. But is... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt07e8423b7a17029c/698a92afe6e84a58c52b900b/166591290.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) # Eat This Now: Seaweed > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=f7cd84f8-497f-47ed-8ce4-6e267fc87a8d&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Jun 13, 2013 4:00 PM UTC  Seaweed salad w/ banana leaf backdrop Seaweed salad w/ banana leaf backdrop Getty Images—(c) Tarick Foteh by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Jun 13, 2013 4:00 PM UTC In the last few years, seaweed has evolved from sushi-roll staple to everyday snack, thanks to the growing popularity of brands like [SeaSnax](http://www.seasnax.com/). But is it actually good—and good for you? In our second installment of “[Eat This Now](http://healthland.time.com/?p=88065&preview=true),” we break it all down. more **The food:** Nori, which is a red seaweed that turns black and green when dried, is one of the most prevalent types for snacks and an easy first dip into seaweed, although there are many types of seaweed, like kelp, that are also widely consumed. As with other “superfoods,” it’s hard to know how much of the hype is a marketing push versus legitimate health claims, but even dried nori has a wealth of nutrients. (**MORE:** [Eat This Now: Morels](http://healthland.time.com/2013/06/01/eat-this-now-morels/)) **The hype:** “In Korean culture, seaweed is like bread,” says Jin Jun, the founder of [SeaSnax](http://www.seasnax.com/). “It’s a very sacred part of our culture. It is served to us in soup on our birthday and given to women for three weeks after [childbirth](http://topics.time.com/childbirth/). In ancient Korean folklore, the tradition came about by watching whales eat seaweed after giving birth. According to our elders, it is supposed to replenish and rejuvinate the body.” Other seaweed snack brands, like [Annie Chun’s](http://www.anniechun.com/our-food/seaweed), [Sea’s Gift](http://www.seasgift.com/) and Trader Joe’s, also tout a variety of health perks, including low fat and calorie counts, and richness in minerals. especially the low calorie count. And, per Sea Gift’s website, “seaweeds offer a tremendous range of therapeutic possibilities.” **The truth:** Although much of the rejuvenating claims come from Korean and Japanese traditions—not scientific evidence—other research is starting to confirm that seaweed does indeed contain a wide variety of vitamins and nutrients that could prevent disease. A 2011 [study](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf201114d) published in the American Chemical Society’s _Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry_ reviewed100 studies on the health benefits of seaweed and reported that some of the proteins in seaweed could serve as better sources of bioactive peptides than those in milk products. These reduce blood pressure, and boost heart health. Seaweed also has an impressive amount of nutrients like vitamins A, B-6 and C as well as iodine and fiber. And that low calorie count is definitely legitimate: ten sheets of Nori have [just 22 calories](http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3143?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=seaweed). (**MORE:** [The 31 Healthiest Foods of All Time — With Recipes](http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/01/guide-the-31-healthiest-foods-of-all-time-with-recipes/)) **The preparation:** Seaweed can be cooked raw, with a little olive [oil](http://topics.time.com/oil/), [salt](http://topics.time.com/salt/) and pepper, but snack brands have pushed out some interesting takes on dried nori stacks, like wasabi flavored strips or toasty coconut flavored “sprinkles” to top ice cream or popcorn. It’s difficult to find raw seaweed in the local grocery store, but dried products are making their way from health stores into general supermarkets. “I’ve been seeing seaweed more in more in snacks and even used as noodles,” says [Theresa Albert](http://theresaalbert.com/), a nutritionist and diet consultant based in Toronto. “The snacks are actually very lightly processed, with a little seasoning added. I recommend it for my traveling clients because it is a nutrient dense food that you can count on.” To find raw seaweed to cook up in your own kitchen, Albert recommends visiting Asian markets if one is available. Unfortunately, my own venture into New York City’s Chinatown proved unsuccessful, and I could only purchase dried seaweed—but a lot of it. (**MORE:** [Soylent: Is the ‘Food of the Future’ Really a Nutrition Solution?](http://healthland.time.com/2013/06/10/soylent-is-the-food-of-the-future-really-a-nutrition-solution/?iid=hl-main-lead)) **The taste:** Not great. As much as I wanted to like the seaweed snacks (and I tried several types), I wasn’t a big fan. To me, it was akin to taking a bite of fish food. Or what I imagine that experience would taste like. I’m a seaweed salad and sushi enthusiast, but chipotle-flavored nori strips just didn’t do it for me. Still, there’s no denying the snacks are growing in variety and popularity—and several of my co-workers really enjoyed them. “We sell to a lot of moms, yogis and coaches,” says Jun. **The takeaway:** Try it. Perhaps it’s a trend I’ll personally pass on, but given its impressive nutritional profile, it’s worth a go for more adventures snackers. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7135978/what-to-eat-now-seaweed/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7135978/what-to-eat-now-seaweed/"},"headline":"Eat This Now: Seaweed","datePublished":"2013-06-13T16:00:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-16T09:58:42.973Z","description":"In the last few years, seaweed has evolved from sushi-roll staple to everyday snack, thanks to the growing popularity of brands like SeaSnax. 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