seaweed- nori, dulse, hiziki, komu, kelp, wakame, arame, Help me understand!

[1love4ever]

I dont know much about these, so am hoping someone else does!  I've heard they're good for you, but how so, what do they have thats so special that you cant get from other foods in your diet?  What do you use and why?  How do you prepare it?  (or do you prepare it or just eat it raw?)   Are they a sustainable plant?  Are they contaminated due to heavy metals or other pollution?

Any advice is appreciated, I am clueless!  Thanks!

[Chicky2]

I can only answer that I use Nori for making sushi, or for toasting and just eating plain, and we now use kelp noodles (just tried last night but I had bought a case), and loved them!  Well, 5 out of 6 of us did.  I use these items to help get trace minerals into us.  Also, the kelp noodles are great for people on a grain free diet.  That's why I bought 'em.

[1love4ever]

Thanks, where did you get the kelp noodles?  How did you prepare them?

[Chicky2]

I bought them online at http://www.kelpnoodles.com/products_seatangle_noodles.html

To prepare is super, super easy.  Just pull them out of the package and rinse and serve.  I served them like glass noodles (that's what they look like) w/Thai green curry.  They have a very interesting texture.  They *seem* like they would be chewy, but they aren't.  They are crunchy! 

[SundayCrepes]

Has anyone seen info on contamination from the Japanese nuke plants?

[KathinJapan]

Kombu and kelp are the same thing.   I am not sure what dulce is, the others are just names for various types of seaweed. They do contain trace minerals in them.  I live in Japan and can find most fresh or dried.  Personally I am not eating wakame from the region, this is based on just my feeling, and not on articles I have read. I have heard this years harvest will be safer than future years.  I do have dried wakame I am using. 

I basically only use them in Japanese style cooking, I have seen recipes that are more fusion and some of them just seem strange to me. Hijiki is less sea weedy in taste than some of the others and I have put it in chicken burgers. 

There is so much conflicting information on the nuclear situation here. I don't have any links.

Korean nori is excellent for just snacking on, it is flavored with sesame oil and salt, we eat it like chips.

Kathryn