Seaweed, also known as索菜 or 紫英, belongs to the algae family. Dried seaweed is rich in protein, four times that of kelp, and also contains fat, crude fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, carotene, thiamine, taurine, chlorophyll, and various vitamins. In particular, 100 grams of dried seaweed contains 460 milligrams of magnesium. Magnesium is an important catalyst for enzyme activity in the human body, especially related to coenzymes that produce energy. It also helps with the absorption of calcium and potassium, is beneficial for preventing cardiovascular diseases, depression, dizziness, and muscle weakness, and helps maintain the body's acid-base balance. Therefore, seaweed is honored as a "treasure house of magnesium." Two dietary remedies are recommended below:
I. Two-Seaweed Lean Pork Soup: Take 180 grams of lean pork, wash and shred it, and marinate it with yellow wine for 10 minutes. Take 90 grams of淡菜 (mussel), soak it in water until soft, add it to a pot with an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil over low heat for 15 minutes, add 60 grams of seaweed, cook for a moment, then add the pork shreds and cook until the meat is done. Add a little salt to taste. Eat the ingredients and drink the soup. In this remedy, the pork nourishes yin and moistens dryness; the淡菜 clears heat, relieves vexation, and softens hard masses. Paired with seaweed to clear heat and promote urination, they work together to achieve the effects of nourishing yin, clearing heat, moistening dryness, and softening hard masses. It can be used as a dietary therapy for conditions such as goiter, edema, and phlegm-fluid retention.
II. Winter Melon and Seaweed Salted Duck Egg Soup: Take 500 grams of winter melon, peel, remove seeds, wash, and slice. Add it to a pot with water, bring to a boil over high heat for 15 minutes. Crack 1 raw salted duck egg into the pot, cook for a moment, then add 15 grams of seaweed and bring to a boil. Season and eat. This remedy has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and resolving phlegm and promoting urination. In the formula, winter melon clears heat and promotes urination; duck eggs nourish yin and clear the lungs; supplemented with seaweed to clear heat and resolve phlegm, it has a certain auxiliary therapeutic effect on edema, abdominal distension, beriberi, and strangury.
Frequent consumption of seaweed is beneficial to health, but it should be noted that seaweed is cold in nature. People with a weak spleen and stomach or who suffer from diarrhea due to cold deficiency should eat it sparingly or not at all.