Opinion: Taking a closer look at what nature has to offer – time for seaweed to take its place in the sun

Sometimes we just don’t see what we have all around us.  Despite the increasing preoccupation, over the last decade or more, with nutrition, natural food and how various ingredients in combination with others affect our bodies, it seems we have occasionally overlooked some of the best of what nature can offer us.
Having been a basic food in Asia for centuries, it is only recently that seaweed is beginning to be considered in Europe as a potentially fundamental part of the diet.
The nutritional interest of seaweed derives from the scientific evidence of its added value for protein generation, texture and organoleptic  improvement,  and as a good natural food preservation method.
The additional benefits seaweed brings in terms of added minerals such as zinc, potassium, iron and iodine and vitamins – especially B12 which nicely supplements a vegan diet – make them highly attractive for their incorporation into Europeans’ basic diet.
Moreover they offer further beneficial properties as antioxidants, as anti-inflammatory agents and in improving cholesterol levels.
Algae in general are increasingly being used in the food industry not only as a direct ingredient in a side dish or a salad, but also as an alternative to artificial additives and processed food. For example, we now find ice cream makers and beverage producers using them as an added value ingredient.
Seaweed farming – which as of 2014 accounted for circa 30% of all aquaculture production and was predominantly seen in AsiaPacific countries –  is starting to be developed in some European countries as part of general aquaculture programmes, using both intensive methods, but also in an artisanal way through marine orchards in estuary waters.
Seaweed is just one of nature’s bountiful ingredients that we haven’t made the most of till now.  Doubtless you will have views on others too.