Skip to main content
  • Individuals
    • Individuals
    • Business
    • Adviser
    • About us
    • Contact us
    • Claims
    • AIA Vitality Member Login
  • Search
  • AIA Australia
  • Health Insurance
    • Member Benefits
    • Member Login
    • Get a quote
    • Make a claim
  • Life Insurance
    • Life Cover
    • Total and Permanent Disablement
    • Crisis Recovery
    • Income Protection
    • Business Expenses
    • Make a claim
    • Medix
  • AIA Vitality
    • Partners and Rewards
    • Already a member? Login
  • Content Hub
    • Move Well
    • Plan Well
    • Eat Well
    • Think Well
  • Help & Support
    • Making a Claim
    • Form Library
    • Policyholder Information
    • Complaints process
    • Contact AIA
    • Customer feedback
    • COVID-19
    • Part 9
  • Covid-19 Response
    • Claims and Medical Support
    • Applying for Life Cover
    • COVID-19 FAQs
AIA
  • Individuals
  • Business
  • Adviser
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Claims
  • AIA Vitality Member Login
  • Health Insurance

    Health Insurance

    Cover that protects and rewards.

    • Member Benefits

      Learn more about the range of benefits available to AIA Health Insurance members.

    • Member Login

      Existing members login here to your online account.

    • Get a quote

      Ready to get started?

    • Make a claim

      Get help with making a claim.

  • Life Insurance

    Life Insurance

    We’re here to help protect your family, your lifestyle and your future.

    For Individuals

    For Business

    • Life Cover

      Helps protect your loved ones if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness or pass away.

    • Total and Permanent Disablement

      A lump sum benefit if you're no longer able to work due to an injury or illness.

    • Crisis Recovery

      Helps ease the financial burden should you suffer a traumatic event.

    • Income Protection

      Can provide you with a monthly income if you become disabled due to injury or illness.

    • Business Expenses

      May assist to pay expenses of your business if you cannot work due to injury or illness.

    • Make a claim

      Get help with making a claim.

    • Medix

      Personal Medical Case Management.

  • AIA Vitality

    AIA Vitality

    AIA Vitality is a personalised, science-backed health and wellbeing program that supports you every day to make healthier lifestyle choices.

    • Partners and Rewards

      Learn more about our partners and rewards.

    • Already a member? Login

      Check your AIA Vitality Status and get access to the tools you need to help improve your health.

  • Content Hub

    Content Hub

    The AIA Vitality Content Hub is your go to for science-backed, health and wellbeing inspiration and advice.

    • Move Well

      Finding your further when it comes to exercise and fitness.

    • Plan Well

      Improving financial literacy, because a good tomorrow starts today.

    • Eat Well

      Caring for your body with food that makes you feel good.

    • Think Well

      Tools and information to help cultivate a healthy frame of mind.

  • Help & Support

    Help & Support

    We strive to assist you for all your inquiries with high touch customer service.

    Contact AIA
    • Making a Claim

      Get help with making a claim.

    • Form Library

      A selection of forms you can download, fill in and send back to us.

    • Policyholder Information

      Useful information for policyholders.

    • Complaints process

      If you have a complaint, we'll do our best to resolve the situation.

    • Contact AIA

      How to get in contact with us.

    • Customer feedback

      Let us know how we're doing.

    • COVID-19

      How we are responding.

    • Part 9

      Information about the upcoming transfer under Part 9.

  • Covid-19 Response

    Covid-19 Response

    We’re here to help in a time of crisis.

    • Claims and Medical Support

      How we can support you.

    • Applying for Life Cover

      Learn more about our coverage.

    • COVID-19 FAQs

      Find out more.

  • Search
  • Contact Us
    • Call Us

      Open: 8am to 6pm, AEST Mon - Fri

    • Find an adviser

Eat Well
Prev
Back to Top
  • {{title}}

    {{label}}
  • Send kelp! Why seaweed is good for you and great for the planet

    Staff Writer - 4 min read

    09 July 2020


    Rich in vitamins and minerals, delicious, and a potential solution to the global climate crisis? Meet seaweed, one of the planet’s most unlikely health heroes.

    Seaweed

    Dancing below the surface of the world’s oceans and clinging to rocky coastlines, you’ll find one of the planet’s most important and versatile plant forms: seaweed.

    You may recognise it from your local sushi shop or lunchtime poke bowl, but the benefits of seaweed go far beyond recreational snacking (although it’s very good for that too).

    Rich in vitamins and minerals, seaweed also provides shelter and sustenance to marine life, and may even help remedy the global climate crisis. Curious? Of course you are… 

    SEAWEED 101: WHAT ACTUALLY IS IT?

    So, seaweeds aren’t actually weeds. They’re not even plants! Seaweeds are a type of algae that grow in the sea, rivers and lakes, and are used in a wide range of applications: food, medicine, saving the planet (but we’ll get to that later). Seaweed is high in vitamins and nutrients, and has been used in cooking by Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Native American populations for thousands of years.

    SEAWEED IS REALLY GOOD FOR YOU

    Seaweed – specifically kelp – has a slew of health benefits. It’s a great source of vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin K and folate, and is packed with fibre. Vegetarian? Seaweed is chock-full of protein.

    It’s also rich in iodine, an essential mineral we need for healthy thyroid function. “Iodine deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies we have in Australia,” says AIA Vitality Ambassador Marika Day. “It can cause a range of issues – some mild and some more serious – and iodine plays a big role in brain development and thyroid function.”

    Pregnant women can be particularly vulnerable to iodine deficiency, so it’s important they make sure they’re getting the right amount in their diet. “Seaweed could be a good way of helping that,” says Marika “But it’s important not to over-consume it, as that can have some negative impacts, such as thyroid inflammation.”  

    KELP, NORI, WAKAME: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

    From delicate sea lettuces to thick ropes of dabberlocks, there are many different types of seaweed to get familiar with .

    If you’re a fan of Japanese food, you’ve probably had nori wrapped around your hand rolls or in a big bowl of ramen. A dark green/black crisp sheet, nori is salty and a little nutty. Many refer to nori as the ‘gateway’ seaweed.

    Kelp, commonly known as kombu, is thick, ‘meaty’ and very salty. Use it in dashi, a savoury broth, or add it to salads or rice after soaking it in boiling water. Kelp is an essential ingredient in miso soup.

    Wakame is a slightly sweet, curly seaweed, with a delicate flavour, commonly used in miso soup and salads (it’s that bright green one topped with sesame seeds you’ve probably seen at your favourite sushi stand). 

    SEAWEED IS REALLY GOOD FOR THE PLANET, TOO

    Nutrient-rich algae has been proven to absorb carbon dioxide, drawing it in from the atmosphere, counteracting acidification in the water and cooling the temperature of the world’s oceans and seas. 

    Kelp farms – underwater forests made of thick strands of seaweed – are popping up around the globe, with cultivations in southeast Asia, the USA, Canada, Great Britain, and right here in Australia. Seaweed farming is considered one of the least environmentally-damaging forms of aquaculture, as the seaweed doesn’t require fresh water or fertilisers – just a steady current of seawater, which is full of essential nutrients.

    Seaweed can also help reduce methane gas emissions. If farmers supplement their livestock feed with kelp, rather than a diet of solely grass and grain, methane emissions from cattle and sheep are virtually eliminated. This is because the metabolites found in seaweed disrupt the methane-producing enzymes found in the stomach.

    And while wind, solar and hydropower are leading the charge on the renewable energy front, kelp is also being transformed into biofuel (a fuel derived from living matter).

    SEAWEED IS DELICIOUS – AND EASY TO INCORPORATE INTO YOUR DIET

    So how can you work more seaweed into your diet? You can sprinkle dulse onto scrambled eggs, whizz up your green smoothie with a scoop of spirulina (not a seaweed per se, but an antioxidant-rich algae), or snack on crispy sheets of seasoned nori.

    Marika stresses the importance of mixing up your diet and trying new things. “From a nutrition standpoint, a broad range of different foods is good to aim for,” she says. “And exploring new food cultures and the ways different people eat is a nice way to keep life – and mealtimes –interesting!”

    While it’s not recommended to fill up a bag with seaweed next time you’re at the beach, edible seaweeds are available from most health food shops and supermarkets, and can make for a delicious and healthy addition to a balanced diet. 


    Staff Writer

    Staff writers come from a range of backgrounds including health, wellbeing, music, tech, culture and the arts. They spend their time researching the latest data and trends in the health market to deliver up-to-date information, helping everyday Australians live healthier lives. This is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances 

     

    Copyright © 2020 AIA Australia Limited (ABN 79 004 837 861 AFSL 230043). This is general information only, without taking into account factors like the objectives, financial situation, needs or personal circumstances of any individual and is not intended to be financial, legal, tax, medical, nutritional, health, fitness or other advice.


    This inspirational content is brought to you by AIA Vitality

    AIA Vitality is a science-backed program that helps you learn more about your health, offers ways to improve it and motivates you with rewards along the way.

    Contact AIA

    1800 333 613

    PO Box 6111
    Melbourne VIC 3004

    enquiries@aia.com.au

    AIA Global aia.com

    Contact AIA

    1800 333 613

    PO Box 6111
    Melbourne VIC 3004

    enquiries@aia.com.au

    Help and support

    Make a claim

    Frequently asked questions

    Customer feedback

    Complaints process

    Whistleblower policy

    Form library

    Explore AIA

    AIA Vitality

    Health insurance

    Life insurance

    OneLife

    About AIA

    Careers

    Our people

    Our commitments

    Media centre

    Our awards

    FSC commitment

    Help and support

    Make a claim

    Frequently asked questions

    Customer feedback

    Complaints process

    Whistleblower policy

    Form library

    explore Aia

    AIA Vitality

    Health insurance

    Life insurance

    Content Hub

    about AIA

    Careers

    Our people

    Our commitments

    Media centre

    Our awards

    FSC commitment


    Copyright © 2021. AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries or affiliates. All rights reserved. Priority Protection and Priority Protection for Platform Investors products are issued by AIA Australia Limited (ABN 79 004 837 861, AFSL 230043). AIA Vitality, a personalised, science-backed program that supports members every day to make healthier choices, is available with eligible products issued by AIA Australia. AIA Health with AIA Vitality is issued by AIA Health Insurance Pty Ltd ABN 32 611 323 034, a registered private health insurer governed by the Private Health Insurance Act 2207, Private Health Insurance Rules 2007 and the AIA Health Insurance Pty Ltd Fund Rules. The information on this website is current as at 14 January 2021 and may be subject to change. It is general information only and is not intended in any way to be financial, legal, tax, health, medical, nutritional or other advice. You should consider your own personal circumstances and needs and view the relevant product documents, fact sheets, fund rules and terms and conditions before making a decision to acquire such products. If necessary you should obtain professional advice from a financial, tax, medical or health professional. Unless expressly stated, any views or expressions of opinion (including any video content) do not represent the opinion of AIA.
    Terms of Use | Privacy