Seaweed, Green Clay & Other Essential Nutrients
Part 3 of a 3-part series:
Contributed by Rylen Feeney
As noted in my previous post, I can’t spend enough telling you how wonderful wheatgrass is and how everyone should have some in their diet! There are two other nutrients, green clay and seaweed, that I would like to focus on. These really round out what I consider to be the top three essential for daily good health and counter-acting the negative effects of exposure to environmental toxins.
GREEN or BENTONITE CLAY
Clay is a powerful yet gentle detoxifier. It can been used as an absorbing protective barrier or in baths to remove exposure to radiation and other toxins as well as be consumed with water to bind and absorb toxins internally.
“The Soviet Union put French Green Clay in chocolate bars and dispensed them freely to the masses to remove radiation their citizens were exposed to after the disaster.”
(www.janethull.com). Furthermore, they buried the reactor in beds of clay and workers at nuclear planet in Russia cover their bodies in Bentonite clay under their radiation suits to prevent the absorption of radioactive substances.
Green Clay is found in seabeds in France and India. The clay helps balances body pH, has a high negative ion charge which in turn in responsible for it’s ability to bind with heavy metals and chemical toxins in the body.
Green clay is rich in trace amounts of Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Manganese, Phosphorous, Zinc, Aluminum, Silicon, Copper, Selenium, Cobalt, Micro-algae, Kelp and other phyto-nutrients.
Download Handout on: Uses and Directions for Green Clay or see www.aboutclay.com
SEAWEED
Kelp and other seaweeds are wonderful nourishing foods. Many claim that Kelp can be taken safely and preventively rather than the Potassium Iodine to protect the thyroid from radiation poisoning.
“Seaweed offers broadest range of minerals of any food. Minerals found in the ocean mirror minerals found in blood. Sea vegetables are an excellent source of iodine and vitamin K, B-vitamin folate, and magnesium, iron and calcium, and the B-vitamins riboflavin and pantothenic acid. In addition, sea vegetables contain good amounts of lignans, plant compounds with cancer-protective properties. Lignans have been credited with inhibiting estrogen synthesis in fat cells as effectively as some of the drugs used in cancer chemotherapy. Diets high in folate-rich foods are associated with a significantly reduced risk for colon cancer. An abundance of folic acid helps prevent birth defects and cardiovascular disease. Sea vegetables promote healthy thyroid function. With a good source of magnesium, sea vegetables have been shown to reduce high blood pressure and prevent heart attack, it also may help prevent migraine headaches, and reduce the severity of asthma symptoms.” (Wellspring School student handout 2009)
“If there is insufficient iodine in the diet radioactive iodine-131 will be absorbed and collected in the thyroid gland. Even if radioactive iodine is absorbed by the thyroid, taking natural iodine helps offset the side effects of exposure. According to Dr. Russell Morgan, one mg. of iodine for children and five mg. for adults taken daily will reduce by about 80 percent the radioactive iodine accumulated in the thyroid. Whole foods are the best source of iodine, e.g. sea vegetables like hijiki, arame, kombu and dulse. Iodine is leached from the thyroid gland by drinking chlorinated water. Avoid iodized salt, which contains excessive sodium and no potassium. Sea vegetables are rich in vitamins and contain most if not all of the essential minerals and trace elements.” (Northland New Zealand ChemTrails Watch)
Sea vegetables are classified by their color. The most popular types are:
- Nori: dark purple-black color that turns phosphorescent green when toasted, famous for its role in making sushi rolls.
- Kelp: light brown to dark green in color, oftentimes available in flake form.
- Hijiki: looks like small strands of black wiry pasta, has a strong flavor.
- Kombu: very dark in color and generally sold in strips or sheets, often used as a flavoring for soups or to soften and salt beans.
- Wakame: similar to kombu, most commonly used to make Japanese miso soup.
- Arame: this lacy, wiry sea vegetable is sweeter and milder in taste than many others
- Dulse: soft, chewy texture and a reddish-brown color.
All of the above can be incorporated into many recipes or added as garnish to dishes. There are countless recipes available on-line. For more information on seaweed, check out the website of one of our past Wholistic Nutrition Program instructors, Jennifer Adler, to view her “Seaweed 101” video. http://www.passionatenutrition.com/seaweed-101/.
I think it is important to mention that all seaweed sources need to be clean and free of heavy metals and toxins. Seaweed should still be eaten in small amounts, as it is a powerful and salty food. It is something that should be part of a healthy diet, not something we load up on in an emergency situation. I think that what is currently available is good but I would be wary of anything coming from the Pacific Ocean in the near future. Eden Foods is a brand that I trust.
Other important dietary considerations: An anti-radiation diet should focus on the following foods as constants in a daily diet:
- Miso soup
- High beta carotene vegetables
- Beans and lentils
- Potassium, calcium and mineral rich foods
- Fermented/Cultured foods
- High nucleotide content foods to assist in cellular repair including spirulina, chlorella, algae, yeast, sardines, liver, anchovies and mackerel
- Cod liver oil and olive oil
- Avoid sugars, sweets, wheat & commercial non-cultured dairy.
- A good multivitamin/multi-mineral supplement that includes D3
- Black & Green Tea that contains tannins
- Mushrooms: Mushrooms are a leading source of selenium and ergothioneine both reported to help protect cells in the body and boost immunity.
For specific reasons for each of these recommendations, see the resources below for explanations and more details.
I hope that something from my posts this week has resonated with you. Whether it’s a renewed commitment to your own health, a new resource or use for a nutrient rich food, or just taking a moment to consider that we are all connected, responsible and capable of transformation, these are just a few of the tools available to the modern day wholistic warrior.
Be well,
Rylen
The Wellspring School Blog 