Low in calories and fat, seaweed soup -- also called mi-yuk gook in Korean -- may be an acquired taste for some people. Made mostly from seaweed and broth, seaweed soup provides vitamin A, vitamin C, iron and calcium, but also often contains high levels of sodium. Traditional non-vegetarian versions of seaweed soup provide slightly more protein than their vegetarian counterparts, but also contain more fat.
Calories
Seaweed soup tends to contain very few calories. Seaweed itself contains very few calories. Most seaweed soup recipes recommend using about 1 oz. of seaweed to yield four servings. This translates to roughly 2.5 calories from the seaweed per serving. Vegetarian seaweed soup also contains soy sauce and/or salt along with vegetable broth, typically yielding soup containing about 15 to 30 calories per one-cup serving. However, traditional recipes also contain meat, either beef brisket or beef top sirloin. For these versions, the total calories jumps to about 65 calories per serving.
Fat
Seaweed itself contains no fat. Vegetarian seaweed soups contain 0 g to 1 g of fat per serving, depending upon the other ingredients used to make the soup. However, traditional seaweed soup contains beef and sesame oil, two major sources of fat, yielding soup containing from 1 g per serving to about 4 g fat per serving, which is still quite little. The recommended daily intake for the average adult equals about 65 g of fat per day. Seaweed soup, even those flavored with beef products, provides less than 10 percent of that recommended amount.
Protein
The protein contained in seaweed soup comes mainly from beef or soy ingredients, not from the seaweed itself. Vegetarian seaweed soup recipes containing 0.25 oz. of seaweed per serving provide less than 1 g of protein per serving. However, traditional recipes containing beef or soy protein can yield soups containing as much as 7 g of protein per serving, or about 15 percent of the daily recommended amount for the average adult.
Sodium
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as well as the Institute of Medicine and the American Heart Association, recommend healthy adults limit sodium to between 1,500 mg and 2,300 mg per day. Seaweed itself, because it originates from salt water, contributes a significant amount of sodium -- about 50 mg sodium per one-cup serving of soup. Adding high-sodium broths and additional sodium-containing flavorings, such as soy sauce, increases the sodium content of the soup substantially. Some versions contain more than half the recommended sodium per one-cup serving. High-sodium diets can increase your risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke, and may also contribute to bone loss or osteoporosis. Seaweed soup made with water or other low-sodium liquids can help decrease the overall sodium content.
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