Fueru wakame dried seaweed is a tasty, edible sea vegetable most commonly used in miso soup and seaweed salads. This dried food contains a high amount of sodium -- 900 mg per 0.56 oz -- but if the remainder of your meal plan is low in sodium, it imparts a variety of health benefits. Consult your health-care provider to determine if wakame dried seaweed is a good option for your diet.
Low in Calories and Fat
Fueru wakame dried seaweed is appropriate for restricted calorie or low fat diets. A serving of this seaweed -- approximately 0.56 oz. -- contains just 25 calories and no grams of fat. If you follow a 2,000 calorie diet, this sea vegetable accounts for 1.2 percent of the allowable calories in your daily meal plan. Consuming this product as part of miso soup means you get more calories and fat per serving: 66 calories and 1 g of fat in a cup. If you enjoy wakame as a salad, your total caloric and fat intake depends on the ingredients you add to the salad.
Contributes to Energy
While you should not rely on a serving of feuru wakame dried seaweed to supply all your energy needs for a day, it does contribute to your energy goals. A 0.56 oz. serving of wakame provides you with 0.5 g of carbohydrates, the nutrient your body looks to first when it comes to fuel. You need a great deal more in your diet to meet your daily requirements: 225 g to 325 g if you adhere to a 2,000 calorie diet. You also take in 1 g of protein in a serving of this sea vegetable; your meal plan should include 50 g to 175 g of protein each day, depending on your gender and needs. Your body uses protein for energy in the absence of adequate carbohydrates levels.
Boosts Iron Intake
Incorporate a 0.56 oz. portion of feuru wakame dried seaweed into your diet, and you consume 4 percent of the daily recommended intake of iron for a 2,000 calorie diet. The iron in this vegetable is important for your blood -- iron boosts the production of red blood cells, which influences the level of oxygen you have in your blood and how effectively your body moves oxygen throughout your system. Without enough iron in your meal plan from wakame and other foods, you may develop anemia, a condition that leaves you lethargic and pale-skinned. It may also trigger heart palpitations and a swollen tongue.
May Decrease Triglycerides
Consuming feuru wakame dried seaweed may provide benefits to your cholesterol, specifically the level of triglycerides in your blood. Triglycerides, an undesirable form of fat, are associated with coronary artery disease and diabetes when your levels are too high. An animal study published in the April 2002 issue of "The Journal of Nutrition" indicates that rats fed wakame, along with fish oil, had decreased triglycerides in their blood and livers. Human studies are needed to determine if this finding correlates to men and women.
References
- Asian Food Grocer: Riken Fueru Wakame Dried Seaweed
- MyFitnessPal: Japanese - Miso Soup With Tofu Bits
- McKinley Health Center; Macronutrients: the Importance of Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat; March 2008
- MayoClinic.com; Healthy Diet: End the Guessword With These Nutrition Guidelines; February 2011
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Iron; June 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Iron-Deficiency Anemia; January 2008
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