Wakame, or Undaria pinnatifida, is a type of edible brown seaweed that you may find in Japanese and Korean restaurants or supermarkets. You can eat this sea vegetable in salads or soups, or as an accompaniment to sushi. Wakame is a source of essential nutrients, and in moderation it can be beneficial as part of an overall balanced diet.
Basic Information
A 100-gram, or 3.5-ounce, serving of wakame has 45 calories. Wakame is a good choice for a calorie-controlled diet because it has so few calories compared to its serving size. You can add it to your recipes to make them bigger and more filling without going over your calorie limit. The serving of wakame has 9 grams of total carbohydrates, including 0.5 grams of dietary fiber, and 3 grams of protein. Wakame has less than 1 gram of total fat.
Sodium
Since it comes from salt water, wakame is naturally high in sodium. Each 100-gram serving of wakame has 872 milligrams of sodium. A high-sodium diet can cause high blood pressure and increase your risk for heart disease, kidney disease and stroke, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The recommendation for healthy adults is to get no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day.
Folate
Wakame provides 196 micrograms of folate, or 49 percent of the daily value. Folate works with vitamin B-12 to lower levels of homocysteine in your blood and reduce your risk for heart disease, according to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. Women who may become pregnant need to be especially careful to get adequate folate to prevent neural tube birth defects. Other good sources of folate include orange juice, asparagus and enriched and fortified cereals, breads and other grain products.
Omega-3 Fatty Acid
Each 100-gram serving of raw wakame has 186 milligrams of eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, which is a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid. You may be able to lower your risk for heart disease when you get at least 250 milligrams of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids per day, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Fatty fish and shellfish are the best sources of these kinds of fatty acids, and seaweed is a cholesterol-free alternative.
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