In wrapping up my visit to New Brunswick, I decided to focus this post on something local (& nutritious and delicious!).
My friend, who lives here, introduced me to Dulse (eatable purple seaweed): a snack she grew up on as a healthy alternative to chips, popcorn and other salty unhealthy snacks.
Dulse is harvested here by hand at low tide in the Bay of Fundy from June through September. Once picked, the dulse is spread out to be air dried. It is most often eaten ‘as is’, or can also be ground into flakes or powder to be later used in various recipes.
Dulse has an unusually high concentration of different minerals.
While most minerals are extremely difficult to digest in their rock or mineral state (as used in most vitamin and mineral supplements), aquatic plants go through a unique growth process, where they absorb mineral-rich seawater and convert it into bio-available natural, organic compounds. These newly created compounds become part of the plant’s cell structure and can now be assimilated and used by your body.
Dulse has a particularly high concentration of iron and potassium, in addition to being a good source of manganese, sodium, calcium and zinc.
** Fun fact: At its highest levels of concentration dulse has 34 times as much potassium as banana!
Like most seaweed, dulse is also a very rich source of natural iodine which is necessary for proper thyroid function.
I enjoyed this delicious snack, and am looking forward to trying it as a seasoning/salt replacement, and even as a natural face mask!