Health Tips 1 - Seaweed Jelly (Good collagen source)

I am taking a little break from sewing..  :)    A short post about something I use in my cooking which is very rich in calcium, collagen and other minerals. 

Seaweed Jelly is actually Eucheuma Seaweed.   Some peope call it Sea Bird's Nest.  Apparently it's collagen content is 10 times higher than bird's nest (but a lot cheaper than bird's nest) and it's calsium content is 37 higher than fish liver.  A packet of Seaweed Jelly (can't remember the weight) is a few RM in organic shop.  Not a big packet but you get quite a lot of seaweed jelly.   I haven't checked out at other shop.

Collagen is very popular as the solution for a younger looking, wrinkles-free skin. :)  Around 75% of our skin is made of collagen.  It is also important for many parts of the body to function properly such as bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc..

One seller said:  "SEA BIRD'S NEST" is called ladies' cosmetic food as it helps to improve skin care and hair fall problem.  If consume continuously everyday, it can reduce Wrinkles, Black spot, freckles, Acnes and sensitivity symptoms.  (Really?  I better eat frequently.. :) )

But I eat it not for skin care instead I am hoping that I am able to maintain a healthy level of collagen in the body..  age is catching up.. :)

This is how it looks like.

You need to soak it so that it becomes jelly like looking.

What can you make from this jelly?  I don't have fanciful recipe, I just add them to my noodle soup as what I need is the nutrition.. :)
It melts if you add it to hot soup or boil it.   So, if you want to have something to bite, add it when the soup is not so hot.




Of course, there are better recipes.  A few nice ones:

1) Add it to your red bean/green bean soup, add after the soup is not so hot, otherwise it melts.

2)  Drinks:

Antioxidant Booster: http://sennyong.blogspot.com/2009/08/eucheuma-seaweed-my-antioxidant-booster.html
This one is easy to make: http://crystalbyblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/sea-birdnest-funori-drink.html

3) Sweet & Sour Eucheuma Seaweed Salad - http://www.greenborneo.com/chinesefoods/index.php?action=select&page=recipes&list_id=125&entry_id=48

4) Simply salad - http://sennyong.blogspot.com/2009/08/san-hu-cao-eucheuma-seaweed.html

5) Longan Red Dates Sea Coconut Eucheuma Drink - http://sennyong.blogspot.com/2009/08/sea-bird-nest-dessert-and-drink.html

Don't miss out this affordable collagen supplement, try it out...  :)

 
Thanks to the owners of the above links for sharing the recipes.

Oh.. it supposed to be a short post but ended up quite long..