Description
Dulse is a North-Atlantic sea vegetable with a distinctive taste and a rich crimson colour. Atlantic Dulse is to the Irish people what Nori is to the Japanese; by some it is hailed as the next kale! When you buy Dulse Leaves, they can be eaten straight out of the bag or easily made crunchy on low heat for a great nutritious snack!
Our Dulse is sustainably harvested by hand in Ireland, is dried naturally and packed manually. It is also commonly available on the East Coast of Canada & USA. Dulse leaves is one way we offer Dulse, the other is Dulse Flakes.
PH's Dulse is often eaten as a snack straight out of the bag or used as a garnish with a variety of dishes. Part of the red seaweed group, the colour is of red wine, the texture soft & chewy and when it comes to seaweed in the diet, Dulse consumption as food is among the best documented historically (for seaweed) and is often considered one of the easiest varieties for seaweed beginners.
Provenance
Our Dulse is wild harvested in Ireland & tested for contaminants.
Health & Nutrition
Dulse is a very good source of minerals (up to 36% of dried weight), vitamins and trace elements. Especially high in iodine, potassium & iron.
Relatively low in sodium and high in potassium, it has a salty taste with less sodium than salt, making it a good choice for people on a low sodium diet.
It is rich in vegetarian protein (up to 20% dry weight) , best absorbed when eaten with fermented food.
Excellent fatty acid ratio, playing an important role in the prevention of inflammatory, cardio-vascular and nervous system disorders.
High levels of iodine, especially for a Red seaweed, Dulse has some of the nutritional qualities of the Browns like alginic acid (detox heavy metals & radiation isotopes) & glutamic acid (umami) which is said to aid digestion & mental capacities. Dulse has been used as food & medicine for centuries, traditionally prescribed for scurvy, goiter & malnutrition.
Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14609091 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15539310 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16554116 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3131239/ http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1476-511x-10-104.pdf
Label & Warnings
Dulse is moderately high in iodine and has been used over centuries to modulate thyroid function; overconsumption however, may disrupt thyroid health.
Consumption should be monitored for people with compromised renal function because of the high levels in potassium.
Source:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2944190/