V END OR S P OT L IGH T
Seacharrones: Seriously Habitat Forming
by Leigha Staffenhagen
When you first walk past the registers in the Co-op, you’re greeted by an aisle filled with what our wellness manager Nancylee calls the “salty-crunchies.” Chips, grain-free crackers, cheese puffs, peanut butter-filled pretzels, superseed crackers… the list goes on. And if you’re looking for a new snack that’s a departure from the traditional, reach for a bag of one of our newest salty-crunchy treats: Seacharrones! While this new snack is really its own thing altogether, the best comparison is traditional chicharrones with a seaweed twist. Seacharrones are plant-based and made from sustainably sourced kelp from the Salish Sea. In fact, Blue Dot Kitchen, the company that makes Seacharrones is on a mission to farm the sea for the greater good. Located in the cold, clear waters of the Salish Sea, Blue Dot Sea Farm grows kelp on a suspension aquaculture farm. Here, they grow shellfish and seaweed together, where they benefit one another symbiotically. The seaweed enhances water quality and creates a habitat for the shellfish, where in turn, the seaweed is able to flourish and become a sustainable and costeffective food source, and a future bag of Seacharrones. Beyond being a sustainable snack you can feel good about grubbin’ on, Seacharrones are just plain tasty. You can find their whole line of crunchy kelp snacks in our chip aisle: Salt & Pepper, Spicy, and Umami. Salt and Pepper is pretty simple and really lets the seaweedy flavor shine through. The Spicy flavor isn’t hot-spicy, but rather has a nice smoky spiced flavor that’s reminiscent of BBQ seasonings. And Umami is well, umami. It has a nice meaty flavor that will remind you the most of a traditional chicharron.
Wondering what makes kelp such a sustainable food source? Let’s dive in:
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Kelp creates an important habitat for underwater ecosystems. With natural kelp forests disappearing throughout the U.S., by building their own underwater kelp farm, Blue Dot Sea Farm is recreating those lost habitats, and welcoming sea life back to the area.
If you’ve ever been to a Washington State beach, you know that kelp seemingly appears on the beach out of nowhere. That’s because it doesn’t take much to grow: kelp can grow up to two feet per day on saltwater and sunshine alone. Less labor-intensive with a higher yield = a renewable resource that’s cost-effective to harvest and transform into crunchy Co-op snacks!
But don’t just take my word for it. I brought a bag of Seacharrones around to our employees “for science,” and to get their reaction to this unique snack. Needless to say, they didn’t hold back.
Here are some of the comments, straight from the seahorse’s mouth: “It’s like a milder version of a chicharron.” “If you like sushi rolls with seaweed, you’ll love these. *Cues Under the Sea Disney song*” “I feel like a mermaid.” “I love them. They’d be great with our garlic bacon dip, or sprinkled on top of tacos!” “It’s kelpy!” “Kind of like a BBQ funyun.”
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Kelp and other seaweeds have the power to sequester greenhouse gases: absorbing carbon dioxide and in turn producing oxygen. This essential process results in a less acidic ocean, reducing the effects of climate change.
The Power of Herbs & Spices Herbs are the best of both worlds: food and medicine. Adding just a little spice to your life goes a long way toward improving your health. Herbs such as black and red pepper, rosemary, oregano, thyme, turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon all have one thing in common: they support healthy microbes and hinder unhealthy ones.
Double Duty. Herbs that improve digestion and absorption also improve heart health and circulation. In fact, the mechanism for both is the same. The vasodilation (blood vessel dilating) properties of piperine found in black pepper are also responsible for enhancing the absorption of curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, making black pepper and turmeric the perfect pair. The same polyphenolic antioxidant compounds responsible for many of the medicinal health properties of herbs and spices are also the flavor components that protect cooking oils from overheating and rancidity. For this reason, you’ll gain both enhanced flavor and fatty acid integrity by adding spices to your cooking oil. The aromatherapy is an added bonus!
Dietary & Herbal Diversity. You may know the important health benefits of eating an ever-expanding variety of colorful plant foods—at least 30 different plants per week is a good goal. It’s not as hard as it might sound, especially when you consider that each herb and spice count toward this target goal. Cultures around the world that consume the greatest plant diversity have some of the healthiest gut biomes and overall health. Personally, I find it easy and enjoyable to consume about 20 different plants per day!
“Delightfully crunchy.”
“Kind of has a miso soup flavor.” “Can I have the rest of the bag?” “Yum! Reminiscent of kale chips and they’re deceptively delicious” “Very crunchy and flavorful, I love them!” “I get it, but they’re not for me.” “Are we carrying these? If not, we should.” “Really good. Perfect amount of a taste of the sea.” “So good. Very savory and flavorful.”
So next time you’re staring at the snack aisle looking for a new “saltycrunchy” that supports habitat restoration and has a unique taste of the sea, snag a bag of Seacharrones!
by Karl Mincin
Dietary diversity is for all of us, and there are at least eight solid science reasons to expand our eating horizons: · · · ·
Increase micro- and phyto-nutrient density Fatty acid fermentation Reduced inflammation Minimize the development of allergic hypersensitivity by avoiding overexposure to the same food antigens · Improve memory and cognition · Bioactivate vitamin D · Immune resilience · A healthier diversified microbiome The biome of each plant feeds different colonies of beneficial gut bacteria. The wider plant variety we eat the greater diversity & health of our biome. And there’s more to the saying “eat the rainbow” than meets the eye. It’s rather simple, color leads to more color. Color changes mood, mood changes behavior and metabolic performance. Both the food nutrient and the therapeutic medicinal properties of herbs and spices are a smart and tasteful way to greater dietary diversity. I could ask you what your favorite herbs and spices are, but “favorite” can get you in a rut. A more meaningful question is what new herbs and different spices are you planning to try? Karl Mincin is a Functional Medicine Nutritionist in practice for 36 years. 360.336.2616 | Nutrition-Testing.com Instagram @MincinNutritionist | Facebook @NutritionTesting1
skagit valley food co-op
• the natural enquirer • july–september 2022 11
