Health campaigns have been running for years all over the world, warning people about the dangers of consuming too much salt. A diet high in salt is linked to high blood pressure and heart problems. With so many people busy, people tend to eat what's quick and already prepared. As a result of this, studies show that 75% of a person's salt intake comes from eating pre-made and processed foods.

Researchers have found a viable natural salt substitute: seaweed granules.

Seaweed Granules

Sheffield Hallam University in the UK has been doing research on the possibility of using seaweed granules as a substitute to salt. The granules are produced by brown seaweed that is found in the cold waters of the UK and Norway. When the University checked the levels of microbes and other things that may pollute the seaweed, they concluded the seaweed was very clean.

Dr. Andrew Fairclough was the lead researcher on a project that is working jointly with Seagreans, a company interested in introducing seaweed granules into the everyday diet. Dr. Fairclough says, "This will change the food industry, undoubtedly."

Low on Sodium

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death throughout Europe and the United States. Health campaigns warn individuals that consuming too much salt can lead to heart disease, as well as hypertension.

One of the reasons too much salt can be devastating to a person is that sodium makes up 40% of its content. In comparison, seaweed granules only contain a 3.5% content level of sodium, making it a great salt substitute.

The Food Innovation Project is a study funded by the government in the UK. When they ran taste tests for seaweed granules in baked bread, they found that people couldn't tell when salt or seaweed was being used. 2 major supermarkets in the UK are now possibly working on including seaweed granules in shop-baked breads.

Seaweed granules also work well as a preservative, and could possibly substitute salt in that function. Salt is commonly found in meats, various sausages and cheese. One of the selling points of seaweed granules as a salt substitute is that it can eliminate food poisoning caused by bugs found in meat.

The research group in the UK made a statement that if its citizens minimized the amount of salt that they are consuming, it would result in 70,000 less strokes and heart attacks on a yearly basis.

Nutritious

Unlike salt, seaweed also happens to be extremely nutritious. Seaweed granules are loaded with micronutrients that can provide more balance to many people's diets. For those that are trying to lose weight or keep weight off, seaweed could also help people in that area. Consuming seaweed gives people a more full feeling. Experts say this could help combat the obesity epidemic found in many western countries.

Researchers say that seaweed, in the future, could also feed the world's population that continues to grow in leaps and bounds.