Every day, as afternoon rolls around, so does snack time. Those long hours between lunch and dinner need something to tide them over. With a busy schedule of school, work, exercise, meetings, driving here or there for practices, and everything else that comes up, it is just unrealistic to not need a little something.
I used to struggle with snacks. My family likes to joke that I considered snacks a sign of weakness. I have never been the mom that had a satchel loaded with little pre-packaged morsels. My dislike of snacks was not so much the actual thought of eating between meals, but the complete lack of healthy snacks in my repertoire. “Snack food” brought up images of highly processed packages filled with extra sugars, sodium and chemicals. As a health conscious person trying to limit my intake of processed food, snacks did not fit into the menu.
Enter Sweet Kombu. As the day goes on and my desire for something a little salty comes around, this gem of a seaweed fits the bill. I have started eating a piece or two of Sweet Kombu with a handful of almonds and it is just enough to keep me going. It also has an incredibly delicate, complex, smoky-sweet flavor that is great on its own, or with your favorite nut or dip to complement it.
Our Sweet Kombu is the antidote for highly processed snack food. It is hand-harvested and dried in the sun. That’s it. It still has the saltiness of sea water on it, along with all of the trace minerals that sea water contains and our bodies need to function optimally. Sweet Kombu is also high in iron, B vitamins and iodine. It is especially satisfying after a long workout when you need to replace some lost salts.
On some of the pieces, you may notice a slight whitish or greenish powder. This is naturally occurring algae that actually adds to the umami flavor. They have become the extra prized pieces in my household for being the tastiest.
The next time it’s too far past lunch, but too early for dinner, try reaching for a few pieces of Sweet Kombu instead of chips or crackers. You can be confident in eating something good for your body that is a completely natural, raw food. The struggle for a healthy snack doesn’t have to be real.
