darcyblue <[log in to unmask]> posted:
>>>Is dulse considered a valid paleo food? I'm sure it has a large amount
of sodium chloride (salt) and that is what I'm craving at the moment,
but it seems more likely and lessharmful than table salt.but maybe not.

My reply:
Sea vegetables were eaten by many primitive people who lived by the sea.
Anthropologists have observed this. Besidesa flavor and minerals, sea
veggies have been shown to chelate radioactive isotopes and heavy metals
(including mercury) from the human body. I'll include an extraction from my
book in the works (tentatively titled, THE NATURAL FOOD PLAN):

Dulse is just one of many sea vegetables that can satisfy your desire for a
salty taste in cooking or at the table.

Sea vegetables contain sodium, and many of them taste slightly salty; but
they contain far less sodium per teaspoon, tablespoon, or cupful than salt
and more minerals. Most sea vegetables contain three to four times as much
potassium as sodium, which makes them an ideal food, even for individuals
who suffer from hypertension.

A 1/3 cup serving of dulse sea vegetable (a purple leaf plant with a salty
taste) contains only 122 milligrams of sodium and a generous 547 milligrams
of potassium. Laver (wild nori) contains 113 milligrams of sodium per 1/3
cup and 188 milligrams of potassium. Sea vegetable flakes and
granules--usually made from nori, kelp, or dulse--are sold plain or flavored
with ginger, garlic, or cayenne. These may be used to replace the salt
shaker at the table.

Other varieties, such as wild nori and dulse, are delicious lightly toasted
and crumbled over green salads, steamed vegetables, or fried or poached eggs
at the table. Sea vegetables may also be chopped or snipped with kitchen
shears, then sauteed with land vegetables (roots, tubers, leafy greens,
etc.). Some varieties require soaking, prior to cooking. Note:  Before
toasting, soaking, or chopping sea vegetables (other than flakes or
granules), always sort them to remove any small shells or stones that may be
present.

Nutrition Facts
Applewood smoked dulse, a salty and smoky tasting sea vegetable. Figures are
the same for dulse that is not smoked.

Serving size: 1/3 cup (7 grams)

Calories: 18
Carbohydrate: 3 grams
Dietary fiber: 2 grams    Fat
Sugars    : 0
Protein    : 2 grams (3% of DV)
Iodine ( 243% of DV)
Potassium 547 mg (16% of DV)
Magnesium (6% of DV)
Phosphorus (3% of DV)
Chromium (9%  of DV)
Zinc (2%  of DV)
Beta-carotene (2%  of DV)
Calcium (2%  of DV)
Iron (19%  of DV)
Riboflavin (10%  of DV)
Niacin (1%  of DV)
Vitamin B-6 (42% of DV)

* Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Source:  Maine Coast Sea Vegetables Inc., Franklin, Maine 04634.
<www.seaveg.com>

If anyone is looking for a source of sea vegetables harvested off the coast
of Maine in boats painted without toxic paints, contact, Maine Seaweed
Larch Hanson, P.O. Box 57, Steuben, ME  04680
Phone:  (207) 546-2875

Gotta go,

Rachel Matesz,
The Healthy Cooking Coach