Seaweed Nutritional Facts

Dried seaweed is a nutritional powerhouse.  Sea vegetables contain all 24 minerals and trace elements necessary for your body's physiological functions, sometimes at levels exceeding those of land plants.  Most contain Vitamins A, C, and various B vitamins, and some sea vegetables are one of the few non-animal sources of Vitamin B12.  Their protein content ranges from 10% to almost 40% and seaweed protein is usually complete, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids required by humans.  Sea vegetables are low in fat and high in fiber; two qualities that make them healthy for the heart.  And then, of course, there’s iodine.  Sea vegetables are one of the highest natural sources of dietary iodine, even when eaten in small quantities.

The below two tables show levels of macro and micro nutrients in our eight sea vegetable species, various blends, and Kelp Krunch.  Milled sea vegetables have the same nutritional composition as the whole leaf from which they were milled.  For example, dulse flakes have the same nutritional composition as whole leaf dulse. The levels in these tables are provided as “amounts per 100g” because this is how the information is normally presented for food industry specifications, but 100 grams is not a serving size! You can use these tables to compare species and products and to calculate how much of a particular nutrient is in a serving of any size. Simply divide the amount of the nutrient listed in the table by 100 to get the amount per gram, and then multiply that by your serving size in grams. 

The below tables represent average compositions based on published research articles and our own testing.  Some species lack published data for certain nutrients and we have not yet tested for them.  Those cases are indicated by “NA” (Not Available). It’s important to bear in mind that sea vegetables are wild marine plants and their nutritional composition naturally fluctuates due to location, season, tidal flows, ocean temperatures, weather patterns, and other factors. The values presented here are not absolutes, and we believe the whole algae provide more than the sum of their parts. (You may double click on the table in order to view larger.) 

Seaweed Nutritional Facts By Species

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Serving Size

To paraphrase an old saying, oftentimes good things come in small portions.  This is especially true of sea vegetables.  When seaweed is dried its nutrients become concentrated, and you don’t have to eat much to get the most from them.  Even in Japan, where about one-third of the adult population eats seaweed almost every day, the average daily intake is only about 4-7 grams, usually in 2-3 small servings throughout the day.  Based on our experience and customer feedback, we know that how much people eat depends upon product form and how it’s used. 

The FDA defines a serving size as the amount customarily consumed at one meal, or the “Reference Amount Customarily Consumed” (RACC).  The RACC for dried seaweed is 5 grams, and while that may be appropriate for whole leaf, milled flakes, granules, and powders are usually eaten in smaller amounts as seasonings or to enhance nutrition in soups, salads, dips, and many other dishes.  Whole leaf sea vegetables, on the other hand, may be eaten whole or used as ingredients, much as one might add arugula to a mixed salad or spinach to a lasagna. 

The below table shows how much calcium, iron, potassium, and iodine might be present in a typical serving for most of our products.  These values are based on average composition and actual amounts may vary.

Typical Sea Vegetable Serving Sizes Showing Essential Minerals and Iodine Per Serving

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