Early Europeans ate seaweed for thousands of years
smithsonianmag.com
Early Europeans ate seaweed for thousands of years
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Re: Early Europeans ate seaweed for thousands of years
#2[dead]
Re: Early Europeans ate seaweed for thousands of years
#3Makes a lot of sense. It's packed with vitamins and minerals, is presumably a decent way to get salt, and is captive/passive/non-attacking prey!
For Bay Area people, there are companies that teach seaweed foraging: what types to look for, where to look, healthy versus "on the toilet all day", etc. Always nice to have another excuse to go to the beach, especially at unusual hours (such as before dawn to catch a low tide).
Re: Early Europeans ate seaweed for thousands of years
#4We still eat laverbread [1], a gelatinous paste made from seaweed, in parts of Wales.
Re: Early Europeans ate seaweed for thousands of years
#5Makes a lot of sense. It's packed with vitamins and minerals, is presumably a decent way to get salt, and is captive/passive/non-attacking prey! For Bay Area people, there are companies that teach seaweed foraging: what types to look for, where to look, healthy versus "on the toilet all day", etc. Always nice to have another excuse to go to the beach, especially at unusual hours (such as before dawn to catch a low ti…
Works as a laxative as well.
Re: Early Europeans ate seaweed for thousands of years
#6Maybe it's a dumb question, but how do we know these biomarkers weren't from eating fish that are the seaweed?
If the biomarkers are able to remain detectable for thousands of years without breaking down, perhaps they're also able to accumulate in fish?
I don't know anything about it so my idea is probably wrong, but I'm surprised the article doesn't mention it since it seems like an obvious thing to wonder.
Re: Early Europeans ate seaweed for thousands of years
#7Maybe it's a dumb question, but how do we know these biomarkers weren't from eating fish that are the seaweed? If the biomarkers are able to remain detectable for thousands of years without breaking down, perhaps they're also able to accumulate in fish? I don't know anything about it so my idea is probably wrong, but I'm surprised the article doesn't mention it since it seems like an obvious thing to wonder.
Do fish eat seaweed?
Re: Early Europeans ate seaweed for thousands of years
#8Just watch survival shows like Alone or Life Below Zero, the fact that people ate things in their environment to survive, and that the things that didn't kill them and helped them survive were continued...is not news, it should actually be considered more an ongoing assumption that they did versus astonishment that they did. Nevertheless, aside from that slight rant, it is good to see scientific techniques and analysis used and those practices honed and more knowledge built about how humans have existed and lived.
Re: Early Europeans ate seaweed for thousands of years
#9Maybe it's a dumb question, but how do we know these biomarkers weren't from eating fish that are the seaweed? If the biomarkers are able to remain detectable for thousands of years without breaking down, perhaps they're also able to accumulate in fish? I don't know anything about it so my idea is probably wrong, but I'm surprised the article doesn't mention it since it seems like an obvious thing to wonder.
Do fish eat seaweed?
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Re: Early Europeans ate seaweed for thousands of years
#10Makes a lot of sense. It's packed with vitamins and minerals, is presumably a decent way to get salt, and is captive/passive/non-attacking prey! For Bay Area people, there are companies that teach seaweed foraging: what types to look for, where to look, healthy versus "on the toilet all day", etc. Always nice to have another excuse to go to the beach, especially at unusual hours (such as before dawn to catch a low ti…
High in Omega-3.