In the past few years, Japanese cuisine has become very popular in the west.

The Japanese have a great reverence for food; they appreciate Nature for her ability to provide such a fabulous array of edibles according to season. Japan is surrounded by water, so it is not surprising that seaweeds have become one of Japan's major foods. Seaweed's high nutrient content makes it a very valuable food.

One of seaweeds greatest attributes is its ability to help protect us from cancer. Japanese women who routinely eat seaweeds have a very low rate of breast cancer. Japanese studies show that a diet with as little as five percent sea greens inhibits cancer growth, even causing remission of some active tumours. Also, in animal studies, rats exposed to chemicals known to cause breast cancer were fed seaweeds and were protected against getting cancer.

Seaweeds protect us from environmental pollution, including heavy metals (found in many dental fillings) and radiation by-products, converting them into harmless salts our body can use.

Seaweeds help keep our bones strong. They contain high amounts of magnesium essential for the absorption of calcium. Magnesium stimulates the production of calcitonin, the hormone which increases calcium in the bones. They are also a good source of natural vitamin D which is essential for calcium absorption, bone health and muscle function.

Seaweeds nourish your thyroid. The thyroid gland cannot make the enzyme that regulates metabolism without iodine. Seaweeds are a potent source of natural balanced iodine. Thyroid hormones regulate metabolism, protein and carbohydrate use and cholesterol. The amount of thyroid hormone released into the blood stream also determines our basic energy level and along with the adrenal glands the rate that sex hormones are made.

It is estimated that over five million Americans have a sluggish thyroid resulting in symptoms such as fatigue, moderate weight gain, slow heart rate, cold hands, feet and ears, hair loss, dry skin, heavy menses and depression.

If you think you might have hypothyroidism a simple blood test from your physician can confirm diagnosis.

Seaweeds help with weight loss and deter cellulite buildup. Aside from normalising the metabolism, sea greens also aid weight loss by supplying fibre and algin which lower bowel transit time, explains author of Healthy Healing, Dr. Linda Page. The detoxifying qualities of sea plant algin stimulate lymphatic drainage to discourage cellulite. Seaweeds help your skin tissue and fat cells absorb minerals. The minerals act like electrolytes to break the chemical bond that seals the fat cells. The fat cells open temporarily to allow trapped wastes to escape into the lymph system and can be eliminated by the kidneys and the bladder. Both eating seaweeds and bathing in them helps reduce cellulite. The best spas apply a sea plant solution as part of a body wrap or bath to do this very thing. It's called thalassotherapy and it has been used for centuries to speed up metabolism and increase circulation to cellulite areas.

The sea loving Greek culture said Aphrodite, the goddess of love who rose out of the foaming sea, owed her supple skin, shiny hair and sparkling eyes to the plants of the sea. Seaweed returns mineral salts to our skin that stress and pollution deplete. Skin cells hold moisture better when they absorb the mineral salts, making the skin more supple and elastic. By retaining moisture the skin plumps, removing the look of dry skin, lines and wrinkles.

*** Here are some great ways to incorporate seaweed into your life.

Dine Japanese style.

Nori is a red sea plant with a sweet, meaty taste when dried. Its high fibre content makes it a perfect sushi wrapper. You can purchase nori rolls at a sushi bar or make your own at home. Health food shops have always carried dry seaweed and now you can also purchase it in the sushi aisle of your supermarket.

*** Take a seaweed bath.

Here's how to do it from the author of Healthy Healing, Dr. Linda Page. Buy a package of dried seaweed from the health food store or sushi section of the grocery store. Run very hot water over it in the tub, filling it to the point where you will be covered when you recline. The leaves will turn a beautiful bright green. The water will turn rich brown as the plants release their minerals. Add an aromatherapy oil if desired, to help hold the heat in and boost your cleansing process.

Seaweed ideas As you soak the gel from the seaweed it transfers onto your skin. This coating increases perspiration to release toxins from your system and replaces them by osmosis with minerals. Rub your skin, especially the cellulite areas, with the seaweed during the bath to stimulate circulation, smooth the body and remove wastes coming out on the skin surface. When the sea greens have done their work the gel coating dissolves and floats off the skin, and the leaves shrivel -- a sign that the bath is over. Each bath varies with the individual, the seaweeds used and water temperature, but the gel coating release is a natural time keeper for the bath. Forty-five minutes is usually long enough to balance pH, encourage liver activity and fat metabolism. Skin tone, colour and better circulation are almost immediately noticeable. Dr. Page warns that a hot seaweed bath is one of the most effective treatments in natural healing but should be used with care. If you are under a doctor's care for high blood pressure or heart disease check with your physician to see if a seaweed bath is okay for you.

*** A seaweed facial once a week for velvety skin.

Sprinkle about one teaspoon of kelp granules in a small bowl. Blend with one tablespoon of pure aloe vera gel -- which is plentiful in Bermuda. Apply to your face and neck and leave on ten minutes and then rinse. This is the best mask I have ever tried. It feels cool going on but within a couple of minutes it heats up leaving you with soft lustrous skin.

*** Add seaweed to your cooking for extra pizzazz and nutrition.

Add a strip of kombu to bean soup to reduce gas. Add some hijiki to a salad or stir fry. Hijiki has the most calcium of any seaweed, 1400 milligrams per 100 grams of dry weight.