5 reasons why you should incorporate kelp into your diet:
#1. One serving of kelp provides the RDA allowance of iodine. Iodine is an essential mineral that helps to make the thyroid hormone T4. Thyroid hormone T4 is important for metabolic processes, growth development, energy production, hormone sensitivities and more.
Why is consuming iodine helpful if you have candida?
Many people with candida overgrowth also have sluggish thyroid function. One of the reasons being that, when there is an overgrowth of candida present in the body, the liver often becomes overloaded with candida's toxic byproducts, which impairs many of its daily duties. One of these daily duties includes thyroid hormone conversion. When the liver is overloaded, it has difficulty converting thyroid hormone T4 → T3, which can further disrupt thyroid function and lead to a long list of symptoms.
#2. Kelp is high in calcium, iron, and all of the major minerals. Candida is an iron loving pathogen and so iron deficiency is common amongst candida sufferers.
#3. Kelp is full of trace elements, such as copper, zinc, chromium, etc. Zinc is needed to keep immune function strong, it supports our intestinal lining. Adequate levels of zinc are also required to keep candida in check, so if levels are low, candida has an opportunity to thrive in the body.
#4. Kelp is high in various vitamins such as vitamin A, B6, B12, C, D, and K.
#5. Kelp contains antioxidants which help with lowering inflammation. Candida often thrives in an inflammatory environment and so we want to consume as many antioxidant rich foods as possible when cleansing from candida.
Candida Friendly Kelp Noodle Stir Fry
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Stir Fry Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs Kelp Noodles (equivalent to 2 bags)
2 tsps Lemon Juice
2 tsps Baking Soda
3 heads Bok Choy (bulb chopped off, thinly sliced)
1 White Onion (small, diced or 1/2 large onion)
2 Red Bell Pepper (thinly sliced)
1/4 Green Cabbage (stem removed, thinly sliced)
2 cloves Garlic (minced)
2 tsps Ginger (fresh, minced)
2 tbsps Sesame Oil
1 can Chickpeas (Edan Organics brand)
1/4 cup Liquid Aminos
1 cup Radishes (washed, chopped)
4 stalks Green Onion (chopped)
1/4 cup Sesame Seeds
Sunbutter sauce ingredients
1/4 cup Coconut Aminos
2 tbsps Lime Juice
1/4 cup Water
1/4 cup Sunflower Seed Butter
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Garlic (fresh)
1 tsp Ginger (fresh)
1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika (optional)
Sea Salt & Black Pepper (to taste)
Instructions:
Heat up a large pan or wok on medium heat. Then add sesame oil, ensure the pan or wok is well coated with the oil as this ensures no sticking. Then add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Fry until the onions become translucent, be sure to not let the garlic burn.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Then add to the pan or wok along with the cabbage, peppers, and liquid aminos. Cook for 10 minutes or until the veggies are soft. If you are using a wok, the cooking time will be a lot faster.
In the meantime, prepare the kelp noodles and sunbutter sauce.
In a medium size pot, bring water to a boil. Then take the kelp noodles out of the bag, rinse in water, and separate the noodles with your hands. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, wait a few minutes for the water to cool down, then add lemon juice, baking soda, and kelp noodles. Cook for 10 minutes, or until soft. Then drain the water and set aside.
Prepare the sunbutter sauce by adding all of ingredients to a small blender, blend on high for 1 - 2 minutes, or until smooth.
Then add in the bok choy, kelp noodles, and sunbutter sauce to the pan or wok. Cook for another 5 minutes on medium low heat.
When ready to serve, top with sesame seeds, green onion, and radishes. Season with additional sea salt and pepper, if needed. Enjoy!
Notes:
No Kelp Noodles? Substitute for zoodles, palmini or konjac noodles instead.
No Chickpeas? Substitute for another protein such as tofu, lentils, chicken, turkey, etc.
No Liquid Aminos? Substitute for coconut aminos and sea salt.
Did you make this recipe?
I would love to see how it turned out!
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