Why you should want to eat seaweed

        I ate seaweed today.

        No, not ice cream, not sushi. Just straight-up crisp, lightly salted seaweed (I know, why does it need to be salted, right? Doesn't it come from the ocean?). As I smelled it, nibbled at it, and attempted to savor the interesting taste, I couldn't get this picture out of my mind:

        Despite the crisp saltiness of the seaweed, it still felt slimy and slightly fishy going down my throat.

        I know, you're probably wondering why in the world I was eating seaweed in the first place, right? It's because my curiosity got the better of me. I was sitting in the office this morning, chatting for a few minutes with my boss, when I asked her what the dark green cracker-looking thing in her hand was, and  why she was eating it. Humored by my look of disgust, she persuaded me to try a bit: "It's especially good for vegetarians!"

        Apparently it has a lot of other health benefits, as well. Like it contains a lot of pantothenic acid and lignans. Yeah, I have no idea what that is either. But the nutrients found in seaweed supposedly offer protection against cancer, cardiovascular disease, and birth defects; contribute to healthy thyroid function; and reduce stress levels.

        I heard you can find it at Costco. Come on, just try it! You know you're curious too!