Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 3, 1 Malaki 1990 — ʻAi Pono, E Ola [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ʻAi Pono, E Ola

By Terry Shintani, M.D., M.P.H.

Limu: a source of ealeium for strong bones

People interested in the Wai'anae Diet Program often ask me questions about where the ealeium comes from. This is a reasonable question because there is no dairy food in the Wai'anae Diet. In fact, dairy food

was never part of the ancient Hawaiian diet. It was brought in by Westerners. For that matter, dairy food was never part of the diet of most of the world until Western influence brought this food with them. The sad truth is that dairy food has been one of the most oversold foods in America. You've heard of the four main food groups of whieh dairy is one? Have you ever looked at one of those posters? Often, you will find that dairy food is listed as the first group on the poster. If you look closer, however, you may also find that the poster was put out by the American Dairy Oouneil. In other words, the poster may as well be considered an advertisement rather than an unbiased health message. One of the problems with the over-promotion of dairy foods in that dairy foods contain a great deal of fat. You've heard of "two percent" milk? The two percent fat is actuallv measured at two percent by weight. In terms of calories, two percent milk is actually over 35 percent fat. Whole milk is 55 percent fat by calones — about 3.5 percent by weight. So two percent milk is not mueh of an improvement at all. What'sworseis that mueh of this fat is saturated. These fats or any large amounts of fats are known to be harmful īn terms of promoting heart disease, cancer and diabetes. If you're going to drink milk, you should use skim milk whieh has very little fat. How did the Hawaiians — who were tall and strong — get enough ealeium? One of the most delicious ways was by eating limu (seaweed). Limu was a regular part of the diet of ancient Hawaiians. There were hundreds of varieties in the old days and it was always there for the picking. Today, only several varieties are commonly used and development has ruined many of Hawaii's limu beds. The seaweeds possess such beautiful names such as limu 'ele'ele, limu kohu. limu lipoa, limu wawaeiole and limu 'a'ala'ula. These seaweeds or "sea vegetables" as some prefer to eall them are somewhat salty. But aside from this caution, it is one of the most bealthful foods available in a low calorie form. One ounee of

limu has only 12 calories and 47 milligrams of ealeium. In other words ounee for ounee, limu has more ealeium than milk. (Leafy greens such as luau Laf are also a good source of ealeium but we will talk about this food in our nextarticle.) Limu is also a good source of iron. Limu is actually a food that was eaten in many cultures around the world. In Ireland, dulse wasa form of limu that was dried and eaten like pupu chips. On the Eastern coast of Amenea, the American Indians used to carry limu as a snack food in their pouches. And of course, limu iseaten in great abundance by Asian countries such as Japan, China, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Most forms of limu were eaten raw in Hawaii, but cooking limu was also a very delicious way of eating this food that is neh in ealeium and other minerals. If you can't piek fresh limu, the Japanese varieties found in the supermarket are convenient and easy to prepare.

The following is a simple recipr or the Japanese limu "hijiki" 1 oz. dried hijiki 1 tsp. dark sesame oil 2 onions, sliced 2 Tbsp. soy sauce Wa^h and drain hijiki. Lightly brush a frying pan with oii and heat. Saute the onions 3 minutes. Plaee Hijiki on top of onions. Add water to cover the bottom of fhe pan one-half ineh. Boil, then simmer on low heat for 45 minutes. Add soy sauce to taste Simmer 10 minutes more. Dr. Shintani, physician and nuhitionist, is the director of preuentiue medicine it the Waianae Coast Comprehensiue Health ( <nter. A majority of the center's 1 7,000 clients are iatiue Hawaiian.