![]() ![]() pinnatifida (Phaeophyceae 29%), among others. serratus Phaeophyceae 17% of proteins) and U. tenera (Rhodophyta 44% of proteins) and Fucus serratus ( F. palmata (Rhodophyta 19% of proteins), and N. lactuca (Chlorophyta 29% of proteins), C. Currently, diverse protein-rich seaweeds are approved by the European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA) for human consumption, such as U. Of the total number of algae, only 30 species are approved as novel foods by European Union (EU) legislation. To date, more than 150 edible species of algae for human consumption have been identified in Europe, of which 86% are considered macroalgae (seaweeds). Main species of edible macroalgae in the North Atlantic They are, therefore, a guarantee of survival, to which human beings, sooner or later, will resort, now more on a whim and curiosity (thanks to some pioneering work and investments that are beginning to bear fruit) and later, out of obvious necessity, and to meet the demands of an explosively growing human population that already exceeds 8 billion people, increasingly concentrated in Asia and Africa. Macroalgae seem to be, therefore, the best way to correct not only the lack of food for ingestion, but also the nutritional deficiencies of the current diet felt worldwide (in developed, emerging, and/or underdeveloped countries), due to its varied range of essential constituents-minerals (iron and calcium), proteins (with all essential amino acids), vitamins and fiber-absolutely necessary nutrients for human primary metabolism. Low in fat, seaweed has polysaccharides that behave, for the most part, as fibers with no caloric value. The question that arises, having reached this point of awareness, is simple-what contribution or benefits can seaweed bring to the human diet, in terms of food, gastronomy, or diet? The answer seems simple given current knowledge-they represent exactly the opposite of the concept of “fast food”: a natural food, wild and abundant for the time being (and with a growth rate capable of sustaining an intensive culture), capable of providing a high nutritional value, but reduced caloric value. The criteria for the search and selection of edible species with commercial value are based, in the first place, on the texture and flavor of each seaweed (more than on the nutritional value) and, in the background, on the creation of new dietetic eating habits in the West, that is, in caloric value or beneficial to health. Less developed countries, but with an appreciable coastline, such as Angola and Mozambique (Africa), within the Portuguese-speaking belt, for example, may adopt new food strategies as a way of suppressing the strong shortages still felt. ![]() Countries like Brazil, with a considerable coastline, face the same dilemma and have before them the path that European countries can follow, where food practices can and should be adapted to local resources. ![]() On the other hand, this illusion is not expressed with the same impact in developing countries or in transition countries, seen from an economic perspective, or even in those so-called emerging-although in the latter the tendency is more towards their imposed consolidation, than towards its eradication. The consequences of a diet of this type (antagonistic to traditional “slow food”, or homemade and regional food, refined with greater precept and care), where the lack of essential nutrients is evident, translates into diseases related to obesity (and collateral diseases, derived from it), as well as those related to excessive intake of sugars (diabetes) and fats (arteriosclerosis), among others. This appears as the miraculously adequate answer to the frenetic pace of urban life-so much, so that we have even adopted the designation of “ready-to-eat food”, or “fast food” as a style and erroneous perception of reality, in which food is seen merely as doses of fuel organic to meet our most immediate energy needs. We are driven towards consumption without rules or dietary care and towards fast food, rich in calories and unsaturated fats. Currently, society in Western countries said to be developed, lives immersed in an illusory abundance and food diversity. ![]()
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