Wakame is a brown seaweed that shows up in miso soup, salads, and other Japanese dishes. It also appears as a dried powder or extract in capsule form. Most people sprinkle dried flakes onto food or take extract capsules. When used as food, you rehydrate the flakes and eat them with meals.
This seaweed supplies iodine, calcium, magnesium, and fiber. Iodine helps keep the thyroid working normally. Because the iodine level varies and can be quite high, wakame supplements may shift thyroid function, especially in anyone with a thyroid condition or iodine sensitivity.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women should watch their iodine intake carefully with these products.