What is the difference between wakame and kelp? Which is more nutritious?

In life, there are many foods with similar appearance, taste, and colors, such as kelp and wakame. Some people can't tell the difference, but in fact, it is not difficult to distinguish between the two.

1. Different families

Wakame and kelp are both large edible seaweeds but belong to different families.

Wakame is relatively resistant to high temperatures, so it can grow well in the ocean with warm currents; kelp generally grows on the rocks on the seabed in the subtidal zone, and the growth of kelp is greatly affected by light and temperature.

Wakame is an annual seaweed plant, and kelp is a perennial seaweed plant, which is the essential difference between the two.

2. Different appearance

Wakame larvae are very similar to kelp larvae, but their appearance when they grow up is significantly different from that of kelp.

The color of wakame is lighter than that of kelp, and the leaves are cracked and shaped like wakame; while kelp looks very complete due to the growing environment, it is a long flat thallus, and the color is darker olive.

3. Different nutrition

The iodine content of kelp is nearly 10 times higher than that of wakame leaves. The calcium content of wakame is 1.5 times that of kelp, and the calcium content is 5.9 times that of kelp. Moreover, wakame has advantages in magnesium and zinc content.