Seaweed may not be on many shopping lists, but it plays a big part in people's everyday lives. Seaweed is a plant that grows in the shallow water near the shores of the world's oceans.
In some parts of the world, especially near the ocean, people eat seaweed all by itself. It has lots of vitamins and is a healthy treat. In places where seaweed is not served as a meal, people use goods that are made fro these plants. Hundreds of everyday items have seaweed in them.
Seaweed helps many people keep their teeth clean. Toothpaste stays thick when it comes out of the tube because of a gel from a type of red seaweed. No one can see the seaweed in the toothpaste because it is mixed with the gel. This gel is in shampoo and makeup too.
Without seaweed, ice cream and yogurt would not be as thick or creamy but would seem rather lumpy and watery. Many people eat foods with seaweed without even knowing it.
Seaweed also helps plants grow. Many farmers around the world spray their fields with seaweed. They buy the seaweed after is has been made into a liquid. The seaweed becomes food for the plants. The vegetables on people's plates often come fro these farms.
People cannot see seaweed in the foods they eat or in the items they use to look their best. However, none of these things would be the same without the useful weed that comes from the sea.
Some people eat seaweed all by itself because they most likely--