********************************Masaaki-sama’s Sacred Word******************************** “Nori: the vegan’s savior”A solution to the vitamin B12 issue It started with one phrase from my eldest daughter, Mei. While we were grocery shopping, Mei saw the nori tsukudani (a thick, glossy nori condiment slow-simmered in soy sauce and mirin) on the shelves and said, “That looks good.” I’m guessing that, her sharing the same seaweed LOVE as I do, the word “nori” and the shiny black of the nori tsukudani must have drawn her attention. However, the nori tsukudani on the shelves—actually, rather than “nori tsukudani,” it should be called “candied nori.” It’s close to junk food—it’s like sweets, fully loaded with sugar. There’s no way I could give this to children (or to adults) to eat. In any case, dairy products and sugar affect the emotional state, mood and demeanor of children throughout the world today. The damage that sugar, in particular, causes to the brain cannot be ignored. Children somehow lack energy and vigor, or they have a short temper, can’t stop crying, etc.—what they are ingesting plays a big part in this. Now, having been vegan and sugar-free for these last few years, our children hardly ever fall ill. Even when they get a fever, it comes down quickly. They are unbelievably cheerful and energetic. I apologize for tooting my own horn, but they are full of vitality and they are sharp. Now I will return to the nori tsukudani. When I heard Mei’s words, I wanted to somehow do something so that my daughter could eat nori tsukudani. And the ones available at the store were not an option—so if it doesn’t exist, then I’ll make it myself. Not buy it—make it. I did a lot of research on the internet, and there are recipes that use broth, add sake or even umeboshi (pickled plum). For this recipe, I would like to present to all of you the most orthodox one. Mei also helped me. Tearing apart the nori is not only enjoyable, you can’t take your eyes off the crispy nori becoming paste-like inside the pot. And the time spent with Mei, switching with her back and forth to stir and thicken the paste, was nothing but happiness. For children too, the deliciousness doubles from having made it by themselves. Now I’m going to talk about nori. Vegans are often criticized, “If you become vegan, you will become deficient in vitamin B12.” Vitamin B12 is said to be found only in animal-derived food—if you are deficient in it, it is said to affect the nerves and brain. While it has long been suggested that vitamin B12 might also be found in seaweed, for many years, it was said that it was the pseudo type that cannot be used by the body. Therefore, a majority of people say that if you are vegan, then you have to replenish your body with vitamin B12 supplements. However, ground-breaking research that overturns all of this was published in the October 2024 issue of European Journal of Nutrition. To put it simply, the results showed that the vitamin B12 found in roasted nori (purple laver) is not the pseudo type, but the true vitamin B12 that the body can absorb. Two full sheets of nori per day are suggested. This incredible finding upends the usual criticism and accepted opinion that “vegans aren’t able to get their intake of vitamin B12.” I was always looking for information on vitamin B12, so I cannot forget, even now, the excitement I felt when I found out about this research. I want to somehow let all the people in the world practicing the vegan diet know about this. On the other end, the majority of people who are deficient in vitamin B12 are meat eaters, and to be honest, we still don’t have the complete picture of this nutrient. So while I can’t say anything definitively, I believe that for vegans, the abovementioned research is revolutionary, and vegans around the world should be eating roasted nori—every day. Again, in this vast world, currently the only food from which vegans can naturally obtain vitamin B12 is roasted nori, the pride of Japan. Vitamin D and vitamin B12 that are considered the vegan’s Achilles’ heel can be sufficiently supplied by sun-dried wood-ear mushroom (and sun-bathing yourself), and roasted nori, respectively. So from now on, let’s confidently contain those criticisms towards vegans and their nutrient intake. There are people who grumble about protein, but I have never actually met anyone who has had protein deficiency. I have, however, met plenty of cancer patients with excessive protein intake. I believe that in the future, science will show the harmful effects of excessive protein intake. One thing I want to point out here. Unlike vegetables and such that are grown in the soil, seaweed does not have large amounts of pesticides or fertilizers used on it. This is because seawater itself has nitrogen and other nutrients, which become the nourishment for seaweed. So even for roasted nori, I just want you to keep on buying nori available at the store without being picky about it (although flavored nori is a separate matter). What I’m trying to say is that for seaweed, there is no need to be concerned about whether it is grown naturally or whether it is farm-raised.Before thinking about that, it is better to know that eating meat, eggs and dairy products has a negative influence on the body many times over. In any case, let’s eat seaweed, all kinds, every day. Let’s get into the habit of going straight to the seaweed corner of supermarkets and local produce markets. If your local supermarket sells different kinds of roasted nori, then how about trying each one of them and finding your favorite one—I think it would be fun. If you are gift-giving amongst World Church of Messiah members, I heartily wish for all of you to gift nori for things like summer or year-end gifts (customary in Japan). And then, when you eat it, lightly toast the rougher-textured side. In fact, nori has the three major components of umami flavor: glutamic acid (found in kombu, etc.), inosinic acid (normally in animal-derived foods) and guanylic acid (found in dried shiitake mushrooms, etc.). It is literally a miracle food of umami explosion. The fact that it contains inosinic acid—normally found in animal derived foods—is quite profound. It also contains folic acid, so important for pregnant women. Nori is mysterious, miraculous—and delicious. Putting it into miso soup and letting it soften is good, or dipping a crisp piece in soy sauce then wrapping it around rice is simply excellent. I believe that nori’s vitamin B12 is just the tip of the iceberg. Science has still not grasped it yet, but seaweed has a terrifyingly—in a good way—diverse nutrient profile that will surely become clearer and clearer to us in the days ahead. Just bringing my thoughts to the greatness of seaweed, my notion of “blessings of the sea” has been completely reshaped, and I can’t help but think that the true blessing of the sea is actually, truly, seaweed. My children always eat an unbelievable amount of rice, and for this time’s nori tsukudani, in their great excitement, they ate twice, three times the rice. I expressed my respect for the boundless potential nori holds, let my dreams of the possibilities of Christian Veganism grow, and today, once again, I found myself stuffing my mouth with nori. Ingredients• Roasted nori … 10 full-size sheets• Water … approx. 150cc (a rough estimate)• Soy sauce … 4–5 tablespoons (3 tablespoons if making for children)• Mirin … 1 tablespoon (before reducing) Cooking Instructions① Cook off the alcohol from the mirin.② Lightly toast the rougher-textured side of the roasted nori, then tear it into small pieces (it’s efficient to tear it directly into the clay pot you’ll be cooking in).③ Put the nori into the clay pot, pour in the water, and let it sit submerged for about 5 minutes. This lets it soak in and soften.④ Begin cooking ③ over low heat. Once everything is warmed, add the soy sauce and the cooked mirin.⑤ Heat carefully so it does not burn, and once it reaches your preferred thickness, it’s done. Cooking time will vary depending on the amount of nori and water, but it is about 5–10 minutes. If it is still watery, keep cooking past the 10 minute mark. Trust your instincts. ******************* The story of how this nori tsukudani came to be developed, sparked by a single phrase from Mei-sama. And then the boundless potential held by seaweed, and the solution to the vitamin B12 problem through nori. Overwhelmed by this edge-of-your-seat continuation of Sacred Word, this reporter couldn’t help but feel that this must surely be gospel—not only for us Christian Vegans, but for vegans the world over. And by touching upon the yet-unknown potential of seaweed in this way, and by proclaiming a Sacred Word to the effect that science will one day make it clear, there is no doubt that Masaaki-sama’s tremendous kototama—the spiritual power of his words—will exert some invisible influence on scientists around the world, who will in turn conduct research under Masaaki-sama’s spiritual direction, bringing about clarification in the future. To Christian Vegans around the world, and to all vegans everywhere: just as Masaaki-sama has said, let us eat roasted nori—the true blessing of the sea—every day. And following Masaaki-sama’s example of his remarkable ability to take initiative—“if it doesn’t exist, make it”—let us too, make Masaaki-sama’s original nori tsukudani!