Sea Kelp is a natural, cold water growing, vitamin dense plant. The benefits reach from helping to moderate the thyroid gland to removing radioactive particles and common chemicals. A Greek mathematician, Pythagoras, wrote of the health benefits of sea kelp in his dietary journal. The Chinese and Japanese cultures have long had this natural, vitamin packed plant as a staple in the diets.

My interest began when I heard that sea kelp moderates the thyroid gland. I never had an actual problem with my thyroid, but I always felt sluggish and overweight. I had already eaten sea kelp without knowing it. While at a Japanese restaurant in college, the waiter brought out a bowl of puffed chip things. They were pretty bland, but then he gave use a shaker with colored flakes in it. We sprinkled it on the chips and to my greatest surprise it was salty! Yeah, salt makes everything better! Salt also leads to water weight retention and heart disease, boo. Good news to come; The sodium in sea kelp is called sodium alginate; which is responsible for the prevention of chemical absorption and removing of heavy metals from the body. So to every other salt lover out there, you can get your salty taste and so many benefits as well!

I read that 300 to 1,500 milligrams a day restores metabolic function. I add sea kelp into my diet in a variety of ways; I like to shake the granulated stuff of top of salads, soups, or add into sauces. Some choose to take it in capsule form. The iodine found in sea kelp promotes high metabolism, but if too much iodine is ingested it can lead to heart problems. Consulting your physician is always recommend. Liquid and powder forms are also available. I have heard great benefits of using the liquid; it can be added to shakes in the morning to help stabilize the rest of the day. I like to think of it as the opposite to MSG. Sea kelp adds flavor, but it suppresses my appetite rather than encouraging it.

Along with being a great source of iodine sea kelp is also is high in folic acid and vitamin B12, and is the only vegetable source of vitamin D. With all the vitamins and increased body functions it is no wonder why sea kelp has been known to reduce arthritis pain, lower cholesterol, reduce hair loss, and encourage weight loss.

So much of the food we eat today is laced with MSG and chemicals known to make the body think it is not full; sea kelp is a punch back at the food manufacturers. After all of the vitamins that occur in sea kelp, I don’t want to forget about the phyto-nutrients. Sea kelp takes the nutrients from the cold oceanic water and transforms them into amino acids that our bodies need to build and maintain muscles. When the body is given healthy digestible nutrients it has no choice but to perform better.