Should You Be Supplementing Your Diet with Kelp?

Did someone say something about supplementing your diet with kelp? Isn’t that the stuff that gets stuck on the bottom of your foot when you go to the beach? Indeed, kelp is just a specific type of seaweed, and it most commonly grows in shallow and nutrient-rich beach waters. These tasty, leafy greens have been used medicinally for a long time, and they have been eaten for even longer. In fact, modern food manufacturers still use it to create things like ice cream, chocolate milk, and salad dressing. So it should be no big surprise that kelp is now being used as a healthy dietary supplement.

Nutrient Richness

If you want to supplement your diet with kelp, you will thereby be giving your body a proverbial booster shot each time you consume it. Sea kelp naturally contains the following essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients:

• Vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D, E
• Zinc
• Iodine
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Copper
• Calcium (10 times more than a glass of milk, to be exact)
• Iron

Chomping down on some sea kelp can increase your immunities, which can help you do almost everything else in life.

Weight Loss Benefits

The thyroid gland plays a major role in the regulation of our weight, and it is fueled by iodine. Since kelp is a great source of iodine, it only stands to reason that it would great for weight loss and improved metabolic rate. In fact, when compared to other natural sources of iodine, kelp is the richest. On top of that, it turns out that sea kelp actually reduces your body’s ability to digest and absorb fat. So, supplementing your diet with kelp could be a great idea, especially if you have a few extra pounds you want to lose.

Anti-Aging Aids

It appears as though supplementing your diet with kelp can actually help you look and feel younger and live longer as well. According to a recent study, that healthy-weight-promoting iodine is also effective at removing free radicals from the body. Many modern health and beauty products feature kelp or seaweed on their ingredient list, and luckily ingesting it is also a healthy alternative to slapping in on your skin. Since iodine alone is not usually taken through conventional dietary supplementation without other added ingredients, it is best that you find natural sources like kelp.

The Verdict

As with any dietary change, it is always a good idea to speak with your doctor or with a certified nutritionist before you begin supplementing your diet with kelp. Try to stay within the recommended dosage, especially when dealing with iodine. A good plan would be to start small and monitor your progress as you go.