Sea Moss For Weight Loss 2024 – Does Sea Moss Help You Lose Weight?

If you are on a weight loss journey, you may have thought about eating sea moss, a popular superfood that is low in calories and high in nutrients. Sea moss, also known as Irish moss, is a type of seaweed or red algae.

Scientifically known as Chondrus crispus, this red sea moss can be found along the Northern Atlantic coasts near North America and Europe and in the warm waters of Africa, Asia, and South America.

Sea moss is a gel-like substance used in creating food, medications, skincare, and cosmetic products. Sea moss can be consumed in supplement form, eaten alone, cooked or raw, and combined with other foods. 

Sea moss is a vegan and gluten-free choice that, with all the vitamins and minerals it contains, has several health benefits. So let’s discuss these benefits, potential side effects, and how you can add sea moss to your diet.

How Does Sea Moss Help With Weight Loss?

The relationship between sea moss and weight loss still needs more research to understand its effects on the human body. Still, many people give positive reviews of their experience with this sea staple, and there are studies linking dietary seaweed and algae to increased weight loss.

This study^[2] took 78 adults and measured their total body weight and body fat while consuming 1,000 milligrams per day of red seaweed extract for 12 weeks. The sea moss study has weight loss results showing a more significant decrease in weight and total body fat mass compared to the control group.

One ample reason sea moss may help to reduce obesity and prevent weight gain is its fiber content. It slows digestion and may promote fat burning, break down stored fat, and increase the body’s metabolism.

Soluble fiber is good for the human body by lowering the rate of fat absorption in the digestive tract and limiting the production of fat cells. The seaweed fibers include alginates which are known to have anti-obesity^[3] effects.

Benefits Of Sea Moss

If you’re excited to hear about the potential of sea moss and weight loss, you may be thrilled to find out it has several other health benefits. Our bodies need 102 minerals, and this nutraceutical food offers a whopping 92 minerals that can improve your health. 

A few of the nutrients sea moss contains are

• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Selenium
• Algin
• Iron
• Sodium
• Sulfur
• Essential fatty acids
• Vitamins A, B, C, and E
• Potassium
• Zinc 

Digestive System

Sea moss is beneficial for your gut health for several reasons. First, it has a prebiotic and probiotic effect that feeds your live gut bacteria, creating a healthier microbiome and helping you lose weight. 

This plant is rich in fiber which creates a full feeling, slows the processes in the digestive tract, and prevents overeating. The texture of sea moss and its fiber content help prevent constipation. 

Diets high in fiber fight heart disease, lower blood cholesterol, and aid in blood sugar control. Increased intake of soluble fiber also has the potential^[4] to increase fat metabolism and lower body fat. 

Healthy Thyroid Function

One thing you’ll get when adding sea moss to your diet is an increase in iodine. Iodine is necessary for thyroid health and hormone production, which helps to regulate metabolism.

If you are not getting enough iodine, your body will have trouble creating hormones that keep your thyroid gland functioning properly. You may also experience hypothyroidism which can lead to weight gain if you’re low in iodine. 

If you have an existing thyroid issue, you should speak with your healthcare provider before adding extra iodized salt to your diet. 

Respiratory Health 

You don’t have to look far to find reports of people who start to regularly consume sea moss having an improvement in chronic lung conditions like coughing and wheezing. Since it has a mucilaginous (thick and sticky) effect, it can provide relief to mucous membranes by organizing bronchial mucus for assisting your body in eliminating it. 

Immune System

There was a study^[5] on Atlantic salmon and dietary seaweed. It concluded that the fish eating the seaweed had a more efficient immune response than the fish that didn’t consume it. 

For centuries sea moss has been utilized as a natural remedy for cold symptoms like sore throats and coughs. Significantly, seaweed bioactive compounds have antitumoral^[6] effects against some cancer cell lines, making them useful in the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries. 

Hair And Skin Health

You can find sea moss in hair products, skin care products, and makeup. Many use it as a face mask since it has the potential to prevent skin aging and promotes elasticity and collagen growth. 

Studies Show Profound Potential

Epidemiological studies^[3] have shown a link between consuming seaweed and reducing chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, and high cholesterol. 

Scientists still need more research on humans, but a worm study^[7] on Parkinson’s showed sea moss extract could reduce stiffness and slow movements, hinting at the potential for neuroprotective effects.

Potential Side Effects And Dosage

Sea moss is generally safe and beneficial for your overall health in normal amounts. Still, like any other plant, some people may be allergic or intolerant to it, like those with seafood allergies.

When you choose a company to buy sea moss from, make sure they use a third party to verify the safety and quality of sea moss. The moss can absorb pollution and toxic metals that surround it in the water. 

If you have known hypo- or hyperthyroidism, you’ll want to speak with your doctor before making sea moss a regular part of your diet. Although the iodine that sea moss makes is an essential nutrient, too much iodine can cause an imbalance in your thyroid hormones. 

While an iodine deficiency may be a risk factor^[8] for thyroid cancer and thyroid goiters^[9], too much Irish moss and excessive iodine intake can also cause thyroid goiters^[10]. Since thyroid hormones control your body’s metabolism, too much to too little of this nutrient can affect your weight. 

Too much iodine can also be toxic, causing symptoms of diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and fever, with burning in the stomach, mouth, and throat.

Further studies are necessary before recommending that pregnant, breastfeeding, and individuals taking blood thinners or blood pressure medication consume sea moss. 

How To Use Sea Moss For Weight Loss?

Adding sea moss superfood to your diet as a weight loss supplement doesn’t have to be as hard as it may sound. This sea vegetable is easily accessible online or in health food stores, and you can eat sea moss by itself, add sea moss gel to other foods and drinks, or purchase supplements in many forms. 

Eating Sea Moss

In Japan, seaweed is in approximately 21%^[3] of their daily meals. The sea moss trend started taking off as well-known celebrities and doctors began promoting its use for weight loss and vibrant skin; however, this plant goes back centuries for its use as a healthy food. 

When choosing the kind of sea moss you want to buy, keep in mind that wildcrafted from the sea is the most nutritious. Although more expensive, it contains more vitamins, minerals, and natural salts compared to company-grown sea moss in pools that have to add salt, sometimes too much.

Sea moss should smell like the sea. Signs of fake sea moss can be a flaky look to it or smell like chlorine or other chemicals. When you purchase sea moss online or from health food stores, it is usually in gel form, or you can buy the dried sea moss and create your own gel. 

Sea moss is a colorful addition to your plate since it comes in colors from golden tan to green to purple. You can eat sea moss raw or cooked after washing and soaking it in water.

Many cookbooks on the market show you different ways to add sea moss to your diet. Here are a few ideas of ways to incorporate sea moss into your life:

• Jam
• Brownies
• Tea
• Elderberry sea moss gummies 
• Add to soup, smoothies, cereal, salad dressings
• Bake into meals and stews
• Use it to thicken homemade cheese, and nut or seed milk, like almond milk
• Sprinkle sea moss powder over food dishes or mix into drinks 

Sea Moss Gel For Weight Loss

You can make sea moss gel with a little DIY spirit. Not only can you add this to your food or eat it by itself, plain or flavored, but you can also use it as a face mask for a vibrant glow. 

• When you prepare your sea moss for soaking, you’ll want to spray and clean off any unwanted sea dirt and debris once or twice. 
• Then place your dried sea moss in a bowl that gives it room to expand since it absorbs water. Cover it with alkaline water and then massage it into the sea moss. 
• Cover your bowl and allow at least 12 to 24 hours for your sea moss to soak at room temperature. You can then use this nutrient-filled water for the gel or replace it with clean alkaline water if it’s too cloudy for your liking. 
• Take the sea moss to a high-speed blender for a few minutes to create a smooth gel. You can add a cup of water at a time to get to the consistency you would like in your gel. 
• Finally, place your sea moss gel into an airtight container or mason jar and refrigerate for up to a couple of weeks or freeze into ice cubes for easy dosing. 

Sea Moss Drink For Weight Loss

Chocolate Raspberry Sea Moss Smoothie 

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup of sea moss gel
• Three pitted dates
• 1.5 cups of almond or oat milk (or your favorite type of milk)
• One tablespoon of ground flax or chia seed
• 1.5 cups of frozen raspberries
• One small cucumber 
• Two tablespoons of raw cacao powder

Blend all ingredients in a blender or magic bullet until smooth. Add ice if you want it thicker, or more milk if you want it thinner until you get the consistency you want. Enjoy!

Sea Moss Supplements

If you have trouble with thickened foods, other forms of sea moss are on the market. You can buy sea moss or red seaweed supplements such as

• Powders
• Sea moss capsules and tablets
• Gummies

Conclusion

You may enjoy sea moss when looking for a superfood weight loss supplement with fewer calories and minimal side effects. In addition, it has beneficial bacteria for your gut health and may reduce body fat, especially when combined with regular exercise. 

Sea moss has excellent potential for building muscle and increasing your bone health with all the nutrients it contains. With as many different ways as it’s marketed, in food or supplement form, you don’t have to fish it out of the sea yourself to try it. 

Remember, if you are already diagnosed with a thyroid problem, check with your healthcare team before using seaweed to try and reduce your body weight.

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