If you’ve ever found yourself wandering the supplement aisles of Erewhon, you’ve probably noticed the high-end health grocer’s mesmerizing rainbow of colors. jared c moss gel. But a quick look at the store today will reveal how trendy the so-called superfood has become. It’s in Hailey Bieber’s popular Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie, and throughout the beverage aisle, including as a key ingredient in functional beverage brands. Moss.
Beyond health food stores, you may also have seen wellness influencers talking about how seaweed can support your gut, thyroid, and skin. Are what they claim about the benefits of sea moss true or is this a trend that should stick in LA? We spoke to five registered dietitians to find out.
What is sea moss?
“Sea moss is a type of edible red seaweed,” says gauge blotenbergeris a registered dietitian at the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center. “It can be either harvested or grown in the field, and it is usually dried and then processed into gels, powders or capsules,” he says.
The registered dietitian says the sea moss you see sold in most stores is primarily sourced from the islands of the Caribbean (especially St. Lucia and Jamaica) and the North Atlantic coast (including Ireland, Canada, and Maine). xavier toledo, ldn. It is usually used in the form of a gel, which is made by soaking the seaweed for about a day until it has grown, washing it, mixing it with water, and then placing it in the refrigerator for a few hours to thicken. You can either go through this process yourself using dried sea moss, or you can purchase it in ready-made gel form (as seen on Erewhon shelves above).
Although it can be eaten as is by the spoonful, it has become especially popular as an addition to smoothies, porridge or soups. As you can imagine, it tastes a bit marine, which is why some brands mix it with fruit to balance out the flavor.
Benefits of Sea Algae: Fact or Fiction?
Wellness influencers swear by sea moss for everything from healing their leaky gut to regulating their thyroid. We took all claims to qualified registered dietitians to separate the health facts from pure hype.
Claim: It’s good for your gut.
True or False: Truth.
Of all the health claims being made about sea moss, Health Loft is a registered dietitian Heather Ritter, RDNIt is said that this is most praiseworthy. “Sea moss is a source of fiber, which acts as a prebiotic and supports beneficial bacteria in the gut,” says Ritter. registered dietitian Gillian BarcombeAdds that it is especially a source of soluble fiber. (This is the type of fiber that helps slow digestion and encourages the growth of more good gut bacteria.)
While sea moss does contain fiber, Toledo points out that every plant-based food contains fiber and there are many foods that contain far more fiber than sea moss. If you look at the labels of most sea moss supplements, the amount of fiber is often less than a gram. Their Opinion: If you want to add sea moss to your diet as a way to get more fiber, that’s fine, but there are more effective ways to do so.
As far as any claims that sea moss can be used to heal “leaky gut” are concerned, all five dietitians say the research is more equivocal. Despite what you may hear on social media, there is no scientific evidence supporting it.
Claim: It contains 92 of the 102 trace minerals your body needs.
True or False: False.
