Slim down with Sea Kelp

Dieting may be difficult to most of us. The endless cycle of restricting and controlling your food intake is frustrating and de-motivating. Crash dieting can lead to metabolic ruin. Shedding a few pounds may work miracles for your health, appearance and self esteem. But how do we do that… naturally?

Sea kelp is a type of aquatic vegetable that can be a good addition to your diet if you’re trying to lose weight. Sea kelp, as with many types of land-based vegetables, is quite low in calories and contains little fat, so it can fit into a variety of weight loss meal plans. 

It’s a fact that the Japanese are a lot healthier, and slimmer. They are much wiser than us when it comes to food, and using “food as medicine” is part of the culture. One major “slim factor” is a love of seaweed. Kelp is a particular favorite, and many Japanese even add it in supplement form besides enjoying them during meals.

Sea kelp contains amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals and is a rich source of iron and iodine, which may help weight loss. Kelp is broad-leaved seaweed found in all of the world’s oceans and can grow up to 1 foot in length each day. There are many claims about the weight loss benefits of taking kelp supplements, but there is insufficient research to support these.

Sea Kelp products sold for weight loss are usually in tablet form and supply between 150 and 360 mcg iodine per daily dose. The kelp is harvested from unpolluted seashores, dried, ground and then pressed into tablets or sold as powder for addition to liquids or cooking. Sea kelp products are suitable for vegan and vegetarian diets. 

Although not one food can spur weight loss on its own, sea kelp can be a good choice for dieting. You can steam fresh sea kelp and serve it, as you would to land-based leafy vegetables, such as in salads or as a side dish. Sea kelp can be an effective diet food because it is low in calories. A 100 g serving of sea kelp contains just 43 calories, an amount that comprises just 2 percent of the daily suggested intake of 2,000.

Weight Loss

Iodine is the principal nutrient in sea kelp that is considered responsible for weight loss. Iodine is found in all plants and animals and exists in particularly high levels in kelp. If you are deficient in iodine and producing insufficient thyroid hormones to regulate your metabolism, then taking sea kelp products will increase your hormone production and hence your metabolic rate. This will automatically lead to weight loss even if you change nothing else in your life.

Kelp contains many of the vitamins and minerals that can be deficient in a modern diet. If you have low levels of any of these then taking kelp may restore normal levels improving your digestion and normalizing your fluid balance. This may also make you lose weight.

Thyroid hormones

Iodine is a constituent of the thyroid hormones that regulate your metabolism, the speed at which you burn fat and sugars. If you create insufficient thyroid hormones your metabolic rate will fall, you will not use energy sources efficiently and you will store increased amounts of the energy that you eat as fat. If you can increase the amount of thyroid hormone that you produce by taking sea kelp products, then you will increase the rate at which you burn energy sources and lose weight.

Your thyroid gland will only produce and release sufficient thyroid hormones for your needs each day. Taking higher levels of kelp supplements will not accelerate your weight loss.

Some conditions that sea kelp can help with include:

• Headaches

• Stress

• Constipation

• Ulcers

• Indigestion

• Kidney, liver, or respiratory malfunctions

• Weight control

• Irritability

• Depression

• Lack of energy

• Flatulence

• Goitre


You should not take kelp products if you suffer from any form of thyroid cancer. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, please consult with your health care provider before taking any kelp products. 

Due to its rapid growth, kelp concentrates minerals from the surrounding sea water and can contain high levels of arsenic, mercury, please ensure that your kelp supplement is from a reputable manufacturer.