What Do Kelp Tablets Do for the Body?
So you're deciding whether or not to buy yourself a bottle of kelp tablets, hearing somewhere it's supposed to be good for you but not quite sure how. Pat yourself on the back for thinking about it---buying kelp is a wise, healthy decision.
Understand that kelp is rich in nutrients, "10 times richer in minerals than any known land crop." Kelp contains "over 60 minerals and elements, 21 amino acids, simple and complex carbohydrates and several essential plant growth hormones."
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History
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Kelp, a large brown seaweed of the Fucaceae family, is used not only for food but as a primary source of iodine. The Chinese have used kelp since 3000 B.C., mainly for medicinal reasons. The Japanese have eaten kelp and other sea vegetables for over 1,500 years and eat kelp in almost every meal. In fact, Japan is the largest consumer of kelp.
Know, too, that kelp is one of the fastest growing plants, second only to bamboo, growing several centimeters daily. Giant kelp can grow up to 100 feet in one year and up to 14 inches in one day. You'll find kelp forests all over the world, in shallow coastal waters.
Benefits
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Kelp tablets normalize your body weight, meaning if you're overweight you will lose weight or gain it if needed. Realize you'll burn more calories every hour when you take an iodine-rich kelp tablet each day. Kelp stimulates "a hormone produced by the thyroid gland that's responsible for boosting metabolism...Kelp is very useful for thyroid-related obesity."
Stimulate your hair growth when you take kelp tablets. Kelp is known to prevent hair loss, and even "regenerate hair if the follicle is still alive."
Being a natural source of iodine, kelp is an antibiotic. Additionally, because it's so high in iodine, kelp keeps your thyroid healthy. Thyroid disease is very low in Japan.
Note that Japanese women also have a low rate of breast cancer and both men and women have low rates of heart disease, which may be due to eating dietary kelp. Receive numerous other benefits from your kelp tablets, such as reducing enlarged prostates in men, enhancing brain health, relieving constipation, eczema, edema, poor digestion and menstrual problems.
Dosage
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Follow the label dosage on your bottle of kelp tablets. If it says 300 to 1,500mg daily, take only the recommended dosage. One California patient endured health problems after taking too many kelp supplements, adding arsenic to her body. "Due to high arsenic concentrations in algae and marine micro-organisms, seafood is the highest dietary source of arsenic for consumers."
Purchasing
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Buy kelp tablets at your local natural health food store or online. Taking kelp supplements is a very inexpensive way to get an abundance of nutrients, minerals and vitamins your body needs for health.
Don't gather wild kelp for eating---it can contain contaminants from the sea.
Tips and Warnings
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Check with your doctor before taking kelp if you have a thyroid problem. Taking too many kelp tablets can result in hyperthyroidism. Also, check with your doctor if you have high blood pressure, or heart problems before taking any kelp supplements.
Avoid taking kelp if you're on a low sodium diet.
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