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Taking the Mystery Out Of Sea Moss
In recent years sea moss has become the newest superfood and has blown up the health food industry. Although it is popular, there is still some mystery surrounding it.
What Is Sea Moss?
Sea moss is an algae that grows in bodies of mineral-rich ocean water. It grows on rocky coastlines and forms thick clusters. Sea moss is harvested for the complex carbohydrate that forms a gelatinous substance called carrageenan and agar, which can be found in many dairy and non-dairy food products and in non-food-based products that requires a thick pudding, jelly, or smooth consistency.
What Makes Sea Moss the New Super Food?
Sea moss is highly nutritious. Research from the USDA touts its rich micro-nutrient potential such as vitamins A, E, F, K and calcium, iodine, iron, copper, selenium and more. It is reported that it contains at least 92 of the 102 minerals that the body needs to be healthy.
What Are the Types of Sea Moss That Can Be Purchased?
Over 200 types of sea moss can be found worldwide. One popular variety is chondrus crispus, which is popularly called Irish moss. The other popular variety is gracilaria, which is found in warmer tropical waters.
How Is Sea Moss Accessed from The Sea?
Sea moss is wild harvested, which means that divers manually cut and gather the algae from the rocks. After harvesting, the sea moss is either semi-dried and salted or fully dried and not salted to preserve it for transportation and to increase shelf life. Sea moss can also be farmed.
What Are the Benefits of Sea Moss?
Due to the mineral rich environment in which it is grown, sea moss benefits overall health with antioxidants and phytochemicals. The benefits include inflammation reduction, fat metabolism, respiratory health, digestive health, and thyroid health with its abundance of iodine.
How To Incorporate Sea Moss Into the Daily Diet?
Raw sea moss comes very dry, dehydrated, and shrunken. A small knot about half an ounce can be rehydrated by cleaning it to remove sea debris and soaking it in clean water with slices of lemon or lime to reduce or remove the fishy aroma and leaving it to swell to three times its size. After it swells and significantly softens, it is ready to use.
To use, it can be blended with water into a gel, which will last about one month in refrigeration. A tablespoon of the gel can be added to smoothies, tea, soups, salad dressings, cereals, and anything liquid or soft.
In addition to blending it, the raw rehydrated and swelled sea moss can be chopped and added to fresh salads. Some people heat it to make a quick gel.
However you venture to incorporate sea moss into your daily lifestyle, it will be a valuable addition to your health regimen to boost your health.
