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Sea Kelp

 

Sea kelp is an important substance that can have a whole range of health benefits and it is particularly helpful for the thyroid gland.  Read on to find out more about how sea kelp can be of benefit to your health.

What is Sea Kelp?

Sea kelp contains over sixty essential vitamins, minerals, and trace elements.  It is the richest natural source of iodine, which is vital for preventing and treating iodine deficiencies.  Iodine is also important for the function of the thyroid gland and is a key part of thyroid hormones, which are necessary for the body’s normal development and metabolism.  In this way, sea kelp can help to regulate weight, as the regulation of metabolism can be important for this.
As well as iodine, sea kelp contains magnesium, calcium, iron, copper, potassium, zinc, and natural sea salt.  Sea kelp has the highest natural concentration of calcium of any food (it has ten times more than milk!) and it is also high in fibre.  Sea kelp also contains protein, vitamins A, B, C, and E, and beta-carotene.  They are also high in lignans, plant compounds that have cancer-protective properties.
Sea kelp takes the minerals and trace elements that are found in sea water and concentrates these in its leaves and stems in almost the exact proportions that are found in healthy human blood.

Conditions Helped by Sea Kelp

 

Some things 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

It has also been shown to have remedial and normalising effects on the following:
• Sensory nerves
• Arteries
• Pylorus
• Colon
• Liver
• Gall bladder
• Pancreas
• Bile duct
• Kidneys
• Prostate gland
• Uterus
• Testicles
• Ovaries

Perhaps the most important thing that sea kelp helps with is the thyroid gland as it is so rich in iodine.  Iodine combines with the amino acid tyrosine to create T3 and T4, the thyroid hormones that regulate metabolism in every cell in the body and they also play a role in just about all of the physiological functions.  The most common sign of a thyroid deficiency is an enlarged thyroid gland, which is commonly called a goitre.

 
 
 

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  Dietitian
  Nutrition