Most people have tried to lose a few pounds at some point, and you have probably tried numerous diets to achieve your ideal weight.
While it has always been a blur on how to pick a seamless program that will help you shed the pounds faster, some foods have been proved to support losing weight.
Among such foods is sea moss. Research suggests that sea moss is excellent in helping lose weight. Add sea moss to your weight loss regimen and shed off those pounds. This article highlights what you need to know about sea moss and losing weight.
Using Sea Moss for Weight regime
Numerous studies have shown that adding red seaweed to your diet intake could be effective for losing weight and other health benefits. There are several ways in which sea moss can help you lose a few extra pounds, from suppressing your appetite to helping you build lean muscles.
Here are some of the ways that sea moss aids you in losing weight:
It makes you Full for Longer
If you have ever tried to lose weight, then you know that most weight loss diets are very restrictive regarding what you consume. You end up being underfed due to the low calorie and feeling crappy most of the time during the weight loss journey.
This is one of the significant reasons why sea moss is suitable for your weight loss journey. Adding the Irish moss to your diet increases your fibre intake, which is low in calories.
Sea moss has carrageenan as one of its main compounds. Carrageenan isn't digestible in the human body and acts as a soluble fibre, and soluble fibres mix with water in the digestive system to form a gel-like substance.
Carrageenan is a gel-like substance that slows digestion in your body because it increases the time it takes for food to move through your digestive tract, and it also slows the rate at which your stomach empties its contents.
Therefore, you end up feeling fuller for longer, which aids you in reducing the amount of food you eat. Additionally, sea moss has been reported to be excellent in suppressing hunger cravings.
Thus, it is excellent in helping people deal with binge eating. Thus, suppressing binge eating helps people avoid gaining weight as well as help with blood sugar control and keeping heart diseases at bay, which are often associated with binge eating and being overweight.
Significant Influence on your Fat Metabolism
The red seaweed contains a considerable amount of iodine, which is crucial for proper functioning thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones help in the regulation of your metabolism.
Thus if your body function is not optimum, your body will have problems converting food into energy, leading to weight gain.
Research has shown that consuming sea moss can lower fat absorption and fat cell production, which is excellent for the fat-burning process.
A study conducted in 2019 among obese adults revealed that the red seaweed helped the participants drop body weight and their total body fat mass.
Further research has also shown that the seaweed contains citrulline-arginine, a compound in plant-based foods. Citrulline-arginine is incredible for helping boost people's metabolism.
Supports Gut Health
Red seaweed is an excellent prebiotic. Prebiotics promote the growth of beneficial bacteria along the digestive tract.
Studies have shown that gut bacteria play an essential role in regulating your body's energy expenditure and storage, influencing your risk of obesity and improving conditions to lose body fat.
Balances Blood Sugar Levels
Sea moss is exceptional in slowing carbohydrate absorption in the body, which helps regulate sugar levels. Spikes in body sugar levels lead to constant feelings of hunger and cravings that quickly lead to someone overeating and derailing their weight loss initiative.
Incorporating the moss into your diet will help keep your body sugar levels in check and, consequently, help reduce body fat and improve overall health.
Reduces Inflammation
Sea moss is an excellent source of magnesium. Magnesium is an essential mineral required by the body and is best known for its anti-inflammatory properties.
Inflammation in the body has been linked with causing obesity and chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
Consuming sea moss reduces chances of inflammation in the body and thus supports weight loss and chances of being obese.
Helps in Building Muscle
Sea moss is excellent in helping regulate the number of electrolytes and calcium in your body. Also, the sea algae assist in forming bile salts that help digestion.
Its regulating function makes it possible for the body to burn fat, increase its use of that fat for fuel, and thus help lose weight.
Additionally, the body enters the ketosis phase, meaning it uses the fat stored for energy. During this phase, the body can build lean muscles, which help burn calories and further help you lower body fat.
Enhances your Energy
Sea moss is a good source of iron for the body, and iron gives the body energy. The red seaweed also has a high amount of fibre, increasing digestion's energy.
Consuming sea moss gives you high amounts of energy that can sustain you for a lengthy period. It is a great energy source for long and challenging workouts.
Eliminating Toxins from the Body
The red seaweed contains alginates which bind with toxins and heavy metals in the gut and eliminates them from the body. This elimination process, known as adsorption, reduces the creation of fat cells, which helps in reaching your ideal body weight.
How to Consume Sea Moss for Weight Loss?
The algae are best consumed either as a gel or in capsules.
The gel can be made at the convenience of your home. To make sea moss at home, here are some steps to follow;
- Take dried sea moss and soak it in clean water for at least 48 hours.
- Remove the soaked sea moss from the water and place it in a blender.
- Add a small amount of water to the blender and blend the sea moss.
- After blending, store the sea moss in a sealed container and refrigerate it for at least an hour before use.
Sea moss gel can also be bought at health stores. You can add sea moss gel to your smoothies, juices, stews, soups, and drinks such as tea.
Sea moss can also be consumed in capsule form, and these capsules can be bought conveniently at health stores. Consuming capsules is the best method to use sea moss for weight loss.
This is because you can track the amount of sea moss you consume, unlike with the gel. Keeping track of how much you consume is vital as it helps people eat within safe amounts.
Don't add too much Sea Moss
Since the red seaweed is high in iodine content, eating sea moss might mean taking too much iodine, which has some side effects like vomiting, diarrhea, severe inflammation, and thyroid hormone control.
Red seaweed is a soluble fibre, and excessive consumption of it can cause stomach upset such as bloating and gas. If your current fibre intake is low, it's best to start with a small amount of seaweed and progressively increase your intake.
We speak about the side effects of Irish moss in our article found here.
Does it speed the process to Lose Weight?
Gaining weight is a process that takes time; hence, weight loss is also a journey that takes time and consistency. Thus while taking sea moss for weight loss, you must be patient with the results.
It is crucial to note that an increase in weight is tied to many factors such as genetics, gender, age, lifestyle, disorders, and habits. Therefore, even though adding sea moss to your diet is proven to help reduce weight, it is essential to take it while maintaining healthy practices and keeping your body active.
Do not take too much sea moss when trying to lose weight.
Closing
Sea moss is loaded with high amounts of carrageenan and is low in calories. Carrageenan, when consumed, acts as a soluble fibre, a property that makes it great for aiding in weight loss, lower blood pressure, improved thyroid function, and improved bone health when you incorporate it into a healthy lifestyle.
Some of the top ways it may help you shed those pounds are:
- It makes you fuller for longer
- Supports gut health
- Balancing your body sugar
Currently, there's no pre-determined safe consumption of sea moss as a weight loss supplement. However, due to its high iodine content, it is best to moderate its consumption as it might interfere with your body's thyroid functions. It might also have toxins that could be detrimental to someone's health.
It is essential to seek advice from your health care provider before incorporating sea moss into your diet.