11 Amazing Health Benefits of Kelp

Kelp health benefits includes preventing cancer, maintaining pH balance, enhancing bone density, a good source of protein, helps in RBC production, a good salt replacement, boosting immunity and managing menstruation symptoms. Other benefits includes supporting weight loss, combating diabetes and blood disorders, fighting inflammation, lowering cholesterol levels, relieving digestion, curing anemia and boosting immunity.

What is Kelp?

Kelp comes from the brown algae family. The plant grows in shallow coastal waters. Since kelp grows fairly quickly, it grows back fully within just 10 days of its harvest.

Kelp is popularly taken as a supplement. It is popularly used as powders, tablets and capsules. The plant should only be consumed on your doctor’s recommendation. Since, it contains a high amount of iodine, patients who are suffering from hypersensitivity to iodine or hypothyroidism should avoid consuming it.

There are many kelp forests in the world that are also referred to as colonies. Kelp is widely used as a vegetable and is a popular dietary supplement due to its rich nutritional value.

Nutritional Value of Kelp

The plant has several vitamins and minerals in abundance. It is particularly rich in B vitamins, which play a crucial role in cellular metabolism. There are also many useful minerals including magnesium and calcium that play a valuable role in maintaining normal muscle function and strong bones.

Kelp is a crucial part of the Chinese and Japanese cuisine. However, it is now widely used in all parts of the globe as a delicious food source.

It is a rich source of dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and other organic substances. Hence, there are many benefits of consuming Kelp. It is a great way to keep the body hydrated. This is why kelp soup is popularly used to rehydrate the body quickly. Here are 11 incredible benefits of using Kelp regularly.

11 Amazing Health Benefits of Kelp

1. Cancer Prevention

Research reveals that there is a strong connection between kelp consumption and cancer prevention. There are many useful compounds that are found in the plant that prevent lung and prostate cancer. These helpful substances not only slow down the development of cancerous cells, they also prevent breast and colon cancer to spread throughout the body.

There is strong evidence that proves kelp lowers the rates of ovarian and breast cancer since Japanese women rarely suffer from these forms of cancer.

Since kelp is a rich source of vitamin C; it reduces the damage caused by free radicals. Moreover, it also contains fucoidan, which induces apoptosis in cancerous cells. In simple words, consuming kelp destroys cancer cells.

2. Maintains pH Balance

Kelp is an alkaline food. This implies that it is a natural way to maintain a good acid-base balance in the body. This is helpful for good digestion and most of our bodily processes.

3. Enhances Bone Density

Kelp has many essential minerals including copper, boron, calcium, zinc and manganese. People who have weak and damaged bones can benefit from this gift of nature as it contains all the minerals that are needed to promote good bone health If you are recovering from an injury or an accident, add some kelp to your diet to speed up your recovery.

It also prevents the symptoms of medical conditions caused by mineral deficiencies and osteoporosis.

4. A Good Source of Protein

Since kelp has more than 15 various amino acids, it is extremely beneficial for boosting the amount of protein in our body. Not only it regulates cellular growth, but it also heals wounds and helps in muscle development. If you are looking for a good natural source of protein, add some kelp to your diet.

5. Helps in RBC Production

It is a little known fact that kelp also triggers the production of red blood cells. Kelp has plenty of chlorophyll, which bears a close resemblance to human blood. This is why consuming kelp optimizes all organ functions throughout our body.

6. A Replacement for Salt

You can’t cook a meal without adding salt. But too much salt is also harmful to the body. This seaweed is rich in iodine and this is why kelp extract can be used as an excellent replacement. It tastes the same without the negative effects of salt.

If you want to cut down your sodium intake or experience serious cardiovascular problems; turn to kelp for adopting a healthy replacement.

7. Boosts Immunity

Our body remains vulnerable to outside infections and diseases in the absence of a strong immunity system. Kelp fortifies our immune system by nourishing it with all the essential vitamins and minerals. If you are suffering from any mineral or vitamin deficiency, consuming it is a nutritious way to boost your immunity.

The potassium present in it binds all that sodium in your body and flushes it out of your system. This is why kelp also guarantees a good heart health.

8. Managing Menstruation Symptoms

It is not uncommon for women to suffer from painful menstruation symptoms or PMS. If you put an end to the constant fatigue, anemia and cramps during this time; a mineral-rich super food such as kelp miraculously works and takes care of all uncomfortable symptoms.

9. Assists in Weight Loss

Kelp offers tremendous benefits to people who are struggling to lose weight. Thanks to fucoxanthin, the plant helps in reducing weight and its effect is maximized when it is used with other elements such as pomegranate oil.

10. Combats Diabetes and Blood Disorders

There is a compound fucoidan found in brown algae like it that combats several different types of blood disorders including blood pressure. It is also helpful in relieving ischemic diseases.

It also lowers blood lipids and is beneficial to people who are suffering from diabetes.

11. Anti-Inflammatory

One of the most remarkable benefits of consuming it is that it has fantastic antioxidant properties. Hence, kelp is recommended to people who want to get rid of chronic inflammation to prevent other disorders that are caused to prolonged inflammation.

Other health benefits of kelp

Apart from these benefits, there are many advantages that you get out of it. Here are a few other reasons why you should include kelp in your diet.

• lowers cholesterol levels
• relieves digestion
• boosts immunity
• provides more energy to the body
• cures anemia

There is enough anecdotal evidence to believe that consuming it’s supplement guarantees exceptional hair growth. If you suffer from split ends and falling hair; then you can take kelp supplements to boost your hair growth.

Final Thoughts

This seaweed is a popular vegetable that has been consumed by many Eastern countries for years. However, it is now beginning to make its way into other parts of the world.

Another thing to know before you start benefitting from kelp is that a few types of seaweed are toxic. This is especially true for kelp that grows in contaminated water.

Toxins such as lead, arsenic and cadmium affect the quality and purity of kelp.

Although it is perfectly fine to consume kelp occasionally, pregnant women and people with hyperthyroidism should not use it.