Health Benefits of Sea Moss and How to Use it With These 5 Easy Recipes

Sea moss, also known as Irish moss, is suddenly becoming the hottest new ingredient to add to your diet for its powerful immune-boosting qualities, along with its other known health benefits. Sea moss, an alga that has been scientifically proven to promote healthy weight loss, help you build lean muscle, rev up energy and metabolism as well as super-charge your immune system. One serving of sea moss provides most of the vitamins and nutrients your body needs in a day to be its healthiest.

You have probably heard of sea moss, but the question is: How do you use it in recipes, and what's the best way to get it into your diet? We've gathered five easy and delicious ways to add this powerful plant to your daily diet. Here's exactly what you need to know about sea moss, including where to buy it, what it tastes like, and creative ways to add it to your meals, for all the right reasons.

First, sea moss is not a new discovery. Over 2,000 years ago, the Irish harvested sea moss and used it as natural medicines and a homemade remedy to treat illnesses. Sea moss is a red, micro-algae and is native to the coastlines of North America, Europe, and the Caribbean, but now often harvested and protected in pool farms, mostly located in Jamacia and Antigua.

Sea moss is sold in bunches and looks like the translucent yellow seaweed you'd find washing up on beaches along the Atlantic seaboard and parts of the Caribbean. When you buy sea moss, look for "wildcrafted" on the package, which tells you it's 100% naturally grown and made without preservatives. Because the alga takes about three months to replenish after it's been picked, real sea moss isn't as readily available as fake sea moss, which is made in factories and contains preservatives and salts. (This is a growing concern as demand for the miracle plant grows.)

Trusted Sea Moss brands:

Sea moss is full of incredible health benefits, which is why the tiny spiral yellow seaweed is considered a "powerhouse" food. Here are five reasons you should add it to your diet according to popular herbalist Paul Otote.

Sea moss is full of iron, which many plant-based eaters lack because it's commonly found in animal foods like meat, poultry, and seafood. Sea moss contains about 9 milligrams of iron per 100 grams, which means sea moss has 9 times more iron than chicken.

Sea moss has 92 of the 110 minerals the body is made from, says Otote and he calls it the "powerhouse." Sea moss contains beta-carotene, vitamin B, vitamin C, and sulfur as well as minerals like magnesium, manganese, calcium, phosphorus, and zinc. All these contribute to healthy cell functioning in the body.

Sea moss contains iodine, the vital thyroid hormone precursor that is important for healthy thyroid function, and your body's metabolism.

The seaweed is rich in protein, with 6 grams of protein per 100 grams of sea moss. The best way to get the benefit is with the sea moss gel added to your post-workout smoothie.

Most importantly, given the current health situation, sea moss also helps the body fight back against all types of immune threats, including viruses and everyday aging and inflammation. Otote calls this "the anti's:" Anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral. It's been used for hundreds of years as a treatment to help prevent and relieve cold and flu-like symptoms, in powdered form.

"It can be used to prevent colds but also help you heal and recover from sickness," Otote says. Sea moss contains potassium chloride, which helps the body reduce inflammation and people take it to lower their risk of infections because of its positive impact on the immune system. Otote sums it up as a no-lose additive: "Sea moss when you're ill is a win, and sea moss when you're healthy is a win, it's a win-win."

The best part about sea moss is that you can add it to most of your favorite meals. Sea moss has a thick consistency and works well as a roux to add to stir-fries, rice, and beans, bread, baked goods, smoothies. The smell of sea moss is a slightly "under the sea" ocean aroma but it's easy to get rid of that seaweed scent by soaking it in limes. (Follow the video below as blogger West Indie Ray shows you how to eliminate the odor.)

Before you add sea moss to your smoothies, bowls, rice, bread, first you need to prepare the algae and blend it into a gel. This liquid is your base to add to tasty, healthy recipes. We researched the best and easiest sea moss gel video tutorial so you can watch and make the gel on your own.

West Indie Ray, a popular blogger, explains the health facts from Dr.Sebi who used sea moss in his practice. She points out that sea moss on its own has an "under the sea" taste, which she gets rid of by soaking limes into the mix. Then, she soaks the sea moss mixture, adds it to her blender, and shows the final gel form. She also points out that sea moss should be stored in an amber mason jar to protect the sea moss from absorbing any harmful chemicals.

After you make the gel, add the liquid to your smoothies. Take your favorite ingredients like bananas, apples, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and greens like kale, spinach, and sprouts, then add just 3 tablespoons of sea moss gel and blend. This is a healthy recipe that's easy to make and tastes delicious.

Or, try this smoothie recipe (below) from Red's Kitchen Sink, a company that harvests sea moss from St. Lucia.

Or, try this sea moss smoothie made with natural vegan ingredients and has a nutty, festive-holiday taste. The recipe is attached to the image below.

Similar to a smoothie, blend together acai berries and sea moss gel, for the base of your bowl. Then add your favorite toppings like kiwis, coconut flakes, seeds, and nuts. You won't even taste the sea moss gel but still reap all the health benefits.

Rice and beans are an easy, healthy recipe to make. You probably have a go-to recipe for rice and beans or simply heat rice on the stovetop until it's cooked through. After you drain the rice, add 2-3 tablespoons of sea moss gel for a thicker consistency. Then, add your cooked beans to the mixture and enjoy.

In this strawberry rhubarb fool with Irish sea moss custard recipe from Food Network, make a delicious, tasty, healthier-for-you dessert with a half cup of sea moss gel. The ingredients list includes non-plant-based foods but we recommend easy swaps so you can enjoy this dish completely dairy-free. Instead of milk, add your favorite nut milk, and instead of egg yolk, use one tablespoon of flax egg and three tablespoons of water, the ratio is 1 to 3. This recipe calls for three egg yolks, triple the flax seed ratio.

After you have your sea moss gel preparation, add the mixture to a face mask for clear, glowing, bright skin. We researched an all-natural sea moss face mask recipe made with superfood ingredients like algae gel, maca powder, chlorella powder, kelp powder, spirulina, turmeric, and clay.

If you have a favorite plant-based recipe that includes sea moss, send it to us via email at info@thebeet.com.