kelp? anyone tried this?

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pinkandloopy
pinkandloopy Posts: 77
in Health and Weight Loss
a friend of mine suggested taking kelp as its meant to boost your metabolism. I tried it a while ago before starting my current eating ( I've lost 6lbs since) but I found all it did was...well, let's say I spent a lot of time in the bathroom :blushing:
I don't know if anyone else has found it useful, or how much they were taking? I was only taking 1 a day but they were quite strong. I think you can get lower strength ones.

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  • estelle74uk
    estelle74uk Posts: 465 Member
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    I used it for a little while (sea kelp) because a hairdresser told me that it was good for the hair?! Not sure whether it worked or not though.
  • SoldierDad
    SoldierDad Posts: 1,602
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    I've read good things about it.
  • balance9
    balance9 Posts: 160
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    Kelp is good stuff, in moderation, in it's whole food form. Skip the supplements. They're not regulated or tested, and kelp (a sea vegetable) can have high levels of arsenic, cadmium, mercury and other heavy metals. Kelp, in its whole food form, is high in iodine, which supports thyroid function and metabolism. But supplements are highly concentrated, and can trigger autoimmune thyroid disease and hypothyroidism (which slows your metabolism). Almost impossible to do with the real stuff, but supplements are risky.

    You can buy sheets of dried kelp in most whole food stores. Tear off a few strips and add to soups a few times a week to get the metabolism-boosting benefits, as well as phytonutrients, calcium, magnesium.

    Here's a quote I love from Marion Nestle, a NYC nutritionist
    "The problem with nutrient-by-nutrient nutrition science is that it takes the nutrient out of the context of the food, the food out of the context of the diet, and the diet out of the context of the lifestyle.”
  • pinkandloopy
    pinkandloopy Posts: 77
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    hey, thanks for the advice- the last thing I need is for my metabolism to slow down!! I'll look out for the real stuff.
  • rodney73
    rodney73 Posts: 15
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    I would check your thyroid before taking kelp with the doctor, just from experience. I have Graves disease and was gulping down kelp which sent my thyroid sky high, I didn't lose weight but felt very tired, the specialist said I was like a car revving but not going anywhere.
    If you have a normal thyroid then it should be fine, its always good to get your thyroid levels checked out anyway.
  • rodney73
    rodney73 Posts: 15
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    p.s the reason kelp affects the thyroid is because of the iodine..

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