For the past few months I have started every day the same way – with a big spoonful of a nasty tasting golden colored gel.
The best way to describe its texture is lumpy jelly, and the pungent chemical taste is so heavy, the only thing that can remove it is a strong black coffee.
It might sound like a snake oil medicinal treatment from the 1800s, but it’s actually a £17 health supplement made with moss harvested from the shores of the Caribbean island of St Lucia.
And while this gel, known as seaweed, won’t win any awards for its taste, I believe it has changed my life.
Since I started taking it every morning, I’ve experienced what can only be described as a whole personality change.
Better than vitamins? Our reporter Dolly Busby put seaweed, which is becoming increasingly popular with Gen Z, to the test.
American supermodel Bella Hadid swears by the benefits of seaweed and claims to drink a glass every morning.
Suddenly I have boundless energy and I’m no longer bored at 5pm. My friends have commented on how good I look, some even describing my skin as glowing. I also no longer get hangovers.
I’m far from the only seaweed enthusiast. Over the past two years it has exploded in popularity among women under 25 – Gen Zs.
There are more than 1.4 million seaweed posts on Instagram, including numerous promotions from celebrity influencers.
It is basically billed as the best vitamin supplement. However, seaweed also has a dark side, with user reports that are not good.
So what’s the truth – and could this disgusting slime spell the end of vitamin supplements?
Seaweed is a type of algae that looks somewhat like seaweed and grows in the tide pool.
There are several types, the two most common being Irish moss and Caribbean moss.
Records show that it has been used as a medicine since 600 BC, when the Chinese took it to treat respiratory ailments.
During the Irish potato famine in the 19th century, seaweed was eaten to fight hunger.
But in recent years companies have started turning it into a gel that can be kept in a jar and stay fresh for months.
These gels, which come in a variety of bright colors, have grown in popularity in part due to celebrity endorsements such as reality TV star Kim Kardashian, who says she drinks seaweed smoothies.
American supermodel Bella Hadid claims to drink a glass of seaweed every morning.
As a showbiz reporter for the Mail, I closely follow the lives of celebrities and, after seeing these influential women singing her praises, I thought I’d give it a try. I even went for the same brand as Bella – Planted Seeds Gold Sea Mymoss Gel.
Our reporter tried the same brand favored by Bella Hadid – Planted Seeds Gold Sea Mymoss Gel
The main draw is that it is supposed to be packed with minerals. According to Island Moss, one of the UK’s largest suppliers, one scoop contains magnesium, potassium, iodine, sulphur, calcium, selenium, fibre, copper, phosphorus, zinc, riboflavin and manganese.
The firm says these ‘provide energy, regulate digestion and detoxify the body’.
I am 24 years old and eat a fairly healthy diet. But while I don’t know what many of these minerals actually do, it’s a tantalizing promise.
But some experts have expressed concerns about the safety of seaweed, warning that excessive consumption can lead to thyroid problems due to high levels of iodine.
While iodine is essential for the functioning of the thyroid – a small gland in the neck that produces important hormones – too much can leave it overactive, leading to symptoms such as mood swings, fatigue and difficulty sleeping.
Earlier this year, a 28-year-old woman in Connecticut in the US was hospitalized with severe thyroid disease after taking seaweed ‘sporadically’ for a month.
Dr Duane Mellor, a nutritionist at Aston University in Birmingham, said: “If someone has an overactive thyroid then too much iodine can be a problem.
“Normally, most people struggle to consume enough iodine, but seaweed has a lot of it.”
Experts also question whether seaweed may be healthier than multivitamins, which are carefully formulated to contain a good balance of nutrients.
“Mussels are undoubtedly rich in vitamins and minerals, but are unlikely to be a superior substitute for a good multivitamin,” says Harley Street nutritionist Kim Pearson.
“The seaweed is natural, so the chances of it containing the same effective health boost are low.”
As for me, I’m thinking of giving up seaweed.
The boost of energy I initially got from it has slowly faded. My theory is that when I first started taking the gel, my body suddenly got nutrients it didn’t have before.
But now that’s gone, I’m not sure I want to keep eating a disgusting – and surprisingly expensive – gel every morning.