Like many seaweeds, sea moss is valued because it’s packed with nutrients that contribute to a healthy diet. Given the benefits, it’s only natural that we’d want to share these superfoods with our young.
Whether kids can take sea moss is a matter of dosage, which is different for children than it is for adults. Irish sea moss is rich in iodine which, while useful, can be harmful if too much is ingested. Note that anybody with a higher than average iodine level in their system should not take sea moss in any form.
Here’s a rundown. The FDA-recommended daily dose of Irish sea moss is at 150 micrograms. This is for an adult, of course, and it can be as high as 290 micrograms if you’re a pregnant woman. We also have some figures for age ranges and how much iodine each one can handle.
Children aged between one to eight years old have an RDA of 90 micrograms.
Children between nine and thirteen have an RDA of 120 micrograms.
Teens between fourteen and eighteen have an RDA of 150 micrograms, which then stabilizes throughout their adult lives unless they become pregnant.
As an adequate daily intake, there’s no reason to exceed these by giving your kids too much sea moss.
In simpler terms, it might be easier to give your child half of what you have when you consume Irish moss, if a little less to be safe. This way, kids can reap the health benefits of sea moss at the same time you do.
The recommended daily dose of sea moss is a tablespoon or two every day. Assuming a four-gram tablespoon, that’s between four and eight grams. If that’s what you have, half that dosage of sea moss for your child.
Run your planned dosages past your doctor to make sure that they’re safe for you and your children.
Can Newborns Have Sea Moss?
Newborns are complicated. They’re not only more sensitive to certain chemicals and foods but, as rapidly growing children, they can also have greater nutrient demands than children older than them.
As one of the main nutrients in seaweed, iodine will be important in determining what newborns can have. Since they’re growing, newborns are recommended slightly more iodine than the FDA. For context, babies over a year old benefit from 90 micrograms of iodine a day. If the baby is newborn to six months old, they have an adequate intake of 110 micrograms. This increases slightly after the six-month mark to 130 micrograms until they hit one year old.
With all of that said, we’d recommend introducing sea moss after the baby is six months old. This is because your baby can now have solid foods, which most forms of Irish sea moss are. You can also cut and add sea moss into other food so that it poses no threat of choking to your child but even then, wait six months beforehand.
A doctor’s educated opinion on this matter should also be consulted before you commit to a plan.
Is Sea Moss Good For Kids?
Irish moss has many benefits so, as long as it’s being consumed responsibly, kids can reap those benefits too! That said, you should consult your doctor if you’re making significant changes to your and your child’s diets. They should be able to help foresee any potential issues.
Sea moss is rich in iodine, which is vital for thyroid functions and in turn, produces hormones that manage bone growth, nerve functions, and metabolism. These are pretty important for a developing child, as you can imagine, so the answer is a resounding yes.
There are other health benefits too. Seaweed, like a lot of sea life, is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. Sea mosses are no exception. The fats contribute to a healthier heart, lowering the risk of developing heart disease into adulthood and later life. It also helps prevent high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and blood clots. If a child doesn’t want to eat fish, Irish moss can help them to get heart-healthy nutrients.
They can also help regulate blood sugar through fucoxanthin. This is a carotenoid, the family of nutrients that creates an orange pigment in fruits and vegetables all over the planet. For Irish moss, it’s where their reddish-brown color comes from.
Fucoxanthin maximizes the efficiency of insulin in the system, which can be invaluable for staying on top of the diet of a diabetic child. Instead of candy, healthier Irish moss can help tame a blood sugar crash instead.
Carotenoids are also antioxidants. They’re known to fight against free radicals which, if unmanaged, can cause cell damage that develops into cancer. Through eating Irish moss from an early age, it can reduce the probability of developing certain cancers. While not an immediate benefit, it does grant some peace of mind.