Excellent source of vitamins and minerals: Kelp has been shown to contain 46 minerals, 16 amino acids (the building blocks of protein) and 11 different vitamins. Prominent among the minerals are iodine, salt, iron, potassium, phosphorus and calcium. The lead vitamins in kelp are vitamin A and niacin.

Helps in Thyroid Gland Regulation: Due to Kelps high levels of natural iodine, it is essential in regulating our thyroid hormones and therefore our metabolism and energy levels.

Kelp helps in hydration. This may be particularly important to note when you have been ill or exposed to too much heat and sun. Make a soup or broth with kelp and rehydrate quickly.

Assists in Weight Management and Weight Loss: Due to kelp's iodine content and its role in thyroid function, one of kelps benefits is improving metabolism and energy. An iodine deficiency can slow your metabolic function by as much at 50 percent, so including kelp can naturally and significantly improve weight loss and other associated health problems.

Improves body pH: Kelp is an alkaline food and therefore an essential part of maintaining acid base balance in the body and an effective component in a healthy acid-alkaline diet.

Cancer prevention: particularly in estrogen sensitive cancers such as breast, endometrial and ovarian cancers. There has been much study on kelp benefits for breast cancer individuals. This important estrogen and breast cancer connection has been demonstrated in a study at UC Berkeley where they found that a diet containing kelp lowered serum estradiol ('bad' estrogen) levels in women.

Kelp also contains something called 'fucoidan' which has been shown in studies to cause cell death, or apoptosis, in cancer cells. Essentially, kelp has superhero powers causing cancer cells to self-destruct!

Colon and breast cancer have both been singled out as showing a reduced risk with kelp supplementation. And it should not be a surprise, that Japanese woman, whose diets are high in kelp, have the lowest rates of breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer in the world!

In addition, kelp benefits include the following properties: anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-tumor, anti-biotic, anti-viral, and immune-stimulating.