Read This Before Trying TikTok's Viral Sea Moss Smoothie
Over the last few years, TikTok has become a go-to source for recipes and food inspiration. There was cloud bread in all of its pastel-hued glory, baked feta pasta that made cheese lovers everywhere scream with happiness, and the Pepto Bismol-esque #pinksauce. Now, there's a new obsession popping up all over the social media platform: the sea moss smoothie. In a recent TikTok post, Hailey Bieber — supermodel and wife of Justin Bieber — revealed that she developed the smoothie for California-based grocery store Erewhon Market, dubbing it the Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie.
According to Erewhon's Instagram, the $17 smoothie contains the following "skin-supporting" ingredients: sea moss gel, almond milk, strawberries, vanilla collagen, hyaluronic acid, avocado, coconut cream, and dates (just to name a few). Even if you don't live on the West Coast, you can recreate Bieber's smoothie at home. But is it safe or healthy to drink? Here's what you should know before taking a sip of the sea moss smoothie TikTok is enamored with.
Sea moss may have some health benefits
You might have finally accepted that vegetables — like spinach, kale, cucumbers, even zucchini — can go into smoothies and still taste delicious. But sea moss?! The thought of blending what sounds like seaweed into a drink doesn't necessarily sound the most appetizing. Per sea moss smoothie fan and health food blogger, Good Food Baddie, the ingredient has a mucus-like texture but a "light taste" that's hard to detect once it's buzzed up in a fruity drink.
More importantly, for those wanting a health boost, experts say the low-calorie ocean algae is packed with benefits for your body. According to Healthline, sea moss is full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. It also provides iodine, which can improve your thyroid function. Note, however, that the FDA has not approved the use of many sea moss supplements (via Cleveland Clinic). Healthline also cautions that because not much research has been done on sea moss and its effects, you may want to proceed with caution.
TikTok isn't the first to come up with the idea of eating (or drinking) sea moss. Eater reports that the algae is common in island cuisine — like in the Caribbean, Indonesia, and Hawaii — where it's incorporated into a variety of dishes, from salads to desserts.