A few months ago, I went to Los Angeles for a long weekend with my friend Becca to visit her relatives and soak in some sunshine. We both live in Bozeman, Montana and wanted to take a quick break in balmy southern California during the long, frigid northern winter.
Los Angeles tends to be at the vanguard of any health food fad, and the luxury grocery store chain Erewhon is the epicenter, the birthplace of dozens of dubious superfoods. In 2022, they started selling model Hailey Bieber’s sea moss-based Strawberry Glaze Skin smoothie, which quickly went viral. It gets its trademark pink coloring from a blend of almond milk, coconut cream, strawberries, avocados, dates, maple syrup, vanilla collagen, vanilla stevia, and the then-obscure sea moss.
Since then, sea moss has become ubiquitous among health-and-wellness types. Lately, fitness influencers are scooping heaps of sea moss gel, a colorless goo, into smoothies, coffee, and chia puddings—or just eating it straight off the spoon. Fans of the gelatinous substance claim that it boosts their immune system and improves gut and thyroid health. Some claim…
