Sea Moss vs a Multivitamin: Do You Still Need Your Pills?

Most women should keep taking their multivitamin and treat sea moss as an addition, not a replacement. Sea moss adds small amounts of minerals like magnesium, iron, and iodine. It contains almost no folic acid, vitamin D, or B12, the nutrients Canadian guidelines recommend a multivitamin for. For most women, yes, keep your multivitamin. Sea moss adds minerals like magnesium, iron, and iodine, but it has almost no folic acid, vitamin D, or B12, the nutrients Canadian guidelines recommend a multivitamin for.

TL;DR

• Canada's advice: Canadian guidelines recommend a multivitamin with folic acid if you could become pregnant.
• What sea moss lacks: Sea moss has almost no folic acid, and no vitamin D or B12.
• What sea moss adds: Sea moss adds small amounts of magnesium, iron, and iodine.
• Taking both: Most women can take both, with an eye on total iodine.
• Before you change anything: Talk to your doctor before dropping any supplement.

If you're trimming your supplement routine, sea moss can look like an easy swap for a daily pill. Whether it works as one depends on which nutrients you need a supplement for. Canada's Dietary Guidelines on vitamin and mineral supplements single out two of them, folic acid and vitamin D. Folic acid is the form of the B vitamin folate used in supplements.

What does a multivitamin actually do?

A multivitamin gives you measured doses of vitamins and minerals in one pill. A multivitamin's job is to fill gaps your diet might leave. Canada's guidelines say most people who eat a variety of nutritious foods don't need supplements. The exceptions are certain life stages, such as being able to become pregnant.

The key word is measured. Every pill gives you a known amount of each nutrient. Formulas vary from brand to brand, so check your label to see what yours contains.

Do women in Canada still need a multivitamin?

Women who could become pregnant, or who don't eat vitamin D foods every day, still benefit from a multivitamin. Canada's guidelines advise anyone who could become pregnant to take a daily multivitamin with 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid. They also recommend a daily source of vitamin D for ages 2 to 50, and a 400 international unit (IU) supplement if you don't eat vitamin D foods daily.

To decide whether you need a multivitamin, start with two questions. Could you become pregnant? Do you eat foods with vitamin D, such as eggs, fatty fish, or fortified milk, every day? A multivitamin for women in their childbearing years usually covers both nutrients, but check your label.

Many do. Canada's guidelines advise anyone who could become pregnant to take a daily multivitamin with 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid. The guidelines also recommend a daily source of vitamin D for ages 2 to 50. If you don't eat foods with vitamin D every day, a supplement with 400 international units (IU) is appropriate.

If you're asking yourself, " Do I need a multivitamin, start with two questions. Could you become pregnant? Do you eat foods with vitamin D every day? A multivitamin for women in their childbearing years usually includes both nutrients, but check your label.

What vitamins does sea moss have?

Sea moss has very few vitamins. Raw Irish moss contains a little natural folate and vitamin C, and no vitamin B12 or vitamin D, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data. Gel is moss blended with water, so a spoonful of gel contains at most these amounts. The real strengths of sea moss are minerals.

These figures describe raw Irish moss, not Healing Moss's own product. The vitamins in sea moss are too small to replace a pill. Where sea moss helps is with minerals, such as magnesium, iron, and iodine. As a sea moss supplement, it adds minerals instead, such as magnesium, iron, and iodine. The 0.89 mg of iron in 10 g of raw Irish moss covers about 5% of the 18 mg a day that people who menstruate need, according to Mass General Brigham.

For the full mineral picture, read our guide to what the 92 minerals in sea moss actually are.

Sea moss vs multivitamin: how do they compare?

A multivitamin and sea moss do different jobs. A multivitamin gives measured doses of vitamins such as folic acid, vitamin D, and B12. Sea moss gives small, variable amounts of minerals such as magnesium, iron, and iodine. Comparing them nutrient by nutrient shows why one can't stand in for the other.

The multivitamin wins on folic acid, vitamin D, and B12. Sea moss adds a little fibre and small amounts of minerals on top. For most women, the sea moss vs multivitamin question ends with keeping both.

Can sea moss replace your multivitamin?

Sea moss can't replace a multivitamin for folic acid, vitamin D, or B12. No, not for folic acid, vitamin D, or B12. Ten grams of raw Irish moss gives about 4.5% of the 400 mcg folic acid target, as natural folate. The same 10 g serving has no B12 or vitamin D. Only your doctor or pharmacist should decide whether you can drop a multivitamin.

When you weigh whether sea moss can replace a multivitamin, remember that some women need the pill more than others:

• Anyone who could become pregnant: Canada's guidelines advise a daily multivitamin with folic acid.
• Vegans: Sea moss has no B12, and our guide to sea moss for vegans covers the gaps it leaves.
• Anyone with a diagnosed low level: If a test shows low vitamin D, B12, or iron, follow your provider's plan.

If you're in any of the groups above, sea moss isn't your answer for those nutrients. Keep the multivitamin, and ask your doctor or pharmacist before dropping any supplement. 

Can you take sea moss and a multivitamin together?

Most women can take sea moss and a multivitamin together, as long as they watch their total iodine. Generally, yes. The one thing to watch is iodine. The amount in sea moss varies widely, and many multivitamins also contain iodine. The adult upper limit for iodine is 1,100 mcg a day, so count both sources when you take sea moss and a multivitamin together.

Sea moss iodine is hard to pin down. Red seaweeds, including Irish moss, hold about 20 to 200 mcg of iodine per gram of dry weight, according to a 2021 review of iodine in edible seaweeds. Iodine in prepared seaweed is also hard to predict, based on a study in the journal Thyroid.

Check your multivitamin label for iodine before you add sea moss. If you take thyroid medication, read our guide to taking sea moss with thyroid medication first.

How do you add sea moss to your supplement routine?

Take 1 to 2 tablespoons of sea moss gel a day, the serving listed on the product page. Stir it into a smoothie or have it with breakfast. Keep your multivitamin exactly as it is. Sea moss sits on top as a small mineral addition, not a swap for your pill.

Original Sea Moss Gel is the everyday pick because it's unflavoured and blends into most foods. Blue Majik Sea Moss Gel is the blend option if you'd like something different in your smoothie.

If you could become pregnant, are vegan, or have been told you're low in vitamin D, B12, or iron, sea moss isn't your answer for those nutrients. Keep the multivitamin, and ask your doctor or pharmacist before dropping any supplement.

Keep your multi and add the minerals: try Original Sea Moss Gel, or take the quiz to find your blend. New customers get 15% off their first order. Shipping is free across Ontario. Our gels are third-party tested.

Frequently asked questions

Can you take sea moss and prenatal vitamins together?

Talk to your prenatal care provider before adding sea moss, because prenatal vitamins already contain iodine and the iodine in sea moss varies widely. Never swap a prenatal vitamin for sea moss, since sea moss can't supply the folic acid a prenatal vitamin is designed to give.

Why is sea moss called nature's multivitamin?

Nature's multivitamin is a nickname that comes from the range of minerals in sea moss, not from its vitamin content. A multivitamin supplies measured doses of vitamins such as folic acid, vitamin D, and B12, which sea moss can't match.

Should I take sea moss and my multivitamin at the same time?

There's no research on the best timing, so many people take sea moss and their multivitamin together with breakfast to stay consistent. If you take thyroid medication, follow your pharmacist's advice on when to take each one.