K’s Golden Sea Moss promotes traditional medicine

Urging the public to tap back into traditional medicine, Kareece Lawrence is providing an avenue through K’s Golden Sea Moss. Sea moss, also known as Irish moss, is an algae that is rich in nutrients. Harvested primarily for its vast benefits, sea moss has gained popularity as a vegan and gluten-free option for fulfilling dietary needs.

For Lawrence, her journey with the superfood began in 2017 when she began the search for something to fill the gaps in her nutrition.

“I have been plant-based since 2008 and then I went ital in 2014. So like three to four years into the journey I just started to develop a lot of allergies and I guess sensitivities with the body, which a lot of women also tend to have. So, throughout my search in terms of what would be good food, because I am one of those people who strongly believe in getting the source straight from the food as opposed to living on supplements, and I found that sea moss was a good thing to work with,” she told Lifestyle.

‘Sea vegetable’

She continued, “Sea moss is very strong in minerals and it’s also strong in protein. In terms of the minerals now, your body has 102 minerals, and this food has 92 of it. So, it pretty much has a 15 per cent mineral content, 10 per cent protein and it is also rich in iodine and sulphuric content. If I was to explain it simply, I’d call it a sea vegetable.”

During her exploration phase, Lawrence reached out to a dear friend and nutritionist for guidance on how to effectively incorporate this new food into her diet. “She made this amazing meal that had this rice kind of texture with it and then she did a little bit of it sautéed, it was just a varied way of preparing it and it was really nice and my body was feeling good,” said Lawrence.

Though the colour can often be unappealing, Lawrence says people need to abandon their reservations to reap the rewards from life.

“It’s good for us to be very frank about how things look because we can’t go around the fact that we eat with our eyes too. Many of us like to see things that look bright but one thing that I will say to people, I think the first thing for human beings to really [understand] is that if you’re having the best foods for your body, it’s not just the sweet and the salty and the peppery like many of us know. There are many other flavours that are very important if your body is going be at its optimum. You must get used to the pungent foods and the bitters and the detox,” she shared.

After starting her own journey to self-improvement, Lawrence began advocating to her friends and family in 2020, encouraging them to safeguard themselves from the virus that was wreaking havoc across the globe. Although some of her friends were receptive, Lawrence mentioned that her friend Kris was not pleased with the lengthy preparation process.

“She said to me ‘Reece, I’m all for doing this enuh, but I don’t have the time.’ So she’s like make it for me and I will buy it from you,” Lawrence revealed. Scoffing at the idea of charging her friend, she prepared the sea moss for her as a gift.

Recalling the moment over three years ago, Lawrence said, “So she is using it, she loves it and she said to me ‘Kareece, I am serious you need to make some more of this for me please, I will personally buy it and I’m sure that there are others person who would too’.”

Serendipitously meeting the founders of Femme Creative only days later, Lawrence used that sisterly accountability to launch her brand.

“I’ve been very blessed to have a good community of ones who are very supportive,” she marvelled.

Now Lawrence offers sea moss gel in both 10 and 16-ounce containers ranging from $2,500 to $4,500.

“I realise that sometimes culture will shape how we eat and our lifestyle, but your lifestyle really has to be about your body, which is like your mental body, your spiritual body, your emotional body to get the food that serves you best. A lot of times if we check it in Jamaica, our grandparents really get things right, whether we think they are studied or not, but they really are connected to the earth,” she shared.

shanel.lemmie@gleanerjm.com