You guys already know that I'm on a mission to keep myself and you all on top of the best of health, beauty, fashion, and wellness. When I feel like something got past me, I get highly annoyed. What am I rambling about, you ask? Ok, ok. Allow me to introduce some of you to a sly little bugger who's been hiding in the shadows of my almond milk and coconut creamer. Now, I have to take some of the blame since I hadn't been making my own almond milk at home like I used to. Sometimes convenience is not worth it.
Carrageenan
As I got into the habit of reading the labels of everything, I became confident at my ability to spot non-vegan and also unhealthy ingredients. Then I found out what 'natural flavors and colors' meant (that's a post for another day), and I was on extra alert. Soon, I noticed the ingredient "carrageenan" in my favorite old brand of store bought almond milk and also coconut creamer. Alarms went off and I decided to do some investigating. Now, I'm not an alarmist or extremist. I know I can't protect myself from every potential harmful exposure to food or environment. Yet, I want the ability to be made aware of what's being put into my food.
After doing extensive research from many different sources, this is some of what I found:
"All told, I recommend avoiding regular consumption of foods containing carrageenan. This is especially important advice for persons with inflammatory bowel disease." Andrew Weil, M.D. (Source)
"...are a family of linear sulfated polysaccharides that are extracted from red edible seaweed. They are widely used in the food industry, for their gelling, thickening, and stabilizing properties. Their main application is in dairy and meat products, due to their strong binding to food proteins. Carrageenan is a vegetarian and vegan alternative to gelatin in some applications, although it cannot replace gelatin in confectionery like jelly babies.While some indicate that carrageenan safely passes through rat GI tracts without adverse effect when it is a dietary ingredient,[2] other animal dietary studies have observed colitis-like disease and tumor promotion. (source: Wikipedia)
"Research links the controversial food ingredient carrageenan to gastrointestinal inflammation, including higher rates of colon cancer, in laboratory animals." (Source: Cornucopia)
"Research from Joanne Tobacman, MD, professor at University of Iowa College of Medicine, scientist and carrageenan expert, discusses valid concerns that digestive enzymes and bacterial action convert high weight carrageenans to dangerous low molecular weight carrageenans and poligeenans in the human gut—linked to human cancers and digestive disorders. Tobacman’s evidence and conclusions are based upon human tissue samples, not animal studies." (Source)
So this is important not just for vegans like myself, but for anyone who consumes dairy products and may have digestive concerns...or want to prevent any! Yeah, that covers a lot of us.
Here's a shopping guide for you so that you can have alternative options. Go a step further. If you see your brand on this list that uses carrageenan, be vocal about it! Some companies have removed the ingredient because of increased consumer awareness and demand. I've switched from Blue Diamond to Silk Pure Almond, but I will be going back to making my own almond milk now. It's so easy and tastes so much better. I'll blog about it in the near future.
Well, the moral of the story is to research anything you don't recognize on labels or in recipes that you are putting into your body. Don't be Chicken Little and worry that the sky is falling, but just be aware! You and your family deserve the best.
Until next time.
Love & Happiness,
Nikki
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