 |
| Almond Milk Ingredient Label |
The past few
months I have been bombarded with people asking me for my thoughts about carrageenan,
because they have heard it is a very controversial food additive that is found thousands
of food products. Chances are, especially if you choose to avoid dairy, you are
consuming many products that contain carrageenan.
Carrageenan
is derived from red seaweed using alkalis or acid to remove it from the main
source. It is added to many foods such as cheeses, almond milks, ice creams,
jelly’s, and other products that would typically separate if not for this
additive. Controversy has arisen due to research done on lab animals that links
carrageenan to gastrointestinal diseases, inflammation, and cancer. In 2008, a
study showed that “food grade” carrageenan broke down in the G.I tract and
caused inflammation, which caused one of the study authors to make a petition
to the FDA to ban the substance. As of April 2013, the FDA feeling on the
matter is as follows:
“While no evidence in the available information on undegraded
carrageenan demonstrates a hazard to the public when it is used at levels that
are now current and in the manner now practiced, uncertainties exist requiring
that additional studies should be conducted.”
Basically,
the level of carrageenan breakdown in the body is still up for debate, and
there is not strong evidence suggesting that it causes damaging inflammation in
humans. There have not been enough studies done on humans to determine the
level of breakdown, and the impact consuming other foods at the same time as
carrageenan has on metabolism and inflammation.
My
Recommendation: As with most of these additives, I always advise
being aware of the ingredients in your foods, and trying to limit the amount
foods you consume with lots of additives. I, personally, do not go out of my
way to avoid carrageenan. It is typically present in low amounts in the foods
it is found in, and the level of harm has not been fully established. However,
if you are prone to stomach and G.I issues, it may be wise to limit the amount
of carrageenan-containing food products you eat. I would rather people eat
mostly whole and natural foods anyway, so then you avoid carrageenan naturally.
Food additives such as thickeners and stabilizers are added to many things, but
especially to foods trying to act as something else (like gluten-free breads
and non-dairy yogurts). Since carrageenen and other thickeners are added to
many faux-dairy products, try to choose natural low-fat dairy if you are able,
or at least non-dairy foods that have no additives like Stonyfield’s O’Soy
soy-based yogurt. I am a fan of almond milk for the vitamin E (see my post) and calcium, but most brands do contain carrageenan. However, my favorite Almond Milk (Trader Joe's Unsweetened Vanilla) does not!
References:
Today’s
Dietitian, July 2013 Issue, Carrageenan Under Fire, By David Yeager, Vol. 15
No. 7 P. 16
Cornucopia Institute, “Carrageenan”- http://www.cornucopia.org/carrageenan-2013/
Picture Source: Happy Mothering Blog http://www.happy-mothering.com/05/health-2/nutrition-health-2/carrageenen-carcinogen-coconut-almond-milk/
2 comments:
it's really helpful thanks for sharing.
MK Ingredients import, manufacture, and distribute Food Ingredients,
Specialty Chemicals, Food Additives,
Aroma Chemicals along with Flavours, Synthetic Iron Oxide Pigments and more.
carrageenan
The cost of Milk Products Uttarakhand vary with quality of the products. If you want reasonable cost dairy products then must visit SR Dairy and get detailed information. Our company is highly renowned and has served thousands of clients with the best products at an affordable price.
Post a Comment