Ban this Natural Ingredient from your diet FOREVER

I am so frustrated that I just now at the age of 45 am finding out about this disgusting ingredient that is in the organic  foods that I have been purchasing. Our family has been on a mission to eat organic and be as healthy as we can possible be for a long may years. The finding out of this horrible ingredient "Carrageenan " has got my blood to boil. I had no clue they were adding this gelling, thickening agent into my families organic milk, yogurt, cheese and ice-cream for years.

Carrageenan is derived from red seaweed and is processed in a way to make it a "food-grade" additive. For many years the carrageenan trade lobby group fought to promote this as a safe and natural additive. Now it is not  used for nutritional value, flavor and color it IS used for a thickener. Imitating a thick and rich full food option.

The way that Carrageenan is chemically structured triggers an autoimmune response. Autoimmune responses lead to inflammation within the body. The inflammation has been most noticed in the gastrointestinal system. We have all heard of "Belly Bloat' and "IBS" and "IBD Irritable bowel disease.

While some organic products do contain carrageenan, organic standards prohibit the use of harmful ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, petroleum-based fake food dyes, and artificial flavors, along with other harmful ingredients that have been linked to heart damage, ADHD, and other health problems. 

Here are a few grocery items that do not have Carrageenan :

Chocolate Milk
• Castle Rock Organic Farms
• Crystal Ball Farms
• Strafford Organic Creamery
• Trickling Springs Creamery

Cottage Cheese
• Nancy's
• Organic Valley

Cream
• Organic Valley (pasteurized only...ultrapasteurized contains carrageenan)
• Butterworks Farm
• Strauss Family Creamery

Ice Cream
• Stonyfield
• Green & Black's Organic
• Julie's (except mint fudge, mocha fudge and peanut butter fudge)
• Alden's

Yogurt
• Seven Stars
• Stonyfield (all brands except caramel Oikos and Squeezers)
• Horizon (all except Tuberz)
• Wallaby

Soymilk
• EdenSoy

 

Most people read labels for the fat, sodium & sugar content, but do not fully comprehend the meaning of some of the other ingredients, to their own detriment.

If you eat processed foods, you are most likely ingesting Carrageenan. This ubiquitous additive is found in foods such as. ice cream, half & half, cream, cottage cheese, chocolate milk, some hemp milks, rice milk, almond milk, soy milk, cheesecake, processed meats, hot dogs, frozen desserts, apple cider, jellies, prepared sauces, pies, puddings and baby “formulas.” It is in other processed foods, but it may not be listed on the label, because it is part of another ingredient.

Why is carrageenan dangerous? Here is what a number of doctors and health researchers have to say:

Per Dr. Ray Peat, PhD, "It has been found to cause colitis(inflammation of the large intestine/colon) and anaphylaxis (life threatening allergic reaction) in humans."

Dr. Andrew Weil says, “Carrageenan can cause ulcerations and cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.”

Dr. Russell Blaylock in his book “Health and Nutrition Secrets that can save your life” Pg. 196 writes "Carrageenan is a complex polysaccaride made from seaweed and is used as a binding agent. Experimentally carrageenan is used as an agent to induce, intense inflammation in experimental animals. A recent study found that when carrageenan was injected in animals along with a cancer causing chemical, tumors appeared more rapidly…than in control animals injected with the carcinogen alone. The same was seen when human breast cancers were implanted in animals along with carrageenan. The combination made the tumors grow faster and spread more rapidly than in control animals. As a result carrageenan is classified as a tumor promoter.” Dr Blaylock named carrageenan as an additive that may contain MSG.

Dr. Joann Tobacman, M.D., University of Iowa Assistant Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine did a number of studies on carrageenan. She said, “Evidence from animal models has demonstrated that degraded carrageenan causes ulcerations and malignancies in the gastro intestinal tract.” After conducting epidemiological and laboratory research on carrageenan, Dr. Tobacman published an extensive review of 45 investigations on harmful gastrointestinal effects of carrageenan in animal experiments. The article was published in an issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, the journal of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences. In the studies she found that carrageenan is taken up by the intestinal cells rather easily, but the cells are unable to metabolize it. As carrageenan accumulates in cells, it may cause them to break down, and over time this process could lead to ulceration.

In the past I came across information that carrageenan was an emulsifier and it caused the pores in the intestinal tract to become larger; permitting larger molecules of undigested food to enter the bloodstream.

This would cause a burden on the lymphatic system, whose main function is to clear out “foreign invaders” from the bloodstream.

Dr. Mercola writes: “A number of studies have found that the widely used food additive carrageenan causes cancer in food animals and its use in human foods should be reconsidered…enough evidence exists about the cancer-causing effects of carrageenan to limit the use of this food additive.

During the latter half of the 20^th century inflammatory bowel disease and gastro intestinal malignancy have been major causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Even with improvement in treatment and cancer screening, colorectal cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States. The Western Diet has been considered a possible source of inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal malignancy, and intensive efforts have been undertaken to study the impact of specific constituents of the Western Diet, such as, fiber and fat.

In 1972, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed limiting the type of carrageenan that could be used in food. But the regulatory effort was rescinded in 1979.

For decades carrageenan was presumed safe to eat, but new research has shown that it can cause health problems - and should be avoided. The method by which it is processed - using strong alkali solvents is also questionable. These solvents could remove the tissues and skin from your hands - it is that toxic.

There are other questionable additives that are being used in our food supply and the only way to avoid them is to eat unprocessed foods.

If you suffer from flatulence, bloating, diarrhea, loose stools or even blood in your stool, it could be related to the foods or substances that are irritating your intestinal tract.

Just because seaweed is natural - does not mean it is a healthy food for human beings. The red seaweed from which carrageenan has been derived from - should be avoided. It isn’t worth the possibility of gastrointestinal disease or cancer.

Well I feel better now that I have done my research. I really thought just going into my local grocery store and buying " ORGANIC " was all I needed... Well it is not . We all must start reading the labels on everything we purchase. Please look for this nasty natural ingredient and STAY AWAY. 

Blessings and Health to each and every one of you~~ Kelly Jeffrey