March 20, 2017

Carageenan - What is that "Safe" Ingredient in Our Food that is "from Seaweed?"

As we have and continue to significantly improve your gut inflammation, I am slowly beginning to turn every stone, every ingredient, what are all of these strangely-named items listed in the ingredients that we eat? I know they are "safe" from an allergen perspective, but what the hell are they, really? I will start with Carageenan, long name, but easily pronounceable.

Often an ingredient in non-dairy alternatives and deli meats and labeled with "made from seaweed" - but why and what is the purpose? After doing some digging, Carageenan does come from a very specific red seaweed and is added to give the taste of "fat", thicken and stabilize - I don't want to get into the depths of the science pool here, but it's unique chemical structure triggers an immune response when ingested, which in turn causes inflammation, bloating, cramping, IBS, colitis,
eczema, leaky gut and seriously the goes on and on, over 100 inflammatory diseases are linked to Carageenan. Over time, inflammation has a damaging effect, in it's most severe form, it rears it's ugly head as cancer.

After a little more digging, this "safe and natural" substance has been used for sometime to induce gut inflammation in lab animals in order to test anti-inflammatory meds. And now food manufactures are adding this to milks, creams, yogurts, soups, cheese, meat, sauces, etc. etc. I see you Whole Foods and you too Trader Joes, you two are some of the worst culprits of this utterly GROSS practice.

The good news is there are alternatives to these foods that include this immune triggerer. A quick scan of the ingredients (start backwards, you're more focused in the beginning of a reading a food label) is very telling. The bad news, this one can be hidden in "natural flavors."  So we will simply do our best and utilize a great food buying guide if we buy processed foods.


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