Hmm… Carrageenan? Let’s talk about wonky food additives. The one in particular I’d like to highlight is Carrageenan. It is a polysaccharide used by the food industry as a thickener, mainly in meats and dairy products, diet soda, and even toothpaste. It is banned in Europe in baby formula, and widely used in the US, even in some organic foods. There have been some complaints lately that Carrageenan causes gastrointestinal upset. I feel that it is up to the individual on whether or not they want to consume this additive. It is derived from seaweed, so it is supposedly “natural” but with all the discussions lately about the studies done on rats, in which there was a higher incident of gastro upset and colon cancer makes me leery about consuming it. If you wish to NOT put this substance into your body, here is a handy guide as to which products do not contain it: cornucopia.org/shopping-guide-to-avoiding-organic-foods-with-carrageenan/ These days it seems like there are more and more weird or toxic ingredients showing up in our food supply. The best idea is to just stick to whole, real foods. If there is a TV commercial for it, don’t eat it! Or as in the wise words of Kris Carr, ““If it’s made in a lab, it takes a lab to digest. If it has a shelf life longer than you, don’t eat it.” (Love her!) C, xoxo
Posted on: Wed, 03 Jul 2013 15:15:05 +0000