Carrageenan is a likely Human Carcinogen – Avoid

As a person with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease and you find your bowel is not healing as it should, or you’ve just been told you have another bowel disease like Crohn’s or colon cancer, even with a GAPS diet and avoiding the other foods you may be allergic too. The cause of your problems may be a common food additive called Carrageenan. 

Carrageenan is so toxic and inflaming to the human digestive system that this food additive is formally classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organization) as a potential human carcinogen.

If you drink dairy substitutes like soy milk, hemp milk, almond milk, or coconut milk, you may be exposed to it, even if they say they are organic.

The Healthy Home economist writes a very informative piece on the subject:

Based on these assumptions, consumers would likely be surprised and even shocked to learn that a likely human carcinogen that triggers massive gastrointestinal inflammation and symptoms in many people continues to be allowed by the National Organics Standards Board (NOSB) for inclusion on the list of ingredients permitted in certified organic food – food bearing the USDA Organic label!

This dangerous ingredient, carrageenan, which most consumers are unaware is lurking in so many of their beloved organic products, seems harmless enough at first glance. Derived from seaweed, carrageenan is a highly processed food additive that has no nutritional function whatsoever.

What it does do is act as a fat replacer or stabilizer in certain types of dairy products, dairy substitutes like soy milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, almond milk, and other processed foods.

As you can see, buying lowfat is not a good idea and not just for the fact that you are losing the valuable whole fats that satiates and steadies the blood sugar. By opting for low-fat or alternative dairy products, consumers are choosing instead to consume a toxic additive that is a likely carcinogen!

Even Dr. Andrew Weil has been telling people to avoid carrageenan since 2002. Carrageenan is so toxic and inflaming to the human digestive system that this food additive is formally classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organization) as a potential human carcinogen. Scientists first discovered that carrageenan causes gut inflammation as far back as the 1960′s. Inflammation is a very serious condition as it is a primary symptom in IBS, Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis, and colon cancer as well as dozens of other diseases.

Read more at The Healthy Home Economist.com.

And go here to Sarah’s other link to learn to easily make healthy non-dairy beverages at home that are carrageenan free.

To Your health
Dr. Barbara