Carrageenan, The Dangerous Ingredient In Your Almond Milk!

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If you struggle with gastrointestinal issues such as belly bloating, IBS, IBD, gastritis, diverticulitis, or any other kind of GI distress, then you may want to take a look at your nut milk! Many food manufacturers add “carrageenan” to health foods like almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, yogurt, soy milk, and ice cream. It is derived from red seaweed and added to give products a fuller consistency, especially low-fat products. It also prevents ingredients from separating. 

Using Carrageenan as an additive isn’t new. It has been in use in food since the 1930s. In 2012, the National Organics Standard Board chose to allow its use in organic food production for another five years. However, its safety has been under fire lately, and you should know about it.

Degraded vs. Undergraded Carrageenan

There are two kinds of Carrageenan. The undergraded and degraded kind. Umm, what?! Okay, it’s simple. The undergraded version of Carrageenan is deemed safe by the FDA for use in foods. The Degraded version is not. According to the Cornucopia Institute:

“Degraded carrageenan is such a potent inflammatory agent that scientists routinely use it to induce inflammation and other disease in laboratory animals, to test anti-inflammation drugs and other pharmaceuticals.”

Here are my favorite nut milk brands that do not contain Carrageenan : Califia Farms Almond Milk and Califia Farms Oatmilk. 

What’s the Problem?

Only the undegraded version is used in food. But, the problem is that for years many scientists have raised concerns over the use of “food-grade,” aka undegraded Carrageenan. Scientists are highly concerned that the acidic environment of our stomach may alter food-grade Carrageenan once it enters the digestive system, therefore exposing the intestines to this potent carcinogen. Now, that’s risky!

Health Concerns Linked to Carrageenan

Again, most of the health concerns about this additive are linked to the degraded kind. But as mentioned above, we don’t know how the food-grade one reacts once exposed to our stomach acid and GI environment.
According to Cornucopia Institute, the chemical structure of Carrageenan innately triggers an immune response in the body which ultimately leads to inflammation. It has been found that inflammation is the precursor to over 100 human diseases. In the late 1960s, researchers even linked the food-grade version to GI diseases in lab animals, including ulcerative colitis and intestinal lesions.

What You Can Do

Ban it from your diet. If you experience gastrointestinal symptoms ranging from bloating to irritable bowel syndrome to inflammatory bowel disease, try cutting out Carrageenan from your diet entirely and see if your symptoms improve. Look at your nut milk such as almond milk, oat milk, and even your ice cream brand. 

Check Food Lists.  The Cornucopia Institute created a Buying Guide to help you shop carrageenan-free products.  You’d be amazed at the number of products that contain this additive…like almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk etc.   

There’s a lot of evidence stating that Carrageenan can be extremely harmful to one’s health, especially if consumed regularly. If you have any GI issues, it might be wise to avoid this additive altogether. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Here are my favorite nut milk brands that do not contain Carrageenan : Califia Farms Almond Milk and Califia Farms Oatmilk. 

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