We often give so much of importance to the “taste” aspect of food that many a times the ill effects of the same manifest in our bodies in the most unexpected of ways. Damaging ways.
This damage is not restricted solely to synthetic additives; there are a few ‘natural additives’ that are best avoided. Carrageenan is one such ingredient that nutrition experts advise against. This hidden food additive is used extensively in the food and beverage industry, and is known to have practically zero nutritional value.
Carrageenan is mostly found in packaged foods such as sour cream, soy milk, cottage cheese, almond milk, coconut milk, and other non-dairy based creamers. The additive is derived from Irish moss, also known as red seaweed. This type of seaweed is far from healthy, as against the general notion about most seaweeds being nutritious and healthy.
Found Largely in Organic Food Products, Carrageenan is Detrimental to the Human Digestive System
The application of carrageenan mainly arises from the need to thicken or enhance the texture of processed foods, cottage cheese, yogurt, and other similar food products. A striking feature about this additive is that it is indigestible by the human digestive system. The irony is in the fact that the processed form of carrageenan is mainly found in the so-called “natural” or “organic” food products.
In terms of its compatibility with the human digestive system, the effects of carrageenan are highly damaging. In fact, scientists at the University Of Illinois School Of Medicine at Chicago have concluded that the effects of carrageenan in the human digestive tracts resemble the ill effects exhibited by the presence of microbes such as salmonella in the human body.
Ulcerations, bleeding, and inflammation are the prominent symptoms of prolonged consumption of foods that contain carrageenan. Carrageenan triggers a typical immune response which acts as a catalyst in magnifying any type of internal inflammation.
While the undegraded variety of carrageenan is the one which poses minimal health risks, the degraded variety, like most processed food ingredients, proves to be detrimental in the long run. Poligeenan is the other term that defines degraded carrageenan. Laboratory tests on animals conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer have reaffirmed the connection between gastrointestinal cancer and high accumulation of degraded carrageenan in the human body.
How Can You Prevent The Consumption Of Carrageenan?
It can get quite exhausting and infuriating to continuously keep a watch on the literature provided on the food packets that we pick off the shelves of supermarkets. However, one can definitely make an effort to skim through the same, present on all food products. One of the best ways to steer clear from consuming such harmful food additives is by simply minimizing their consumption. The human body is resilient enough to tackle such substances every once in a while, however regular consumption may pose certain questionable health impacts.
Another effective way of avoiding the consumption of carrageenan is choosing brands that do not combine carrageenan with other ingredients in their food products. There are several food brands in the market that disclose whether or not they use carrageenan in their products.
Last but not the least, it is best to prepare/derive certain ingredients such as coconut milk, yogurt, and almond milk from their natural sources rather than buying their ready-to-use versions.
Sources:
http://www.foodinsight.org/Questions_and_Answers_about_Carrageenan_in_Food_
http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/carrageenan-natural-ingredient-you-should-ban-your-diet
About the Author
Sanjana Roy is a content writer with Transparency Market Research, a market intelligence firm based in the U.S. While her job profile entails writing on various global industry segments, her area of interest is food and beverages. She is especially interested in exploring trend-setting ideas that will define the food industry of the future, with a focus on health issues, new consumption trends and patterns, and the “food culture” that prevails today.
