If your almond milk contains carrageenan – don’t drink it!

Posted by Michelle Lall on Nov 24, 2013 in Products Undressed

almond milk and carrageenan Almond milk, it’s healthy, right? Maybe not! Yes, our beloved almond milk might not be the healthy alternative we think it is! Recently almond milk has been taking the lead as the healthy alternative to cow’s milk and even the once tooted soy milk. Just to clear things up, fresh home-made nut milk is innately healthy but what we purchase in a tetra pack may not be. Why? Because it may contain carrageenan; a component derived from certain seaweeds. Since carrageenan is from a ‘natural’ source we think it is healthy but it is not, it can even be carcinogenic, oh my!

How is carrageenan processed?

Food grade (alkali process): PROCESSED with alkali into a ‘natural’ food ingredient.

Lab grade (processed with acid): When carrageenan is processed with an acid instead of an alkali it degrades in to ‘degraded carrageenan’ or poligeenan. This compound is a potent inflammatory agent used to induce inflammation and other diseases into lab animals in order for scientists to test various drugs.

It’s time to undress carrageenan. Why is it dangerous?

The degraded form of carrageenan is not allowed in foods BUT there has been concern using carrageenan none the less. Think about it, our stomachs are acidic (hopefully!) making it a great environment to degrade carrageenan.

Also, the structure of carrageenan triggers an immune response in the body. This signals that there is a dangerous invader in the body and so an immune response is triggered. This response leads to inflammation. Inflammation is associated with over 100 human diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and arteriosclerosis. Inflammation is also linked to cancer.

Do you want to be consuming an inflammatory agent when you have your latte? I think not.

What brands of almond milk contain carrageenan?

Many processed products contain carrageenan (see list below) but it is surprising that many brands of almond milk contain it too! Sneaky. The following brands contain carrageenan:

Almond Breeze (Blue Diamond)
Almond Dream (original, unsweetened, vanilla, and unsweetened vanilla)
Natur-a
Pacific Foods
President’s Choice
So Delicious

Why is it used in food?

Carrageenan adds no nutritional value to foods or beverages, it is simply there to thicken foods giving them a fatty ‘mouth feel’ (Why not have healthy fats?!?). Simply due to the fact that it doesn’t give us any nutritional benefit and is reported to cause inflammation of the gut, it should not be in our food.

Some common uses for it besides thickening almond milk are as follows:

Substitute for fat
To thicken non-fat or low-fat foods or dairy replacements
In low-fat or non-fat dairy products (low fat cottage cheese, low fat sour cream)
In vegetable based dairy products (soy, almond, coconut milk)
Stabilizer for beverages that separate (i.e. you don’t have to shake your chocolate milk or ‘nutritional’ shakes before you have them!)
Used in deli meat and prepared chicken (injected as a brine into pre-cooked chicken for juiciness)
Found in many processed foods, even some certified organic frozen pizzas and nutrition bars
Many varieties of canned pet food contain carrageenan

What can you do?

Make your own fresh nut milk of course! Making your own nut milk is easy and only contains 2 ingredients: nuts and water. It is also super amazing to make your own milk and know that it is fresh, full of enzymes, vitamins, minerals and above all is healthy for you. Check out my recipe here and feel free to make other nut milks as well!

At The Naked Label we LOVE Michelle. Her scientific background and approach to nutrition is eye opening and informative. We love her personality and passion for helping her clients achieve their goals while having fun with food along the way. Definitely check out here site LALLnutrition.com to learn how you can work with Michelle.

Sources:
http://www.prevention.com
http://www.cornucopia.org

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michelle Lall

Michelle Lall B.Sc. (Hons), B.Ed., CNP, completed her certification for the Holistic Nutrition Program at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition in Toronto where she earned her designation as a Certified Nutritional Practitioner. Michelle combines her solid grasp of biological chemistry and her background as a certified teacher with her passion for food and nutrition to assist her clients in developing an understanding of the importance of healthy eating as the foundation of a healthy and happy lifestyle. Michelle hopes to educate others on living life in a balanced and healthy way with the concept that the purpose of life is to enjoy every moment. Hence L.A.L.L. Nutrition was born, which stands for Living And Loving Life.

Nancy Hauser

I recently spoke to Health Canada about this, here is the reply. Note I have removed my name and the person who wrote back to me.

Sent:Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Dear Ms. X,

Thank you for your email of April 4, 2014, in which you inquired whether carrageenan was linked to tumors, colon cancer, or any other health issues.

Carrageenan is a food additive derived from seaweed that is permitted by Health Canada to act as an emulsifying, gelling, stabilizing or thickening agent in certain foods. Only native, undegraded carrageenan is permitted as a food additive. Carrageenan has a long history of safe use in Canada and is approved for food use in many other countries. For an additive to be allowed in food, it is subjected to many kinds of toxicity tests, including lifetime studies in animals. Following a review of several studies designed to assess the carcinogenicity of carrageenan, it was determined that intake of carrageenan does not cause cancer. Carrageenan does not pose a human health concern at the level of food additive use.

The food additive carrageenan is sometimes erroneously equated with the material poligeenan – a degraded form of carrageenan. Poligeenan has been associated with inflammation, ulcer formation, and tumour promotion of the colon in animal studies. Poligeenan is not permitted for use in food.

As it is currently used in food, Health Canada considers carrageenan to be safe.

I hope you have found the above information to be useful.

Sincerely,

Pre-Market Toxicology Assessment Section
Chemical Health Hazard Assessment Division
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate
Health Products and Food Branch
Health Canada
===============

Hello,

Is there any evidence that Carrageenan is linked to tumors and colon cancer? Or any other health issues for that matter?

Regards,
- Briana Santoro: TheNakedLabel
  
  Hi Nancy,
  
  Thanks for your question. Just because it is approved by Health Canada does not necessarily make it safe. If we look at items like BPA, artificial food colours, trans-fats etc. All of these items are approved by Health Canada for use in food even though we know they are not necessarily “safe”. The term safe is a very big grey area.
  
  For more information about Carageenan you can read this research report published by the College of Medicine at the University of Iowa: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1242073/pdf/ehp0109-000983.pdf
  
  The points they make that will be of interest to you include:
  – Degraded carageenan is worse than undegraded carageenan (which is what is used in our food). However, some studies have shown that natural digestion and some other factors associated with certain individuals may result in undegraded carageenan becoming degraded in the body and therefore causing harm.
  – Studies have shown that undegraded carageenan in our food is often contaminated with degraded carageenan.
  – Studies have shown that even though undegraded carageenan is not as harmful as degraded carageenan, it is not completely safe. Some animal studies conducted using undegraded carageenan have reported harmful health effects.
  – There are other less harmful additives (e.g. guar gum) that would have a similar impact on the product but would be safer for human consumption.
  
  Hope that helps! Remember, just because something is approved or allowed for consumption in Canada or the US does not necessarily make it healthy.
  
  I love that you are being such an incredible food sleuth, taking action, and looking into this. The more people that start questioning their food and voting with their fork the more companies will have to listen.
  
  Thanks for your comment!
  Briana
- nancy
  
  Thank you
- brie02
  
  okay but is it true that itll cause cancer? Im used to digestion issues thats fine but I worry about getting cancer from consumption. If so what should I be drinking with my cereal and smoothies then? I thought almond milk would be ah ealthy alternative. Is there a better brand?

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