Carrageenan and stomach problems; is carrageenan safe to eat?

Carrageenan Side Effects are no joke

Let's look at carrageenan side effects, how carrageenan affects the gut, is it safe, and how carrageenan can cause stomach problems and beyond. Let's also look at what foods contain carrageenan including organic products and decide whether or not, if it is safe to eat. 

When I was first discovered the relationship between the food I was eating and my Crohn’s disease my naturopathic at the time had me keep food journals. I was suffering with bathroom trips any where from 5 to 40 times a day (sometimes more),  I was also suffering with migraines and, sometimes constipation so bad that when I did finally go I was pleading with God to “take-me-now” rather than bear the unbearable pain of passing what felt like rocks wrapped in barbed wire. 

I had transitioned into eating more natural and organic foods as I learned more about the benefits and yet I was still suffering. Going through my food journal my doctor suspected that I may be reacting to a thickening agent called carrageenan. I decided to pay more attention. Another two weeks and I noticed that when I ate anything with carrageenan in it I would get a migraine. My doctor picked up that it was also affecting my bowels. I did not have any cramping or anything so I did not see the connection right away. 

I was also keeping track of the number of bowel movements; sure enough my bathroom trips were increased on a meal that contained carrageenan; whether it was a small amount or large my bathroom “ticks” on my journal page would be any where from 20 to 45 times! In one day! The bulk of them would be in an hour after ingesting. I was stunned. This was was over 15 years ago!

My naturopathic doctor had the studies that indicated the connection between this ingredient and bowel problems. And, the rest of the world is merely catching up? Or is it that there are more and more researchers and scientist who can no longer stay quiet? Carrageenan has been in the news and more studies indicate not only digestive disturbances and tumors of the colon but the health ramifications this stabilizer is causing.

​Some companies removed carrageenan from their products others have not. In fact, fast - forward to 18 years later I found I was ingesting carrageenan without knowing it. My food is 98% organic. I like to make my own whip cream and I use whipping cream in my coffee. I only purchase organic whipping cream. And as much as I am an avid label reader, I was duped for being näive. I was in my local grocers grabbed my usual organic whipping cream and saw a local heavy cream next to it with the label “40% real cream.” It made me pause. My brain was on fire with the obvious question, why is this brand marketing the percentage of cream? I looked for the ingredients and it said “40% organic cream.”

Could it have been the carrageenan?

Could my face ulcers be a result of carrageenan?

Of course, curiosity had me drop everything and check the ingredients of the two I usually purchase. My heart stopped. I felt so duped! One had thickening agents the other, carrageenan. And then, the light bulb went off. I couldn’t figure out why my bowels had been irritated lately (I have been eating and drinking more cream), and I had this low throbbing pain on my right side. And my face (sigh), my poor face, has been a horrible mess of ulcers and irritation. No matter what I did, I just could not clear it up. It has been a nightmare. Could it have been the carrageenan? Time will tell me as I start the clean up process and making sure all my food is carrageenan free (more on this later).
It has a been a week since I switched cream, and I can say the low-grade discomfort in my side is gone. My face, well, that is going to take longer. I have ordered myself a GI MAP and an OMX | Organic Metabolomics from Diagnostic Solutions.  I do know carrageenan has a profound effect on the microbiome, and I am curious to see mine. Working with the gut microbiome is a great place to start to clear up my skin and get back on track.

What is Carrageenan

Carrageenans are a common food additive water-soluble polymer family of linear sulfated polysaccharides derived from red seaweed found in conventional, natural and organic products. Carrageenan has been used as a natural food additive for over 600 years coming from a natural source however, it is highly processed and manipulated (classified as an algal polysaccharide) into inexpensive stabilizers and thickening agents used in dairy products, yogurt, ice cream, nut and rice milks, pudding, including infant formulas,  baby food, diet soda, medications, topicals and toothpaste; basically anything that needs to be thickened, gelled, creamy or stabilized so that particles stay mixed together. 

Eucheuma denticulatum, farmed for iota-carrageenan, in a local off-bottom cultivation in Bweleo on Zanzibar, Tanzania. | Image; StinaTano

Carrageenan Benefits

We must define the fact that carrageen benefits are coming from seaweed that naturally contains the carrageenan and has been extracted in a natural way, or the entire seaweed has been dried and not extracted. 

​It is hard to believe there are benefits to using highly processed carrageenan. I do not think they are benefits for you and I rather ease of making products for the manufacturer. Carrageenan benefits include ease of thickening products like yogurt and ice-cream or, my new found horror, heavy whipping cream. It is also a stabilizing agent and is useful in meat products, medications, juices and infant formula. I shudder to think of how many innocent babies have had unnecessary bowel issues.

According to WebMD[2], Carrageenan is also used for coughs, bronchitis, tuberculosis, and intestinal problems. The French use a form that has been changed by adding acid and high temperatures. This form is used to treat peptic ulcers, and is used as a bulk laxative. Some people apply carrageenan directly to the skin for discomfort around the anus. I could not imagine the ramifications of this action. 

The only webpages I found with actual carrageenan benefits were companies that use the seaweed in the manufacturing of raw products. According to Xtendlife[3] they have used red seaweed, sift, remove sand and impurities, then soak the seaweed in a heated alkali solution such as potassium hydroxide to remove the carrageenan from the seaweed. The cellulose is then removed mechanically with filtration and centrifugation leaving a solution which is then evaporated. The final result is a powdered carrageenan.

According to this company, the process they use, results in antioxidant properties that make it useful in health supplements. According the company, because it has antioxidant activity is also supports the digestive system. One study found that carrageenan oligosaccharides helps support cells from damage due to oxidative stress, may help with stomach irritation and discomfort, support regular bowel movement.

There is also evidence that if you have higher total cholesterol, this indicates a most significant sign that you may benefit from chitin supplements. What I did not find on this website was the link or hyperlink to the studies.  ​I did find the comparative study, Structural characterization and antioxidant activities of κ-carrageenan oligosaccharides degraded by different methods.[4]

“These results indicated that the antioxidant activities of κ-carrageenan oligosaccharides could be related to the degree of polymerization, the content of reducing sugar and sulfate groups, and the structure of reducing terminus.”

Other benefits of carrageenan included a 2105 study “Prebiotic effects of diet supplemented with the cultivated red seaweed Chondrus crispus or with fructo-oligo-saccharide on host immunity, colonic microbiota and gut microbial metabolites” demonstrated a number of prebiotic effects. The study used mechanically air-dried, whole plants of a proprietary strain of Chondrus crispus, cultivated intensively on-land, were obtained from Acadian Seaplants Limited (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada). The seaweed samples were finely ground and passed through a 60-mesh sieve (0.25 mm in diameter)for the use in rats for the study. They also used fructo-oligo-saccharide (FOS) powder, extracted from chicory roots, was provided by Cargill (Wayzata, MN), as Oliggo – Fiber™ DS2 inulin, with an average degree of polymerization less than 10. C. crispus and FOS were mixed with a standard basal feed (RMH 3000, LabDiet, St. Louis, MO, USA), respectively, at the ratio of 0.0 (plus 2.5 % corn starch), 0.5 (plus 2.0 % corn starch) or 2.5 % (dry w/w). The mixed feed was then pelleted (4.7 mm in diameter, 1.0-1.5 cm in length) using a feed mill facility located at the Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, Nova Scotia. Diets were prepared just before the trial and stored under dry and cool conditions. The results of the study found;

“Phylochip array analysis indicated differing microbiome composition among the diet-supplemented and the control groups, with the C. crispus group (2.5 % supplementation) showing larger separation from the control than other treatment groups. In the 2.5 % C. crispus group, the population of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium breve increased (4.9-fold, p = 0.001), and the abundance of pathogenic species such as Clostridium septicum and Streptococcus pneumonia decreased. Higher concentrations of short chain fatty acids (i.e., gut microbial metabolites), including acetic, propionic and butyric acids, were found in faecal samples of the C. crispus-fed rats. Furthermore, both C. crispus and FOS supplemented rats showed significant improvements in proximal colon histo-morphology . Higher faecal moisture was noted in the 2.5 % C. crispus group, and elevated plasma immunoglobulin (IgA and IgG) levels were observed in the 0.5 % C. crispus group, as compared to the basal feed group.

The results suggest multiple prebiotic effects, such as influencing the composition of gut microbial communities, improvement of gut health and immune modulation in rats supplemented with cultivated C. crispus.”[5]

 A clinical trial study has shown helpful with lowering cholesterol and as a treatment for cardiovascular disease. [7] Like many other substances that are highly processed, in their original state and form, ​may be the best way to consume this product. However, these studies are not indicating this is not how it used in the product and food industries.

Red seaweed on beach | Image; Yuval Birger

Can Carrageenan cause inflammation?

Carrageenan and constipation? Carrageenan contains chemicals that may decrease stomach and intestinal secretions. Large amounts of carrageenan seem to pull water into the intestine, and this may explain why it is tried as a laxative. Carrageenan also might decrease pain and swelling (inflammation). I believe the laxative effects were more of a gastrointestinal reaction and question the use of carrageenan as a laxatives in light of recent research. In other words there are studies associating carrageenan and IBS. IBS is an irritated bowel. Could it be carrageenan works on constipation by irritating the intestinal lining?

​Carrageenan has been well established as an inflammatory-inducer. In other words it is used to induce inflammation. If you look at any study involving reducing inflammation especially for intestinal inflammation, carrageenan is used to create the inflammation in a healthy subject. typically rats, mice and other animals. Here are some examples;

“Shilajit at an intraperitoneal dose of 50 mg/kg decreased carrageenan-induced inflammation in the rat paw by approximately 75%. Furthermore, shilajit administration decreased carrageenan-induced acute pedal edema, granuloma pouch, and adjuvant-induced arthritis in these animals, indicating significant anti-inflammatory activity”.[9]

Shilajit black, is a blackish brownish—like goo, fulvic acid extracted from layers of rock in several mountain ranges throughout the world, including the Himalayan, Tibetan, and Altai mountains. This study, looking at anti-inflammatory medicinal spices, goes into detail on the use of carrageenan; 

“Carrageenan-induced paw edema is one of the most popular tests used in the screening of African spices and vegetables for antiinflammatory activity (Winter et al., 1962). It is a highly sensitive and reproducible test for nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and has long been established as a valid model to study new antiinflammatory drugs (Willoughby and DiRosa, 1972). Carrageenan-induced inflammation is useful in detecting orally active antiinflammatory agents; therefore, it has significant predictive value for antiinflammatory agents acting through mediators of acute inflammation (Vinegar et al., 1969). The development of edema induced by carrageenan injection causes an acute and local inflammatory response. In the early phase (0–1 h), histamine, serotonin, and bradykinin are the first mediators involved, whereas prostaglandins and various cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α are implicated in the second phase (Crunkhorn and Meacock, 1971).”[10]

Another Review “The Role of Carrageenan in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Allergic Reactions: Where Do We Stand?[11] respectfully acknowledges with the spread of the Western diet, along side is the wide spread use of carrageenan in processed foods for its properties as a thickener, gelling agent, emulsifier, and stabilizer. The review is looking at the debate on its safety, given the fact that carrageenan is used on animals to induce inflammation for the efficacy of anti-inflammatory drugs. 

The take away;

“Carrageenan (CGN) can activate the innate immune pathways of inflammation, alter the gut microbiota composition and the thickness of the mucus barrier. Clinical evidence suggests that CGN is involved in the pathogenesis and clinical management of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), indeed food-exclusion diets can be an effective therapy for disease remission.  Moreover, specific IgE to the oligosaccharide α-Gal has been associated with allergic reactions commonly referred to as the "α-Gal syndrome". This review aims to discuss the role of carrageenan in inflammatory bowel diseases and allergic reactions following the current evidence. Furthermore, as no definitive data are available on the safety and the effects of CGN, we suggest gaps to be filled and advise to limit the human exposure to CGN by reducing the consumption of ultra-processed foods.”

Just think about it, if studies are using carrageenan to induce inflammation, what do ou think it is doing to our intestines? Study after study will tell you, remove the ultra processed and certain organic processed foods, more on this below, and you may find the relief you have been looking for. 

Image; Sora Shimazaki from Pexels

Carrageenan and Ulcerative Colitis 

Carrageenan’s past became questionable in a 1982 laboratory rat study indicating sulfated polysaccharides increase hydrogen sulfide production which inhibited the metabolism of butyric acid and other short chain fatty acids, which in turn starved colonocytes inducing lesions similar to colitis. In other words, there is an association between carrageenan and ulcerative colitis.

Butyrate is an important short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) and it is an energy source for the intestinal epithelial cells, which also influences several factors affecting colonic health.[12] Butyrate may also have an anti-inflammatory potential, affecting the intestinal barrier, playing a role in satiety and oxidative stress, and contribute to the maintenance of stability and balance within the colon.

Animal studies on rabbits and guinea pigs have demonstrated that feeding sulfated polysaccharides (such as carrageenan), but not unsulfated polysaccharides, can induce lesions similar to ulcerative colitis.[13]

The reason this is important to those with ulcerative colitis is that research indicates higher counts of sulfur reducing bacteria in the feces of patients with active ulcerative colitis than in patients in remission.  Incidence and activities of sulphate-reducing bacteria in patients with ulcerative colitis. [14]

The effects of carrageenan is not reserved to those with ulcerative colitis it seems to affect persons with any type of digestive disturbances that does not seem to abate. This includes irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and other digestive issues including constipation, diarrhea, explosive and uncontrollable diarrhea, vomiting, indigestion, painful cramping, gas gallbladder pain and other unexplained digestive upset. 

In the journal of Nutrition one study conducted on rats fed a non-fiber diet or a diet containing about 5% of apple pectin, λ-carrageenan, locust bean gum, gum xanthan, guar gum or sodium alginate found that pancreatic-bile secretion increased in rats fed for 2 weeks on a highly viscous polysaccharides, sodium alginate, locust bean gum, gum xanthan and guar gum. 

The polysaccharides may have interfered with the digestion and absorption of nutrients, resulting in decreased digestibility and an enlargement of digestive organs. When alginic acid and calcium alginate, insoluble polysaccharides that did not contribute to viscosity, were given in rats, they had no effect on pancreatic and biliary secretion compared with sodium alginate. The results demonstrate that consumption of viscous indigestible polysaccharides causes changes in the exocrine pancreatic-biliary function and may depress the process of digestion and absorption.[15]

I have found that gallbladder removal is on the rise and I am starting to see that there may be the possibility of saving some gallbladders simply by removing irritating carcinogenic ingredients like carrageenan from the diet. What if it is that simple? To remove chemical and synthetic ingredients to resolve chronic symptoms; at the very least to see if they do indeed subside. This is a cost effective measure before adding to the overburden health care system and having a potentially unnecessary surgery and future health problems.

Carrageenan: a review. Veterinarni Medicina, 58, 2013 (4): 187–205 | J. Necas, L. Bartosikova | Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic | PDF

What are the different types of carrageenan

There are different types of carrageenan, regardless of the process described below, the end result is extracting the carrageenan from the seaweed. 

There are two types of carrageenan degraded and undegraded. Degraded carrageenan is processed with acid (or, hydrolyzed) which degrades into a low molecular weight and quickens the process to remove carageenans from the seaweed. This is not allowed to be used in food production or manufacturing. However, tests have been randomly conducted on food and have been found to be contaminated with degraded “food-grade” carrageenan.

Degraded carrageenan is such a potent inflammatory agent that scientists routinely use it to induce inflammation and other diseases (especially IBD) in laboratory animals, to test anti-inflammation drugs and other pharmaceuticals.

• Undegraded uses alkali such as sodium hydroxide to allows for a natural drying process.
  
• Undegraded can also be referred to as food-grade as this is the process used for food production.

I know, it is quite confusing. Let me help you clear up the confusion;

• Degraded carrageenan  is NOT used in food
• Undegraded carrageenan IS used in food products.

The one that has come under scrutiny is undegraded carrageenan. Undegraded is the one used in food processing however studies indicate that undegraded carrageenan is in fact degrading in food and scientists are concerned that the acid environment of the stomach may “degrade” foodgrade carrageenan once it enters the digestive system, thus exposing the intestines to this potent and widely recognized carcinogen.[16]

​Carrageenan and Cancer 

In a petition to the FDA Results from the 2005 Marinalg Working Group’s tests clearly show that degraded carrageenan, a substance that is known to cause colon inflammation and is classified by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer as a “possible human carcinogen,”was present in all samples of food-°©grade carrageenan. Therefore, all carrageenan should be prohibited from foods, especially organic foods.[17]

CHAPTER 3 - PRODUCTION, PROPERTIES AND USES OF CARRAGEENAN

Is ​Carrageenan in Organic food?

This is an important point to remember. Usually choosing organic over conventional is the answer to removing harmful substances. This is not the case. The petition to the FDA was to remove carrageenan from organic foods because it does not fall within the criteria of organic. In the petition it states 

"Based on scientific research and industry data, the inclusion of carrageenan on the National List is illegal, since it violates the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, Sec. 2118(c)(1)(A)(i) -.‐ ‘the National List may provide for the use of substances only if ... the use of such substances would not be harmful to human health or the environment."

"Carrageenan fails the following criterion in the organic standards: 7 CFR 
205.600(b)(3) -’The nutritional quality of the food is maintained when the substance is used, and the substance, itself, or its breakdown products do not have an adverse effect on human health as defined by applicable Federal regulations.’ 
Please note that the standards include the phrase “or  its  breakdown products.” Research shows that food-.‐grade carrageenan is broken down in the gastrointestinal tract to degraded carrageenan, a “possible human carcinogen.” Food-.‐grade carrageenan should therefore be removed from the National List based on 7 CFR 205.600(b)(3)."[18]

Scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago and University of Chicago  have been looking at the health effects of carrageenan for more than a decade and were concerned enough to have petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2008 and 2012 to prohibit the use of carrageenan in food and both times was turned down. 

UIC physician and professor Joanne Tobacman petition cited decades of publicly funded, peer-reviewed science including her own (she suffered gastrointestinal issues when consuming carrageenan) on carrageenan-induced inflammation in animals and cells. In June, the FDA responded with a letter of  denial. [19]

At the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board meeting in May 2012, Dr. Joanne Tobacman, a physician-scientist at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and the nation’s foremost independent expert on carrageenan, presented her research and urged the NOSB to remove carrageenan from organic foods. Companies decided to ignore years of  disturbing findings of dozens of independently funded and peer-reviewed studies, including several that found higher rates of colon cancer in lab animals given a diet containing food-grade carrageenan.[20]

According to Professor Tobacman in a Review of harmful gastrointestinal effects of carrageenan in animal experiments reviewed 1982 study data which demonstrated that exposure to undegraded as well as to degraded carrageenan was associated with the occurrence of intestinal ulcerations and neoplasms. This association may be attributed to contamination of undegraded carrageenan by components of low molecular weight, spontaneous metabolism of undegraded carrageenan by acid hydrolysis under conditions of normal digestion, or the interactions with intestinal bacteria.[21]  It has been scientifically shown since 1982 (and as far back s the 1960’s) that there are health risks associated with carrageenan and yet it is ignored. 

Image; Piotr Arnoldes from Pexels

My heavy whipping cream contained carrageenan

I must take a moment here to just sit in silence to really to take this in. I consider myself an informed consumer. Like I said earlier, I read labels. But, for some reason I did not read the labels on the organic whipping cream I was purchasing. I took it at face value the word “Organic” was something I could trust.

Over the last year, I have consumed a lot of whipping cream. I use it in my cooking, baking, and in my coffee. I also take hydrochloric acid to increase stomach acid. Could it be a year of low- grade inflammation, not feeling well, grossly disturbed microbiome, digestive disruption and my face ulcers be due to my faith in taking the word “organic” at face value? 

​Take action against Carrageenan in food

The Cornucopia Institute encourages people to take action and protect their health and sign the petition to have carrageenan removed from food products. “Given its effect on gastrointestinal inflammation, Cornucopia urges anyone suffering from gastrointestinal symptoms (irritable bowel syndrome IBS, spastic colon, inflammatory bowel disease IBD, chronic diarrhea, etc.) to consider completely eliminating carrageenan from the diet to determine if carrageenan was a factor in causing the symptoms.

This is serious enough to take action. Even Dr. Weil advises against any product containing carrageenan and has been quoted as saying that carrageenan can lead to inflammation and inflammation is “a root cause” of a number of serious illnesses, such as

Heart disease 
Gastrointestinal disorders (IBD)
Alzheimer’s disease
Parkinson’s disease
Diabetes
Cancer[22]

A 2012 citizen petition to the FDA was turned down so it really is up to you. You have to take the initiative to read labels. I know I am. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

Avoid food that has these listed in the ingredients list;

Carrageenan
Polygeenan
Irish moss 
Agar-agar

In fairness, irish moss and agar-agar, is a better processing method, and, perhaps you may not have a reaction. However, if you are dealing with Crohn's, Ulcerative colilits, Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS), diarrhea - try taking these out of your diet as well. 

And, as mentioned if the product is organic the carrageenan ingredient is not. In the United States it is not mandatory to list all ingredients on food labels so, you maybe ingesting carrageenan with out knowing it. The best advice; if you are experiencing digestive disturbance from a particular product avoid it because there is something in it whether it is carrageenan or not that is affecting you. 

​Some of the words that may be listed in the ingredient list;[23]

• E.spinosum (mostly pharmaceuticals) nasal spray,
• Polysaccharides
• Locust bean, or locust bean gum (carrageenan is mixed with)
• Calcium salt(s), ester sulfate (carrageenan creates a strong gel when mixed with)
• Kappa, potassium salt(s) (produces strong gel when combined)
• Lambda (provides a creamy feel in dairy products
• Furcellaran, polysaccharides (not widely used)
• Eucheuma Cottonii (preferred for large scale production of pet food formulas)

Look for other names such as Seaweed, Agar-agar, Algas, Algue Rouge Marine, Carrageen, Carrageenin, Carragenano, Carragenina, Carragheenan, Carraghénane, Carraghénine, Chondrus crispus, Chondrus Extract, Euchema species, Extrait de Mousse d’Irlande, Galgarine, Gigartina chamissoi, Gigartina mamillosa, Gigartina skottsbergii, Irish Moss Algae, Irish Moss Extract, Mousse d'Irlande, Red Marine Algae.[24]

Food products with Carrageenan

Carrageenan can be found in ice cream, chocolate milk, flans, puddings, whipped cream, whipping cream, half and half cream, heavy cream, yogurt, creamy milk desserts, cheeses, dry mix desserts, coconut milk, dessert gel, jam, dough sweets, marshmallows, gum drops, confitures, cake icing, tart fillings, bread dough, meringue, cooked ham, imitation meat, sausage, canned meat, hamburger, pureed meat, poultry, processed meat, clarifying and refining of juices, beers, wines and vinegars, chocolate milk, syrups, powdered fruit juices, diet shakes, protein shakes, dry mix salad dressings, powdered soups, mustard, white sauce, ready to eat sauces[25], milkshakes, instant breakfast powders, cooked flans, custards, cooked pudding and pie fillings, cold prepared flans and custards, chocolate syrup, sherbet, skim milk, cottage cheese, cream cheese, evaporated canned milk, infant formulas, ready-to-eat milk puddings, whipping cream, aerosol spray cream topping, frozen whipped toppings, imitation milk, desert gels, fruit drinks, low-calorie jellies, jar or canned fish products, frozen fish coating, relish, pizza sauce and barbecue sauce.[26]

When it comes to non food grade products such as toothpaste, air fresheners, lotions, ointments, creams, medication, cosmetics, paints and emulsions, dental impression materials, laxative preparations, mineral oil, insoluble drug preparations, antacids, antacid gels, drugs for peptic and duodenal ulcers, barium sulfate suspensions, water based paints, immobilization of enzymes and cells.[27]

Get your FREE guide to avoiding Carrageenan in Organic Food. There are numerous ways to save the file

How to know if carrageenan is affecting your health

If you are dealing with gastrointestinal symptoms that are not being being relieved. This is an inexpensive way to put this to the test. Avoid any products that contain carrageenan or any of the derivative names for at least a month.

Start with a symptom journal; list all of your symptoms on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most uncomfortable. List all of them including headaches, joint pain and anything else including what you think are “Crohn’s symptoms,” IBS or Colitis symptoms. No symptom should be assumed to be something else. If you have it, list it. 

Then list how many bowel movements you are experiencing and consistency. It does not have to be anything elaborate just a slash and a code such as watery diarrhea “WD” Loose; “L” and so on. Then, continue keeping a daily log of the number of bowel movements.

Once a week go over your symptoms list and re-rate your symptoms..see if some of your symptoms lesson or abate. 

If you would like some guidance, you can download my symptom tracker and food journal to help you keep track. 

If you think you do not need to track, think again. We are wired to forget our pain quickly. Think back to how you felt 3 days ago? Can you remember all of the symptoms? Can you remember what you ate? Download the tracker and get tracking! 

Although there is not a conclusive list of symptoms other than “gastrointestinal symptoms” you may want to explore the elimination of carrageenan for a period of time such as a month to see if the symptoms indicated below are attributed to carrageenan consumption.

• Gas
• Bloating
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Alternating diarrhea and constipation
• Unexplained skin eruptions, rashes
• Headaches and/or migraines
• Joint pain and/or stiffness
• Emotional or behavior issues
• Lethargy
• Drained energy
• Gallbladder pain, ache, spasm
• Generally just not feeling well

What are alternatives to Carrageenan?

Let me confuse you even more. I know, I am not doing this intentionally. it is amazing how the laws are to protect the food industry and not the consumer. 

Alternatives to carrageenan include guar gum and locust bean gum and animal studies indicate not to cause gastrointestinal distress unlike carrageenan.[28] However, I would avoid these as well. Sometimes, carrageenan can be combined with locust bean gum and it does not have to be listed on the label. According to Cornucopia your trusted food watchdog says right on their website

“Carrageenan may be present in the final product but not listed on the ingredients label when it is used as a “processing aid,” for example in cream.”

Image; RODNAE Productions from Pexels

Carrageenan in beer? 

Do you drink beer?  You may be unknowingly drinking carrageenan. 

“Note: The law does not require ingredients to be listed on alcoholic beverages, and carrageenan is commonly used to clarify beer.”

Get your list of carrageenan in organic products

Find out what products to avoid or to purchase without carrageenan with the Shopping Guide to Avoiding Organic Foods With Carrageenan.

You can get a complete listing of companies and their products that do and do not contain carrageenan. It is too long of a list to add to this article however, I encourage you to take a look and familiarize yourself. As always the best thing to do is start reading labels. Forget reading about caloric intake the real truth is in the actual ingredient list.

If you have eliminated carrageenan from your diet and have found relief from gastrointestinal symptoms, let Cornucopia know the results by filling out a questionnaire developed in collaboration with medical researchers. Get the questionnaire by going here.

Cornucopia questionnaire was developed in collaboration with medical researchers. Let's eliminate carrageenan

If you have eliminated carrageenan from your diet I would love to hear from you and what the results were; what was your “aha moment” that tuned you into the fact that carrageenan may be contributing to your health issues? And, add your advice for those who are on the fence as to why they need to get carrageenan out of their diet. 

You have the power of voice and soon manufactures will hear you by the decline in profits. Look at high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oil and recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) a hormone that studies indicate can be found in dairy products such as cheese and milk. The studies would go back and forth about it’s health risk and it really did not matter. 

Consumers like you and I, began to avoid these products forcing food processors to remove it because their profit margin was hit for the worse. The same will eventually happen with carrageenan. Some of the organic companies that refused to remove carrageenan have since changed their minds due to public pressure and more so declining profits. 

Don’t be duped, do get active and take action! 
If you need help getting your gut back on track get in touch with me. Either email me HelloKarenLangston@gmail.com or call me (347) POO-WELL (347) 766.9355

References

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