Sometimes, in the world of nutrition, it feels as though we can't win. One day it is eating a Paleo diet that is reported to be the "best" way to eat, the next day it is a vegan diet. Or how about the Mediterranean diet? Anyone heard of the 17 Day Diet?
In any event, if you are like some of us who have tried strived to eat a healthier diet you might have switched from mixing your morning whole grain cereal or oatmeal with cow's milk (because you have heard dairy is bad for you) to a plant based milk. Years ago, the only dairy alternative on the shelves was soy milk, now there is coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk, oat milk sunflower milk and hemp milk (have I missed any?).
The food marketing gurus always have to step in and mess things up. In an attempt to make some of these milks have the mouthfeel of real dairy milk many products contain carageenan, a derivative of seaweed used as a thickening agent in an abundance of foods such as yogurt, sour cream, ice cream and plant milks. Carageenan is found in organic as well as non-organic foods.
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Carageenan has been directly found to cause inflammation in our bodies. In fact, carrageenan has been used in studies on rats to promote a inflammatory response in order to study how anti-inflammatory chemicals might work. Chronic inflammation, known as the silent killer, has been shown to ultimately lead to diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Carageenan has been specifically shown to cause inflammation in our guts, which can lead to Irritable Bowel Syndrome, colon issues or Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
If want you to keep drinking your plant milks, my strong suggestion is to stay away from carageenan. So, what can you do to make sure you don't ingest this harmful substance? Click here to see a list of products that contain carageenan and the alternative choices.
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If you have never made your own almond milk, you need to try this easy alternative - made with only three ingredients. It is so fresh and delicious. Click here for my recipe for Homemade Almond Milk.
Now I would like to hear from you. Do you use other milks besides cows milk? What do you feel about the use of carageenan? Let me know in the comments below!
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