Carrageenan used in dairy free products...

[akduck]

My sister found an article on this seaweed, carrageenan. It is used to make both dairy and non dairy (soy milk, almond milk, etc) smoother and less likely to separate, among other things. It is also used to induce inflammation in lab rats! It is also causes intestinal ulcers, lesions and cancer in lab studies.
It is a known cause of gastrointestinal inflammation in humans.
Why are they putting this in our food? It is even used in organic foods! Here are a couple of links to articles.

http://blog.healthkismet.com/carrageenan-cancer-health-inflammation

http://www.rodale.com/carrageenan

There is a lot of info on this to be found, but these will give anyone interested a good overview of this.

 

[Sophos]

I can totally relate to this. This is one of my trigger foods! I used to be a big fan of icecream, and to my dismay carrageenan was in every kind they sold, except for Haagen-Daz. So I can't go cheapy on my icecream anymore. Before I was diagnosed with Crohns disease and had to change my diet, I never really noticed all of the processed ingredients that are put in products to give them a longer shelf life or more satisfying taste. It's a big eye opener. I make sure to read everything I buy now so I (hopefully) know exactly what I'm eating. : )

 

[akduck]

Sophos - I know what you mean - you have to relearn food! I am amazed and appalled at some of the crap that is allowed in our food! I have become a big label reader, and am changing the way I eat. It isn't always easy, but it's much easier on me! I'm glad you found an ice cream you can eat! There are so many foods I miss, but I have learned that eating them isn't worth the trouble they cause.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

They use it as a thickening agent in our foods. They claim they use a food grade version that is safe but I don't believe there is any justification for allowing this ingredient in our food supply. Unfortunately there are many ingredients and chemicals we are exposed to that are not healthy.