Is eating SEAWEED with CARRAGEENAN SAFE?

[Lady Organic]

I would like to find solid information concerning carrageenan and seaweeds.

I know carrageenan extract or hydrolysed found in many non-dairy products are unhealthy. What I understand is that the carrageenan has been transformed and that is what would be dangerous, but I am not sure at all...

However, I'd like to make sure that when the seaweed is not transformed and kept in original state that is is safe for consumption.

does anyone know this info with solid evidence?

I have started making seaweed broths for additional calcium and mineral consumptions. I know seaweed is extremly popular in Asia in countries where IBD, colon cancer and osteoporosis barely exist...

so whats the deal with seaweed???

 

[sickofcrohns]

Carageenan is basically a boiled extract from seaweed. It has been used for thousands of years as a thickener, emulsifier, etc. It is often "transformed" with calcium chloride or alcohol, i.e. things that are not poisonous, either.

Seaweed in general is totally safe, but it may give you gas. I eat it all the time, but I don't go from no seaweed at all to a huge seaweed salad all at once. Start small, try different kinds (wakame, kombu broth, irish moss (=carageenan), nori, etc.) and see what works for you.

 

[Lady Organic]

Hi sickocrohns,

thank you. scientific evidence seems to show carrageenan as an additive in industrial food is unsafe and potentially carcinogenic and could even induce colitis. There is a wiki page here on the forum about it. i for one, would never it as an additive.

I'd like to know if scientific evidence proscribe eating dried natural non-transformed seaweed as well.

 

[Lady Organic]

ok here's what I found...

it seems carrageenan is found in one kind of seaweed mostly, RED seaweed... Since evidence of inocuity is unclear/incomplete regarding carrageenan in the natural form, I choose to avoid it completly.

So for now, I will concentrate on other families / types of seaweed such as green of brown seaweeds which do not seem to contain carrageenan.

I will concentrate on KUMBU (brown seaweed family) which is easily accessible, cheap and even cultivated here in Canada. I prefer to consume seaweed from the atlantic ocean rather than the Pacific because of the Fukushima radioactive disaster...

heres some info on how to prepare Kombu broth, I think I'll go for the raw broth from now on in order to consume as much enzymes as possible in addition to all the fantastic amount of minerals they contain :

http://www.kurakonusa.com/kombu/king/index.html

BTW the taste is pretty good

 

[hugh]

Harmful or Harmless: Carrageenan
http://chriskresser.com/harmful-or-harmless-carrageenan