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I was buying Silk Almond milk and the last time I got Blue Diamond almond milk and later noticed it contains carrageenan. (Silk brand almond milk contains Locust Bean Gum, neither brand contain Soy) I just read again where Gloria mentioned she and Polly don’t tolerate carrageenan. I googled Carrageenan and found this and several other articles that say it is completely natural. I have read more discussions here on gums and if I remember correctly, we are to avoid them. Is that correct and if so why?
Two gums that are pretty familiar are gelatin and corn starch. If you look at processed food, you see all sorts of other gums like carrageenan, xanthan gum, cellulose gum, locust bean gum, agar, and so on. Food scientists (not cooks -- food scientists make processed foods) use these substances for four main reasons:
1. They thicken things: Ice cream, marshmallow fluff, pancake syrup, etc., all benefit from thickening.
2. They emulsify things: They help liquids to stay mixed together without separating.
3. They change the texture: Generally, a gum will make something thicker or chewier.
4. They stabilize crystals: A gum might help prevent sugar or ice from crystallizing.
These are all handy capabilities when making food products that have to look good for several months after trucking them across the country. The reason why a normal cook usually does not need to use things like carrageenan or xanthan gum is because the food a normal cook makes gets eaten quickly and is not mistreated. A cook can also use less expensive things like gelatin, flour or eggs because the time span between cooking and consumption is so short.
Carrageenan, by the way, is a seaweed extract. This particular type of seaweed is common in the Atlantic Ocean near Britain, Continental Europe and North America. You boil the seaweed to extract the carrageenan. In that sense, carrageenan is completely "natural" -- it's not much different from tomato paste in its creation.
Thanks for sharing that. I had a friend on FB tell me that carrageenan was inflammatory (don't know where she got that info from) so I immediately checked for it in everything I bought and avoided it. That's when I switched over from almond Breeze to Silk. Then I started noticing posts about people not being able to tolerate some gums. This was starting to depress me. Tex had told me that if we react to legumes then we would probably react to all the gums as they come from beans with the exception of Xanthum gum.
From reading your post it sounds like Carrageenan is not bad at all. Probably better than the bean gums. So frustrating trying to figure out what to avoid.
Terri
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis in July, 2012 then with Celiac in November, 2012.
Terri is right on target — the reason why many of us have to avoid all of the gums, is because with the exception of xanthan gum, they are all made from various legumes. And many people are intolerant of xanthan gum, also. Xanthan gum is made from the slime left when the Xanthomonas campestris bacteria decompose carbohydrate feedstocks of various grains, or dairy sugars, but in the U.S. the feedstock is usually a type of corn sugar. Probably, those who are sensitive to it are sensitive to some residual byproduct from the slime left by the bacteria, but the exact reason has never been researched.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Xanthan gum is made from the slime left when the Xanthomonas campestris bacteria decompose carbohydrate feedstocks of various grains, or dairy sugars, but in the U.S. the feedstock is usually a type of corn sugar.
Gack!! Is this more than I want to know? I'm learning to mix my own flours for baking and am feeling like I'm magician concocting a spell. Wing of bat and eye of newt -- Now slime of Xanth!
LOL at the above post.....wing of bat and eye of newt!
I am very sensitive to carrageenen. Guar gum gives me a stomach ache but not D. Xanthan gum is a little bit less of a problem. However, I can eat most beans just fine (lima, black, navy, etc.). The exception is pinto beans, which I am highly sensitive to. Go figure!!! Crazy disease, no?
Hugs,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
