HEALTH AND NUTRITION: Carrageenan in Some Soymilks

[Guest guest]

I know some of you to the NotMilk newsletter, but for those of you

who don't here is a rather good article from them today. Towards the end it

names brands so that you know which ones to avoid.

 

Best, Pat

 

------

 

By Robert Cohen Executive Director

 

TUMMY ACHE?

 

STOMACH ACHES CAUSED BY CARRAGEENAN

 

Some folks can eat just about anything. Some people might

have no problem producing a tall glass of homemade soymilk,

then converting it to chocolate milk by adding the

following ingredients: Three teaspoons of sugar. One

teaspoon of chocolate powder. Two tablespoons of Vaseline

petroleum jelly. The Vaseline might produce gastric

distress, and the soymilk drinkers would erroneously

conclude that they are " allergic " to soy. Some people

do not experience gastric discomfort caused by the

Vaseline-like food additive, carrageenan. Many people do.

 

Carrageenan is a commonly used food additive that is

extracted from red seaweed by using powerful alkali

solvents. These solvents would remove the tissues

and skin from your hands as readily as would any acid.

 

Carrageenan is a thickening agent. It's the vegetarian

equivalent of casein, the same protein that is isolated

from milk and used to thicken foods. Casein is also

used to produce paints, and is the glue used to hold

a label to a bottle of beer. Carrageenan is the magic

ingredient used to de-ice frozen airplanes sitting on

tarmacs during winter storms.

 

IS CARRAGEENAN REALLY NATURAL?

 

Carrageenan is about as wholesome as monosodium glutamate

(MSG), which is extracted from rice, and can equally be

considered natural. Aspartame (NutraPoison) is also natural,

as it is extracted from decayed plant matter that has been

underground for millions of years (oil). So too are many

other substances such as carrageenan that can also be

classified by FDA and USDA as wholesome and natural

food additives.

 

Just because something comes from a natural source does

not mean that it is safe. The small black dots in the

eyes of potatoes contain substances that are instantly

fatal if eaten. Got poison? You will if you eat the

black dots on the " eyes " of potatoes.

 

Carrageenan is a gel. It coats the insides of a stomach,

like gooey honey or massage oil. Digestive problems often

ensue. Quite often, soy eaters or soymilk drinkers react

negatively to carrageenen, and blame their discomforting

stomachaches on the soy.

 

High weight molecular carrageenans are considered to be safe,

and were given GRAS status (safe for human consumption) by

the FDA. Low weight carrageenans are considered to be

dangerous. Even SILK admits this.

 

In order to get more information about carrageenan from

a scientist, I spoke with one of America carrageenan

experts, Joanne Tobacman, M.D. Dr. Tobacman teaches

clinical internal medicine at the University of Iowa

College of Medicine. I explained to Dr. Tobacman that

I rejected animal studies (we discussed valid concerns

about animal research, and why they never produce

reliable results for humans). I requested evidence of

human trials that might show carrageenan to be a

danger for human consumption.

 

Dr. Tobacman shared studies with me that demonstrate that

digestive enzymes and bacterial action convert high weight

carrageenans to dangerous low molecular weight carrageenans

and poligeenans in the human gut. These carrageenans

have been linked to various human cancers and digestive

disorders. Again, I remind you that Tobacman's evidence

and conclusions are based upon human tissue samples,

not animal studies.

 

I will cite additional information from four studies:

 

1) Filament Disassembly and Loss of Mammary Myoepithelial

Cells after Exposure to Carrageenan, Joanne Tobacman,

Cancer Research, 57, 2823-2826, July 15, 1997

 

2) Carrageenan-Induced Inclusions in Mammary Mycoepithelial

Cells, Joanne Tobacman, MD, and Katherine Walters, BS,

Cancer Detection and Prevention, 25(6): 520-526 (2001)

 

3) Consumption of Carrageenan and Other Water-soluble

Polymers Used as Food Additives and Incidence of

Mammary Carcinoma, J. K. Tobacman, R. B. Wallace, M. B.

Zimmerman, Medical Hypothesis (2001), 56(5), 589-598

 

4) Structural Studies on Carrageenan Derived Oligisaccharides,

Guangli Yu, Huashi Guan, Alexandra Ioanviciu, Sulthan

Sikkander, Charuwan Thanawiroon, Joanne Tobacman, Toshihiko

Toida, Robert Linhardt, Carbohydrate Research, 337 (2002),

433-440

 

In her 1997 publication (1), Tobacman studied the effect

of carrageenan on the growth of cultured human mammary

epithelial cells over a two week period. She found that

extremely low doses of carrageenan disrupted the internal

cellular architecture of healthy breast tissue, leading

her to conclude:

 

" The widely used food additive, carrageenan has

marked effects on the growth and characteristics

of human mammary myoepithelial cells in tissue

cultures at concentrations much less than those

frequently used in food products to improve

solubility. "

 

Tobacman continued her work by exposing low concentrations

of carrageenan for short intervals to human breast tissue

(2), and observed pathological alterations in cellular

membranes and intracellular tissues. Tobacman wrote:

 

" These changes included prominence of membrane-

associated vesicles that coalesced to form unusual

petal-like arrays...and development of stacked

rigid-appearing inclusions in the lysosomes that

arose from the membranes of the petal-like arrays

and from smaller, dense spherical bodies that

formed clumps. "

 

In reporting a historical perspective, Tobacman

revealed that carrageenan has been found to

destroy other human cells in tissue cultures,

including epithelial intestinal cells and

prostate cells. She concludes:

 

" The association between exposure to low

concentrations of carrageenan in tissue

culture and destruction of mammary

myoepithelial cells may be relevant to

the occurrance of invasive mammary

malignancy in vivo and provides another

approach to investigation of mammary

carcinoma. "

 

Tobacman's third paper (3) explored the increased

incidence of mammary carcinoma to the increased

consumption of stabilizers and additives such as

guar gum, pectin, xanthan, and carrageenan. While

no relationship between the either above named

additives and cancer was observed, carrageenan

showed a strong positive.

 

Although high molecular weight carrageenans are

considered to be safe, Tobacman demonstrates that

low molecular weight carrageenans are carcinogenic.

She writes:

 

" Acid hydrolysis (digestion) leads to shortening

of the carrageenan polymer to the degraded form,

poligeenan. It is not unreasonable to speculate

that normal gastric acid...may act upon ingested

carrageenan and convert some of which is ingested

to the lower molecular weight poligeenan during

the actual process of digestion. Also, some

intestinal bacteria possess the enzyme

carrageenase that degrades carrageenan. "

 

Tobacman's 2002 publication (4) proves her earlier

hypothesis. She writes:

 

" Mild-acid hydrolytic depolymerization of

carrageenan affords poligeenan, a mixture of

lower molecular weight polysaccharides and

oligosaccharide products. "

 

Tobacman is currently preparing and characterizing

low molecular weight poligeenans (carcinogenic)

that have been extracted from human digestion

modalities. Her yet-to-be published data suggest

that carrageenans are dangerous for human consumption.

 

My advice: Read labels. If there is carrageenan

in a product, select an alternative.

 

This morning, I checked my local supermarket (ShopRite,

Emerson, NJ) to see which soymilk manufacturers added

carrageenan to their formulas.

 

REFRIGERATED SOYMILKS

 

The largest selling soymilk in America is SILK.

Do I pick on the industry leader? Damned right I

do. SILK sets the standard. You deserve to know the

truth. Just for the record, when SILK changes

their formula they will become my hero. In my

opinion, SILK tastes better than any of the

commercially available soymilks. Unfortunately,

consumers sacrifice good health for good taste.

That is not a fair trade, particularly for

our children.

 

SILK uses carrageenan. SILK plain, SILK chocolate.

SunSoy also uses carrageenan. Hershey's real chocolate

is not so real. They use it too. So does Nesquik.

 

THESE COMPANIES DO NOT USE CARRAGEENAN

 

VitaSoy does not have carrageenan! they use barley flower

as a thickener. 8th Continent does not use carrageenan

either. Their choice is to use cellulose gel and soy

lecithin to create a smoother soymilk.

 

SHELF STABLE

 

On the shelf (non-refrigerated), I found Rice Dream.

They do not use carrageenan. They use xantham gum.

Soy Dream (made by Imagine Foods) does not use it

either. Their emulsifier is rice syrup. Eden Soy

does not use it. They use barley extract.

 

Do a little experiment. Drink a quart of SILK.

Pay careful attention to your carrageenen-induced

tummy ache and intestinal discomfort. Many consumers

unfairly blame that on soy. Now you know the truth.

Drink a quart of VitaSoy, 8th Continent, Soy Dream,

or Eden Soy, and you will not get the garrageenan-blues.

 

Why do some manufacturers " get it, " while others

remain clueless?

 

 

------

 

Robert Cohen author of:   MILK A-Z

(201-871-5871)

Executive Director (notmilkman)

Dairy Education Board

http://www.notmilk.com

------

[Guest guest]

Wow, I won't be buying SILK anymore!

 

Pat <veggiehound wrote:

I know some of you to the NotMilk newsletter, but for those of you

who don't here is a rather good article from them today. Towards the end it

names brands so that you know which ones to avoid.

 

Best, Pat

 

------

 

By Robert Cohen Executive Director

 

TUMMY ACHE?

 

STOMACH ACHES CAUSED BY CARRAGEENAN

 

Some folks can eat just about anything. Some people might

have no problem producing a tall glass of homemade soymilk,

then converting it to chocolate milk by adding the

following ingredients: Three teaspoons of sugar. One

teaspoon of chocolate powder. Two tablespoons of Vaseline

petroleum jelly. The Vaseline might produce gastric

distress, and the soymilk drinkers would erroneously

conclude that they are " allergic " to soy. Some people

do not experience gastric discomfort caused by the

Vaseline-like food additive, carrageenan. Many people do.

 

Carrageenan is a commonly used food additive that is

extracted from red seaweed by using powerful alkali

solvents. These solvents would remove the tissues

and skin from your hands as readily as would any acid.

 

Carrageenan is a thickening agent. It's the vegetarian

equivalent of casein, the same protein that is isolated

from milk and used to thicken foods. Casein is also

used to produce paints, and is the glue used to hold

a label to a bottle of beer. Carrageenan is the magic

ingredient used to de-ice frozen airplanes sitting on

tarmacs during winter storms.

 

IS CARRAGEENAN REALLY NATURAL?

 

Carrageenan is about as wholesome as monosodium glutamate

(MSG), which is extracted from rice, and can equally be

considered natural. Aspartame (NutraPoison) is also natural,

as it is extracted from decayed plant matter that has been

underground for millions of years (oil). So too are many

other substances such as carrageenan that can also be

classified by FDA and USDA as wholesome and natural

food additives.

 

Just because something comes from a natural source does

not mean that it is safe. The small black dots in the

eyes of potatoes contain substances that are instantly

fatal if eaten. Got poison? You will if you eat the

black dots on the " eyes " of potatoes.

 

Carrageenan is a gel. It coats the insides of a stomach,

like gooey honey or massage oil. Digestive problems often

ensue. Quite often, soy eaters or soymilk drinkers react

negatively to carrageenen, and blame their discomforting

stomachaches on the soy.

 

High weight molecular carrageenans are considered to be safe,

and were given GRAS status (safe for human consumption) by

the FDA. Low weight carrageenans are considered to be

dangerous. Even SILK admits this.

 

In order to get more information about carrageenan from

a scientist, I spoke with one of America carrageenan

experts, Joanne Tobacman, M.D. Dr. Tobacman teaches

clinical internal medicine at the University of Iowa

College of Medicine. I explained to Dr. Tobacman that

I rejected animal studies (we discussed valid concerns

about animal research, and why they never produce

reliable results for humans). I requested evidence of

human trials that might show carrageenan to be a

danger for human consumption.

 

Dr. Tobacman shared studies with me that demonstrate that

digestive enzymes and bacterial action convert high weight

carrageenans to dangerous low molecular weight carrageenans

and poligeenans in the human gut. These carrageenans

have been linked to various human cancers and digestive

disorders. Again, I remind you that Tobacman's evidence

and conclusions are based upon human tissue samples,

not animal studies.

 

I will cite additional information from four studies:

 

1) Filament Disassembly and Loss of Mammary Myoepithelial

Cells after Exposure to Carrageenan, Joanne Tobacman,

Cancer Research, 57, 2823-2826, July 15, 1997

 

2) Carrageenan-Induced Inclusions in Mammary Mycoepithelial

Cells, Joanne Tobacman, MD, and Katherine Walters, BS,

Cancer Detection and Prevention, 25(6): 520-526 (2001)

 

3) Consumption of Carrageenan and Other Water-soluble

Polymers Used as Food Additives and Incidence of

Mammary Carcinoma, J. K. Tobacman, R. B. Wallace, M. B.

Zimmerman, Medical Hypothesis (2001), 56(5), 589-598

 

4) Structural Studies on Carrageenan Derived Oligisaccharides,

Guangli Yu, Huashi Guan, Alexandra Ioanviciu, Sulthan

Sikkander, Charuwan Thanawiroon, Joanne Tobacman, Toshihiko

Toida, Robert Linhardt, Carbohydrate Research, 337 (2002),

433-440

 

In her 1997 publication (1), Tobacman studied the effect

of carrageenan on the growth of cultured human mammary

epithelial cells over a two week period. She found that

extremely low doses of carrageenan disrupted the internal

cellular architecture of healthy breast tissue, leading

her to conclude:

 

" The widely used food additive, carrageenan has

marked effects on the growth and characteristics

of human mammary myoepithelial cells in tissue

cultures at concentrations much less than those

frequently used in food products to improve

solubility. "

 

Tobacman continued her work by exposing low concentrations

of carrageenan for short intervals to human breast tissue

(2), and observed pathological alterations in cellular

membranes and intracellular tissues. Tobacman wrote:

 

" These changes included prominence of membrane-

associated vesicles that coalesced to form unusual

petal-like arrays...and development of stacked

rigid-appearing inclusions in the lysosomes that

arose from the membranes of the petal-like arrays

and from smaller, dense spherical bodies that

formed clumps. "

 

In reporting a historical perspective, Tobacman

revealed that carrageenan has been found to

destroy other human cells in tissue cultures,

including epithelial intestinal cells and

prostate cells. She concludes:

 

" The association between exposure to low

concentrations of carrageenan in tissue

culture and destruction of mammary

myoepithelial cells may be relevant to

the occurrance of invasive mammary

malignancy in vivo and provides another

approach to investigation of mammary

carcinoma. "

 

Tobacman's third paper (3) explored the increased

incidence of mammary carcinoma to the increased

consumption of stabilizers and additives such as

guar gum, pectin, xanthan, and carrageenan. While

no relationship between the either above named

additives and cancer was observed, carrageenan

showed a strong positive.

 

Although high molecular weight carrageenans are

considered to be safe, Tobacman demonstrates that

low molecular weight carrageenans are carcinogenic.

She writes:

 

" Acid hydrolysis (digestion) leads to shortening

of the carrageenan polymer to the degraded form,

poligeenan. It is not unreasonable to speculate

that normal gastric acid...may act upon ingested

carrageenan and convert some of which is ingested

to the lower molecular weight poligeenan during

the actual process of digestion. Also, some

intestinal bacteria possess the enzyme

carrageenase that degrades carrageenan. "

 

Tobacman's 2002 publication (4) proves her earlier

hypothesis. She writes:

 

" Mild-acid hydrolytic depolymerization of

carrageenan affords poligeenan, a mixture of

lower molecular weight polysaccharides and

oligosaccharide products. "

 

Tobacman is currently preparing and characterizing

low molecular weight poligeenans (carcinogenic)

that have been extracted from human digestion

modalities. Her yet-to-be published data suggest

that carrageenans are dangerous for human consumption.

 

My advice: Read labels. If there is carrageenan

in a product, select an alternative.

 

This morning, I checked my local supermarket (ShopRite,

Emerson, NJ) to see which soymilk manufacturers added

carrageenan to their formulas.

 

REFRIGERATED SOYMILKS

 

The largest selling soymilk in America is SILK.

Do I pick on the industry leader? Damned right I

do. SILK sets the standard. You deserve to know the

truth. Just for the record, when SILK changes

their formula they will become my hero. In my

opinion, SILK tastes better than any of the

commercially available soymilks. Unfortunately,

consumers sacrifice good health for good taste.

That is not a fair trade, particularly for

our children.

 

SILK uses carrageenan. SILK plain, SILK chocolate.

SunSoy also uses carrageenan. Hershey's real chocolate

is not so real. They use it too. So does Nesquik.

 

THESE COMPANIES DO NOT USE CARRAGEENAN

 

VitaSoy does not have carrageenan! they use barley flower

as a thickener. 8th Continent does not use carrageenan

either. Their choice is to use cellulose gel and soy

lecithin to create a smoother soymilk.

 

SHELF STABLE

 

On the shelf (non-refrigerated), I found Rice Dream.

They do not use carrageenan. They use xantham gum.

Soy Dream (made by Imagine Foods) does not use it

either. Their emulsifier is rice syrup. Eden Soy

does not use it. They use barley extract.

 

Do a little experiment. Drink a quart of SILK.

Pay careful attention to your carrageenen-induced

tummy ache and intestinal discomfort. Many consumers

unfairly blame that on soy. Now you know the truth.

Drink a quart of VitaSoy, 8th Continent, Soy Dream,

or Eden Soy, and you will not get the garrageenan-blues.

 

Why do some manufacturers " get it, " while others

remain clueless?

 

 

------

 

Robert Cohen author of: MILK A-Z

(201-871-5871)

Executive Director (notmilkman)

Dairy Education Board

http://www.notmilk.com

------

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks for this! I was worried my brand would be on the list, but 8th Continent

is safe

Thanks for the heads up!

~~Morgan~~

Gabrielle and Faith's momma

Pro-Life, Christian, Vegetarian

www.fatspider.com

 

 

-

Valerie Fjallstrom

Thursday, November 11, 2004 12:29 PM

Re: HEALTH AND NUTRITION: Carrageenan in Some

Soymilks

 

 

 

Wow, I won't be buying SILK anymore!

 

Pat <veggiehound wrote:

I know some of you to the NotMilk newsletter, but for those of you

who don't here is a rather good article from them today. Towards the end it

names brands so that you know which ones to avoid.

 

Best, Pat

 

------

 

By Robert Cohen Executive Director

 

TUMMY ACHE?

 

STOMACH ACHES CAUSED BY CARRAGEENAN

 

Some folks can eat just about anything. Some people might

have no problem producing a tall glass of homemade soymilk,

then converting it to chocolate milk by adding the

following ingredients: Three teaspoons of sugar. One

teaspoon of chocolate powder. Two tablespoons of Vaseline

petroleum jelly. The Vaseline might produce gastric

distress, and the soymilk drinkers would erroneously

conclude that they are " allergic " to soy. Some people

do not experience gastric discomfort caused by the

Vaseline-like food additive, carrageenan. Many people do.

 

Carrageenan is a commonly used food additive that is

extracted from red seaweed by using powerful alkali

solvents. These solvents would remove the tissues

and skin from your hands as readily as would any acid.

 

Carrageenan is a thickening agent. It's the vegetarian

equivalent of casein, the same protein that is isolated

from milk and used to thicken foods. Casein is also

used to produce paints, and is the glue used to hold

a label to a bottle of beer. Carrageenan is the magic

ingredient used to de-ice frozen airplanes sitting on

tarmacs during winter storms.

 

IS CARRAGEENAN REALLY NATURAL?

 

Carrageenan is about as wholesome as monosodium glutamate

(MSG), which is extracted from rice, and can equally be

considered natural. Aspartame (NutraPoison) is also natural,

as it is extracted from decayed plant matter that has been

underground for millions of years (oil). So too are many

other substances such as carrageenan that can also be

classified by FDA and USDA as wholesome and natural

food additives.

 

Just because something comes from a natural source does

not mean that it is safe. The small black dots in the

eyes of potatoes contain substances that are instantly

fatal if eaten. Got poison? You will if you eat the

black dots on the " eyes " of potatoes.

 

Carrageenan is a gel. It coats the insides of a stomach,

like gooey honey or massage oil. Digestive problems often

ensue. Quite often, soy eaters or soymilk drinkers react

negatively to carrageenen, and blame their discomforting

stomachaches on the soy.

 

High weight molecular carrageenans are considered to be safe,

and were given GRAS status (safe for human consumption) by

the FDA. Low weight carrageenans are considered to be

dangerous. Even SILK admits this.

 

In order to get more information about carrageenan from

a scientist, I spoke with one of America carrageenan

experts, Joanne Tobacman, M.D. Dr. Tobacman teaches

clinical internal medicine at the University of Iowa

College of Medicine. I explained to Dr. Tobacman that

I rejected animal studies (we discussed valid concerns

about animal research, and why they never produce

reliable results for humans). I requested evidence of

human trials that might show carrageenan to be a

danger for human consumption.

 

Dr. Tobacman shared studies with me that demonstrate that

digestive enzymes and bacterial action convert high weight

carrageenans to dangerous low molecular weight carrageenans

and poligeenans in the human gut. These carrageenans

have been linked to various human cancers and digestive

disorders. Again, I remind you that Tobacman's evidence

and conclusions are based upon human tissue samples,

not animal studies.

 

I will cite additional information from four studies:

 

1) Filament Disassembly and Loss of Mammary Myoepithelial

Cells after Exposure to Carrageenan, Joanne Tobacman,

Cancer Research, 57, 2823-2826, July 15, 1997

 

2) Carrageenan-Induced Inclusions in Mammary Mycoepithelial

Cells, Joanne Tobacman, MD, and Katherine Walters, BS,

Cancer Detection and Prevention, 25(6): 520-526 (2001)

 

3) Consumption of Carrageenan and Other Water-soluble

Polymers Used as Food Additives and Incidence of

Mammary Carcinoma, J. K. Tobacman, R. B. Wallace, M. B.

Zimmerman, Medical Hypothesis (2001), 56(5), 589-598

 

4) Structural Studies on Carrageenan Derived Oligisaccharides,

Guangli Yu, Huashi Guan, Alexandra Ioanviciu, Sulthan

Sikkander, Charuwan Thanawiroon, Joanne Tobacman, Toshihiko

Toida, Robert Linhardt, Carbohydrate Research, 337 (2002),

433-440

 

In her 1997 publication (1), Tobacman studied the effect

of carrageenan on the growth of cultured human mammary

epithelial cells over a two week period. She found that

extremely low doses of carrageenan disrupted the internal

cellular architecture of healthy breast tissue, leading

her to conclude:

 

" The widely used food additive, carrageenan has

marked effects on the growth and characteristics

of human mammary myoepithelial cells in tissue

cultures at concentrations much less than those

frequently used in food products to improve

solubility. "

 

Tobacman continued her work by exposing low concentrations

of carrageenan for short intervals to human breast tissue

(2), and observed pathological alterations in cellular

membranes and intracellular tissues. Tobacman wrote:

 

" These changes included prominence of membrane-

associated vesicles that coalesced to form unusual

petal-like arrays...and development of stacked

rigid-appearing inclusions in the lysosomes that

arose from the membranes of the petal-like arrays

and from smaller, dense spherical bodies that

formed clumps. "

 

In reporting a historical perspective, Tobacman

revealed that carrageenan has been found to

destroy other human cells in tissue cultures,

including epithelial intestinal cells and

prostate cells. She concludes:

 

" The association between exposure to low

concentrations of carrageenan in tissue

culture and destruction of mammary

myoepithelial cells may be relevant to

the occurrance of invasive mammary

malignancy in vivo and provides another

approach to investigation of mammary

carcinoma. "

 

Tobacman's third paper (3) explored the increased

incidence of mammary carcinoma to the increased

consumption of stabilizers and additives such as

guar gum, pectin, xanthan, and carrageenan. While

no relationship between the either above named

additives and cancer was observed, carrageenan

showed a strong positive.

 

Although high molecular weight carrageenans are

considered to be safe, Tobacman demonstrates that

low molecular weight carrageenans are carcinogenic.

She writes:

 

" Acid hydrolysis (digestion) leads to shortening

of the carrageenan polymer to the degraded form,

poligeenan. It is not unreasonable to speculate

that normal gastric acid...may act upon ingested

carrageenan and convert some of which is ingested

to the lower molecular weight poligeenan during

the actual process of digestion. Also, some

intestinal bacteria possess the enzyme

carrageenase that degrades carrageenan. "

 

Tobacman's 2002 publication (4) proves her earlier

hypothesis. She writes:

 

" Mild-acid hydrolytic depolymerization of

carrageenan affords poligeenan, a mixture of

lower molecular weight polysaccharides and

oligosaccharide products. "

 

Tobacman is currently preparing and characterizing

low molecular weight poligeenans (carcinogenic)

that have been extracted from human digestion

modalities. Her yet-to-be published data suggest

that carrageenans are dangerous for human consumption.

 

My advice: Read labels. If there is carrageenan

in a product, select an alternative.

 

This morning, I checked my local supermarket (ShopRite,

Emerson, NJ) to see which soymilk manufacturers added

carrageenan to their formulas.

 

REFRIGERATED SOYMILKS

 

The largest selling soymilk in America is SILK.

Do I pick on the industry leader? Damned right I

do. SILK sets the standard. You deserve to know the

truth. Just for the record, when SILK changes

their formula they will become my hero. In my

opinion, SILK tastes better than any of the

commercially available soymilks. Unfortunately,

consumers sacrifice good health for good taste.

That is not a fair trade, particularly for

our children.

 

SILK uses carrageenan. SILK plain, SILK chocolate.

SunSoy also uses carrageenan. Hershey's real chocolate

is not so real. They use it too. So does Nesquik.

 

THESE COMPANIES DO NOT USE CARRAGEENAN

 

VitaSoy does not have carrageenan! they use barley flower

as a thickener. 8th Continent does not use carrageenan

either. Their choice is to use cellulose gel and soy

lecithin to create a smoother soymilk.

 

SHELF STABLE

 

On the shelf (non-refrigerated), I found Rice Dream.

They do not use carrageenan. They use xantham gum.

Soy Dream (made by Imagine Foods) does not use it

either. Their emulsifier is rice syrup. Eden Soy

does not use it. They use barley extract.

 

Do a little experiment. Drink a quart of SILK.

Pay careful attention to your carrageenen-induced

tummy ache and intestinal discomfort. Many consumers

unfairly blame that on soy. Now you know the truth.

Drink a quart of VitaSoy, 8th Continent, Soy Dream,

or Eden Soy, and you will not get the garrageenan-blues.

 

Why do some manufacturers " get it, " while others

remain clueless?

 

 

------

 

Robert Cohen author of: MILK A-Z

(201-871-5871)

Executive Director (notmilkman)

Dairy Education Board

http://www.notmilk.com

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