Carrageenan: another unknown hazardous ingredient to force you to read the labels

carrageenan 

car·ra·gee·nan

[kar-uh-gee-nuhn]

a colloidal substance extracted from seaweed, chiefly used as an emulsifying and stabilizing ingredient in foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

Recently, while speaking with someone who suffers from Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes scarring and thickening of the intestinal walls and frequently leads to obstruction, I was informed that carrageenan is being used to induce Crohn's in test subjects (rats).
And with a little research i found that it has even been linked to causing cancer. You'd assume that by this statement that the FDA might be against the use of carrageenan in food. But you'd assume wrong. Or at least that when you buy organic food, that the organic industry would at least care to ban it from organic products. Again you'd be mistaken. Armed with this information the USDA voted and decided to continue to use carrageenan in organic products. 

This additive is found in many of our foods. Specially those who enjoy milk alternatives. I'm sure if you check your fridge or cupboards, you'll find a product containing carrageenan.

For a list showing what contains carrageenan and what doesn't, check out this linkhttp://www.cornucopia.org/shopping-guide-to-avoiding-organic-foods-with-carrageenan/

I'd like to point out a couple of items of great importance as they are targeting our future generation, our kids!

"Currently all ready-to-drink (liquid) infant formula, except Gerber Good Start, contains carrageenan. Avoid carrageenan in infant formula by buying organic powdered formula."

"Gerber Graduates kids’ meals (ravioli)"

http://www.cornucopia.org/carrageenan-2013/

http://www.rodale.com/carrageenan

“The best way to detoxify is to stop putting toxic things into the body and depend upon it's own mechanisms.”~ Andrew Weil, M.D. "founder, professor, and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona."