carrageenan

Yeesh...good thing I don't feed NB! I never had ANY Idea! I would never feed that to any dog[:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(]

Please don't panic. Carrageenan is not some toxic chemical or artificial food preservative. Here's a descritption from the Frontier Natural Foods Co-op site:

Carrageenan - Carrageenan is a water-soluble substance extracted from red seaweed, mainly Chrondus crispus or Irish Moss. Carrageenan is used in both cosmetic and food applications as a stabilizer and emulsifier capable of controlling viscosity, maintaining product integrity, and for giving an improved mouthfeel and body to foods. Carrageenan is a commonly used ingredient in dry mixes, desserts, milk products, tomato sauces, salad dressings and cheese products. To extract carrageenan at home, boil a quantity of Irish moss wrapped in cheesecloth for a short period of time. Carrageenan will be extracted from the seaweed and into the water. Upon cooling the liquid will form a soft gel.

It's basically a plant-based gelatin.

[linkhttp://www.notmilk.com/carageenan.html]www.notmilk.com/carageenan.html[/link]
 

Interesting site.. I drink Silk in my coffee, and actually thought I had an issue with soy, or one of the ingredients. Turns out it was my tap water that I made the coffee with. Now I use bottled water and have no problems. Who knew. Time for some carrageenan research though, I guess. [&o]

If carrageenan can cause problems in humans, then I'm sure if can cause problems for dogs.

It's just a binder.  Can you cite some references with regards to it's toxicity?

Paula

If carrageenan can cause problems in humans, then I'm sure if can cause problems for dogs.

*Can* cause and *will* cause are two different things. Some dogs have problems wih grains. Some have problems with poultry. That doesn't mean any foods that contain either of those items is harmful. If you wan to try eliminating carrageenan from you dog's diet, fine. But if people who are feeding this diet have no problems with it, that's fine, too.

I would take ANY information from the site that was linked with a very healthy dose of skepticism. Outrageous claims like comparing vaseline (a petroleum product) to carragheenan (a plant product) raise serious doubts in my eyes of how scientifically objective this guy is. I try to watch my health as much as the next person, but scare-tactic panic-mongers are not my favorite sources of information. If I quit eating anything that had a web site devoted to it#%92s harmful effects I#%92d starve to death. Nah. I'd die of dehydration first because of all the negative reports about polluted water and unsafe water purifiers.

It's just a binder.

ORIGINAL: paulaedwina

You say binder, I say thickener.  I bought a box of ice cream sandwiches for my kids about ten years ago that had carrageenan and guar gum.  Breyer's didn't have any and it was a 2nd tier brand.  My daughter took a couple of bites then left it on a dessert plate and left the room.  A few minutes later I tracked her down and asked her about her ice cream and she said her stomach hurt a little.
 
About 30 minutes after she put it down I noticed that the ice cream sandwich was unmelted!  It looked about the same as when it came out of the freezer.  I pressed down on it and its spongy "ice cream" just spread out. [:'(]   It was spongy and there was no liquid.  I don't know if that was more attributable to the carrageenan or the guar gum.
 
Needless to say all of the remaining ice cream sandwiches were tossed.

Not to mention the deadliness of Dihydrogen Monoxide: [linkhttp://www.dhmo.org/facts.html]http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html[/link]

I personally have no problem with carrageenan. It's used in lots of human foods, and while I wouldn't eat it plain, I think there are a lot worse things they could use to "stabilize" a food.

That is an interesting anecdote, but I'm asking if there are real risks with this binder whether anyone can cite some references I can read.  Imean, otherwise we'll just be going on stories right?

Paula

ORIGINAL: Cita

Not to mention the deadliness of Dihydrogen Monoxide: [linkhttp://www.dhmo.org/facts.html]http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html[/link]

I personally have no problem with carrageenan. It's used in lots of human foods, and while I wouldn't eat it plain, I think there are a lot worse things they could use to "stabilize" a food.

LOL. Dihydrogen  monoxide never fails to crack me up.

Paula

[linkhttp://www.pacifichealthcenter.com/updates/67.asp]www.pacifichealthcenter.com/updates/67.asp[/link]
 
scroll down to #3 under "questionable additives"
 
I can send more sites tomorrow

Thanks for the link Shelly, but;

" 3. Carrageenan - From seaweed; large amounts damaged test animals colons; possible link to ulcers and cancer."

is not a citeable reference. The site makes the claim, but includes no reference to a peer reviewed primary research article. Usually when claims such as this are made there is a citation to prove the point. Otherwise it's just stories - there is no way to say this is fact or opinion.

Paula

Paula

ORIGINAL: paulaedwina

ORIGINAL: Cita

Not to mention the deadliness of Dihydrogen Monoxide: [linkhttp://www.dhmo.org/facts.html]http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html[/link]

I personally have no problem with carrageenan. It's used in lots of human foods, and while I wouldn't eat it plain, I think there are a lot worse things they could use to "stabilize" a food.

LOL. Dihydrogen  monoxide never fails to crack me up.

Paula

I clicked on that link, it looks scary to me.