• calcium caseinate
• yeast extract
• textured vegetable protein
• autolyzed yeast
• hydrolyzed oat flour
Additionally, it frequently appears in the form of flavoring, natural flavoring, seasoning, or spices on the labels of food. Because it can be difficult to remember the myriad disguises of MSG, I tell my clients to avoid foods that include the following terms in the list of ingredients: hydrolyzed, isolate, caseinate, spices/seasonings, or flavors (natural or artificial).
You should also avoid the food additive known as carrageenan. It’s an additive that is so ubiquitous in the food industry that it is even found in most packaged foods and restaurant sauces, and even many foods that have been labeled “certified organic” contain the questionable ingredient. Although the additive starts out harmless enough (it comes from the seaweed known as Irish moss), it is then processed to extract the ingredient known as carrageenan, which acts as a thickener or emulsifier for many prepared foods. Once this ingredient has been extracted, it turns from an otherwise healthy food to one that causes widespread inflammation in the body.
Like most people, I originally thought that carrageenan was a harmless extract from seaweed, so I didn’t give it much consideration. Then while conducting my regular health and nutrition research, I read that scientists were giving animals carrageenan to induce inflammation as a way to prepare them for scientific studies exploring anti-inflammatory drugs. That was the first I’d heard of carrageenan being used in this way. So I began to investigate.
Dr. Joanne Tobacman has conducted many studies on the effects of carrageenan consumption, including a recent one in the Journal of Diabetes Research.17 After eating carrageenan for only six days, animals fed carrageenan developed glucose intolerance, which is an umbrella term used to describe impaired metabolism involving excessively high blood sugar levels. Dr. Tobacman found that the food additive caused blood sugar levels to skyrocket and indicates that it may lead to the development of diabetes. She indicates that because carrageenan used in animals’ diets commonly causes diabetes, the additive could be used for mouse models of the study of diabetes.
She also found that carrageenan causes intestinal and systemic inflammation in animal studies.18 Considering that inflammation is a well-established factor in most chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, pain disorders, and many others, any food additive in common use is a serious concern. Dr. Tobacman also indicates that the amount of carrageenan found in most peoples’ diets is sufficient to cause inflammation.19
Carrageenan is found in common foods, including infant formula, ice cream, cream, butter, soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt, coffee creamer, vegan cheese alternatives, egg nog, protein supplements, aloe vera gel, deli meat, juice, pudding, pizza, chocolate bars, coffee beverages, and many other packaged foods. Additionally, some supplements, particularly those involving gel caps, commonly contain carrageenan. And most grocery store rotisserie chickens typically contain the additive. Even many organic and certified organic foods contain carrageenan. To find out if the organic foods you use contain carrageenan that might not be listed on the label, check out the “Shopping Guide to Avoiding Organic Foods with Carrageenan” list compiled by the Cornucopia Institute at www.cornucopia.org.
In addition to MSG and carrageenan, be sure to avoid food containing artificial colors and preservatives. The preservatives known as sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate, once ingested, form a toxic chemical known as benzene in the presence of vitamin C. According to an interview with Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, “These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it—they knock it out altogether.” Additionally, these preservatives have been linked to allergic conditions like hives and asthma, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.20
THE DAIRY DILEMMA
Forget what dairy marketing bureaus would have you believe—dairy is not the health food it has been touted as. When it comes to seasonal and environmental allergies, I have found that dairy products are one of the worst culprits. It may seem like an unusual connection, but I have observed the disappearance of allergies in countless clients over the past twenty-five years when they follow a dairy-free and low-sugar diet plan. For most people, these two simple dietary changes are sufficient to eliminate seasonal allergies as long as this type of diet is followed. Let’s explore some of the problems with dairy products.
Dairy products are highly mucus forming and can contribute to a whole host of respiratory conditions, including nasal and sinus congestion as well as lung troubles like asthma. Milk and other dairy products tend to be difficult to digest. Baby cows that drink their mother’s milk have four times the stomach capacity as humans, but most humans struggle with the digestion of dairy products. Most people assume that only those who have symptoms of lactose intolerance have difficulty digesting dairy products, but there are many other symptoms linked to their digestion, including indigestion, heartburn, abdominal cramps, aching joints, sinus troubles, nasal congestion, arthritis, and many others.
As if cow’s milk wasn’t hard enough to digest, most milk is homogenized, which denatures the milk’s proteins, making it even harder to digest. Many peoples’ bodies react to these proteins as though they are “foreign invaders” causing their immune systems to overreact. Research also links homogenized milk to heart disease. Additionally, during this homogenization process all the enzymes that help digest milk are destroyed. Further, any beneficial bacteria that would have predigested the milk products, making them easier for us to digest, are also killed.
But difficulty digesting proteins isn’t the only issue. Due to our commercialization processes involved in the growth of dairy cows, many foreign substances find their way into the cows and are then passed along to the milk they produce, which ultimately end up in our bodies when we drink or eat products made with milk. Pesticides in cow feed find their way into milk and dairy products that we consume. Not only are the naturally present hormones in cow’s milk stronger than human hormones, throwing off our delicate hormone balance, but the animals are routinely given synthetic hormones to plump them up and increase milk production. These hormones further throw off our hormonal balance.
As soon as I tell people to stop eating dairy products, they inevitably ask me, “But how will I get my calcium?” We have been duped into thinking that dairy products equal calcium in the same way we think meat equals protein. Although dairy products are undoubtedly high in calcium, dairy products are difficult to digest, which means that we actually absorb very little of the calcium found in these products. The calcium found in plant-based foods is far superior to dairy products because it is much easier to digest and absorb.
Before you panic about increasing your risk of osteoporosis if you give up dairy products, you might be surprised to learn that research shows that the countries whose citizens consume the most dairy products have the highest incidence of osteoporosis, with Americans and Canadians having some of the highest rates of the disease. Some of the foods that have high amounts of highly absorbable calcium include almonds, almond butter, broccoli, carrot juice, carrots, dark leafy greens, kale, kelp, navy beans, oats, sesame seeds, sesame butter (tahini), soymilk and tofu (organic only, as soy is heavily contaminated by genetically modified organisms, or GMOs), wild salmon, and sardines.
Replace dairy products like milk, cream, butter, ice cream, and cheese with dairy-free beverages like almond or coconut milk or cashew or coconut cream, coconut butter or a vegan butter substitute instead of butter, and cashew- or coconut-based ice creams. Additionally, there are many excellent dairy-free cheeses