Author Topic: Carrageenan  (Read 10351 times)

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Offline Middle Child

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Carrageenan
« on: January 29, 2012, 07:31:57 AM »
Carageenan is thickener extracted from seaweed.  It is in almost every "premium" brand now. I don't know about the lesser brands, Purina and such, since I never read those labels.

I know someone who feels as adamantly against this ingredient as I am about things like dye, artificial anything, sodium nitrites etc.

But it is in almost all of the "better" canned foods.

So....anyone know anything?  Opinions even?

Offline Lola

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Re: Carrageenan
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2012, 10:22:41 AM »
Quote
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.

http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/question315.htm

Quote
Carrageenan comes from algae or seaweed, and can be used as a thickening agent in place of animal-based products like gelatin, which is extracted from animal bones. It is usually derived from either red alga, sometimes called Irish moss. Carrageenan is a common ingredient in many foods, such as milk products like yogurt or chocolate milk.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-carrageenan.htm

It is in a lot of people food.  The second link has a lot of interesting comments...  


« Last Edit: January 29, 2012, 10:28:33 AM by Lola »
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: Carrageenan
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2012, 05:02:11 PM »
Thanks for the links.  The info I'm being told is that carrageenan interferes with nutrient absorption. There was something about the way it is extracted too, that this person objects to. They say it depresses peptic activity and inhibits pepsin and other gastric enzymes.

And I found this on the TAPF site

http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/what%E2%80%99s-this-ingredient-in-my-pet%E2%80%99s-food--carrageenan.html

Quote
From the website NotMilk.com, an educational website from the Dairy Education Board, Executive Directory Robert Cohen has some very negative things to say about carrageenan.  His article states “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.”  When addressing whether carrageenan is natural, this author states “Carrageenan is about as wholesome as momosodium glutamate (MSG), which is extracted from rice, and can equally be considered natural.
 

The bolding is mine

But it is in almost everything now.  Weruva and Castor&Pollux are the only two foods I have found that I will feed that does not contain this stuff.  And the Castor&Pollux has the spinach.

Offline Mo

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Re: Carrageenan
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2012, 10:59:50 PM »
I can't find much about it, though found this on http://catinfo.org/?link=cannedfoods

Quote
One ingredient that has caught my attention lately is carrageenan.  If one does a PubMed search of carrageenan, they will find many references to "carrageenan-induced inflammation" which is very disturbing in light of how common IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) is in cats.  Please see this link to an interesting study showing carrageenan to be an inflammatory mediator in human intestinal cells.

Unfortunately, ~80% of the commercial canned products contain carrageenan.  If your cat has chronic diarrhea or vomiting, I suggest trying to find a food without this ingredient listed. 


The link in the article (first paragraph) is for http://ajpgi.physiology.org/content/292/3/G829.full

Offline Lola

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Re: Carrageenan
« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2012, 08:11:15 PM »

But it is in almost everything now.  Weruva and Castor&Pollux are the only two foods I have found that I will feed that does not contain this stuff.  And the Castor&Pollux has the spinach.

As you know, I rotate a different brand of food for every meal, but...I'm the most comfortable feeding Weruva chicken.  Tried their BFF chicken and tuna.  Haven't tried their Soulistic brand, made for Petco, yet. 
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: Carrageenan
« Reply #5 on: February 01, 2012, 07:29:30 AM »
Oh yes, Soulistic is another that doesn't contain carrageenan. They use tapioca starch and xanthan gum which, I have read comes from corn or cabbage.

I like use the soulistic good karma chicken in the rotation, for one cat.  One won't eat it and the other gets diarrhea from it.

I'm going to try the Weruva steak frites I think, for my newly on canned food FLUTD girl's food rotation. She doesn't like the Wervua nine livers, or the soulistic good karma chicken. I use those two for my girl who is constantly scrounging for food, but gets too fat if I am not careful, since they are so low in calories she can have a full 5.5 ounces or even more on the days I feed her that.

I wrote to many food companies about carrageenan and have received very unsatisfactory vague replies. No surprise there.  Natura was down right rude, after I wrote and told them I wasn't happy with their explanation. I'm not done with them yet, though I am done feeding the California Venison. My cats loved it, before the buy out, now the only one who will eat it is the cat who eats everything and anything.

Offline Middle Child

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Re: Carrageenan
« Reply #6 on: February 08, 2012, 10:27:27 AM »
I'm about to try three flavors of Nature's Variety Instinct canned cat food, as they do not contain carrageenan: Beef, Chicken, and Lamb.  They are expensive, but the other brands are catching up quickly. I notice brands like this are starting to sell "half cases" to make their prices look better.

These foods are high in calories, so I plan to feed them in combination with low calorie foods, such as Weruva.  This will help balance the day out.

The goal is to give the cats a rotation that keeps them carrageenan free at least SOME days.

The discussion on Nature's Variety Instinct canned cat food is here:

http://parenting-furkids.com/index.php?topic=1145.new#new

Offline Lola

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Re: Carrageenan
« Reply #7 on: July 06, 2012, 11:03:32 AM »
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Offline Shadow

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Re: Carrageenan
« Reply #8 on: August 01, 2012, 02:16:13 PM »
Just found this food which is Carageenan free and Guar Gum free, for those who may be interested.
http://www.lotuspetfoods.com/pate-cat.php

oops sorry its already listed on here...my bad!!
« Last Edit: August 01, 2012, 02:18:35 PM by Shadow »
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Offline DeeDee

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Re: Carrageenan
« Reply #9 on: August 01, 2012, 03:02:18 PM »


http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-carrageenan.htm

It is in a lot of people food.  The second link has a lot of interesting comments...  


I don't understand. If it can be produced by:

Quote
It is possible to produce carrageenan at home by boiling Irish moss for about 20 to 30 minutes. When the mixture cools and the moss is removed, much of the carrageenan will have dissolved in the water, leaving a gelled substance.

Then why do they:
Quote
To produce the semi-refined form, the algae is cooked in an alkaline solution that contains potassium hydroxide.

???

Actually, I don't care how it's made, if it's on a label I won't buy it because whatever it's in has an abnormal, slimy feeling--somewhat like a bad cold does (trying to not be gross about it). Now if I hate it that much, why would animals choose it if given a choice by taste tests of single ingredients? I know my dogs will walk away from Jello Jigglers when they've been dropped on the floor by granddaughter & that's animal based.
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: Carrageenan
« Reply #10 on: November 25, 2012, 10:07:19 AM »
I want to update on my experiences with carrageenan, or lack thereof.

I found out early that two of my cats could not tolerate foods with carrageenan. One responds with diarrhea, the other with regurgitation.  However the third seemed untroubled by this ingredient, and since she was doing so well (I thought) on the various brands in the rotation that contain it, I continued.

But....over the months I have become more and more wary of this ingredient.  I have now decided to stop giving foods containing it to the third cat as well, and here is why:

I stopped feeding her carrageenan foods every day. At first I went with every other day, then, lately I've dropped it to every third or fourth day.  And I discovered something very interesting!

TC has always had a scooting habit.  She also has trouble with her anal glands, and I do check them regularly and expel if needed (I have my own non-squeezing way of doing it) However, even if the anal glands appear clean, she was still scooting.  UNTIL I started cutting back on the carageenan foods!

 NOW I notice, if she goes three or four days with no carrageenan, there is NO SCOOTING.   One day's worth of carrageenan might not bring on the scoots, but in an experiment I fed her carrageenan foods two days in a row, and sure enough, the next day I caught her scooting on my afghan, and on my wool blanket, her two preferred scooting fabrics.  Since her anal glands are clear, it's got to be an irritation or itching causing this behavior. And since it is only happening when she eats foods containing carrageenan, I conclude that the carrageenan is causing this irritation.

I'm going to use up the foods I have left, because ..well...for budget reasons, but she will be getting them only once every four days. And when they are gone, there will be no carrageenan containing cat food in this house, ever again.

Offline Lola

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Re: Carrageenan
« Reply #11 on: November 25, 2012, 11:16:34 PM »
I always read your posts. I enjoy your posts. Most of the time, I am in awe of everything you do and all that you deal with... with "just" three cats.  I sometimes make changes, in our home, due to things you have experienced... so ours won't have to experience the same.
After reading your posts, I almost always say a little prayer... Thank you God that our 7 cats and 2 dogs pretty much just go with the flow!  (Seriously)
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: Carrageenan
« Reply #12 on: November 26, 2012, 06:54:40 AM »
:) 

Well, TC just goes with the flow too.  Like I said, she seems to have "no problem" with foods with carrageenan. It wasn't until I started reducing the frequency of the foods with carrageenan, that I noticed an improvement...the lack of scooting and decrease in anal glad plugs.

It's kind of like....with people who say their cats are fine on dry food.  They think they are fine, but if they started feeding a wet diet, they'd be absolutely amazed at the difference.

I used to be a "if it works don't fix it" kind of lady.  And I still am, about lots of things.  But ...my perspective on what is working has changed a bit I think.

My cats have health problems I never even dreamed about 30 years ago.  But..is it because I pay more attention, or because I have a hypochondriac obsession, or is it because the pet food industry has gotten so corrupt?

I THINK it's the first and last reason.  I pay more attention, AND the quality of most commercial pet food has gotten so poor that people think it is the norm for cats to puke a lot, have constipation, have urinary tract problems, be couch potatoes, have flaky skin, runny eyes, crusty noses, itchy ears, bad breath, blocked anal glands and so on.


Offline DeeDee

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Re: Carrageenan
« Reply #13 on: November 26, 2012, 06:28:32 PM »
They use tapioca starch and xanthan gum which, I have read comes from corn or cabbage.


Just a heads up on these additives. It is true that xanthan gum is made from corn: http://blog.fooducate.com/2010/09/23/10-facts-about-xantham-gum-a-very-popular-food-additive/

However, tapioca is NOT. Tapioca is derived from Cassava root and can hold some SERIOUS consequences (like death): http://webcenters.netscape.compuserve.com/homerealestate/package.jsp?name=fte/fooddanger/fooddanger (See #8)

Since I've never seen anything about "human grade tapioca" on the pet treat packages, I'm leery of it in any dog products like grain-free biscuits. They've taken a million short-cuts elsewhere as we all now know. How do I know they've prepared tapioca "properly" for my dogs? Maybe someone saved themselves some time since it's just being given to dogs? Yeah, they're nothing but animals--anyone that thinks they're family is crazy. *extreme sarcasm*

I might be overly-sensitive, but I really do watch what goes into them these days. I prefer potato based treats if they get crunchy biscuits. That's just me though.
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Offline Pookie

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Re: Carrageenan
« Reply #14 on: May 14, 2014, 03:35:27 PM »
While wandering around on Dr. Jean's site, I found a recent article about carageenan:

http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutrition/carrageenan-a-common-pet-food-additive/
« Last Edit: May 14, 2014, 03:38:16 PM by Pookie »
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