Emulsifying agents are commonly used in foods to keep them mixed. You will commonly find carageenan, for instance, in ice cream to keep dairy fat from separating from the water and proteins, especially after repeated melting and refreezing.
The capacity for a compound to emulsify a solution varies from minimal to dramatic. Even some natural compounds in whole, unprocessed foods can exert modest emulsifying effects, such as acacia (acacia seeds), pectin (apples, peaches), and lecithin (egg yolks). The most powerful emulsification effects occur with synthetic or semi-synthetic emulsifying agents, such as polysorbate-80, carboxymethylcellulose, and methylcellulose. In one study, polysorbate-80 increased intestinal permeability 59-fold.
The human intestinal tract is covered by a protective mucous layer made of mucopolysaccharides that keeps undesirable organisms and other factors away from the intestinal lining itself. The mucous barrier is continually being regenerated, but is susceptible to emulsification, like adding soap or detergent to oil, resulting in its breakup. Emerging data suggest that synthetic emulsifiers, polysorbate-80 and methylcellulose, disrupt the mucous lining, allowing microorganisms to penetrate and exert changes via bowel flora that increase blood insulin, blood sugar, contribute to pre-diabetes, and increase inflammation, in addition to altering the composition of bowel flora present. This is believed to be an important part of the process operating in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, for example, as well as diabetes and weight gain. An unintended consequence of the low-fat message was an increase in foods that contained synthetic emulsifying agents, such as low-fat yogurts, adding further to the blunders of the low-fat era.
In the Wheat Belly lifestyle, we opt for whole, single-ingredient foods as often as possible, thereby not containing synthetic emulsifiers. However, our reliance on almond, coconut, and some other processed non-dairy milks means we are being exposed to some of the natural, semi-synthetic, and even synthetic emulsifiers. We should therefore avoid brands containing synthetic emulsifiers. Alternatively, you can prepare almond or coconut milk yourself (see below) and avoid them altogether. The Wheat Belly effort to cultivate bowel flora by including 20 grams of prebiotic fibers per day also increases mucopolysaccharide production (via short chain fatty acids), reducing the impact of emulsifiers.
Stay tuned for more on this emerging and exciting new insight, as I predict that better understanding of the intestinal mucous layer is going to yield even greater capacity to heal intestinal tracts damaged by wheat/grains, antibiotics, chemical exposures, and prescription drugs.
Fresh Dairy-Free Homemade Coconut Milk
Making coconut milk by cracking open a whole coconut can be a lot of work. My good friend, Lori Arnold, PharmD, an integrative health practitioner in the Palm Springs, California area, came to the rescue and shared this simplified method to make your own coconut milk without use of emulsifying agents and without having to crack open a coconut. (For more of Lori’s recipes, as well as her unique views on prescription medication, see her website/blog, Heal Yourself Beautiful.)
Makes 3 cups
8 ounce package organic finely shredded coconut (unsweetened)
4 cups boiling, or very hot, filtered water
Nut milk bag* or cheesecloth
*Available online via Amazon and other retailers, as well as health food and specialty food stores
You will need a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix or equivalent that can sustain high heat.
Add the coconut and boiling/hot water to the blender. Blend well, about 1 minute on higher setting. Let set for another 2-3 minutes before straining.
Pour the contents of the blender through the nut milk bag into a large bowl or pitcher. Pull the strings of the bag and squeeze the remainder of the coconut milk out.
Refrigerate the coconut milk and use within 2-3 days.
TIP: Don’t throw away the coconut meal left in your nut bag! I put the fine coconut in a tight container and refrigerate to use in recipes. The coconut is deliciously moist and tastes fresher than boring bagged coconut. You can keep the coconut in your fridge for up to a week if tightly sealed. Use the coconut in smoothies.
Or, you can dry the leftover coconut meal in the oven or a dehydrator and grind it to make your own coconut flour.
Very (!) difficult to find heavy cream without
Carrageenan or gellan gum or other
emulsifiers. Even when you buy emulsifier-
free cream at one Trader Joes, when you
buy the same brand and type at another
TJ store, it might have one or more emulsifier
in it. Very frustrating and you have to read
the label closely.
What do I care if it separates?
I have tried to avoid Carrageenan because
I read (possibly on this site) that it can
exacerbate migraine headaches (which I
suffer from).
bill wrote: «Very (!) difficult to find heavy cream without Carrageenan or gellan gum or other emulsifiers.»
Thanks for the heads-up on that. People probably don’t expect such additives in what historically was a basic dairy product. The local brand we use (mostly when our goats are not in milk) appears to be just cream.
It’s also worth pointing out that emulsifiers are pervasive in commercial alternative milks, including nut milks. Further, when you reverse engineer the macro- and micronutrient breakdowns on these products, they appear to really be calcium carbonate “milk” with nut flavoring, and a bunch of other needless, iffy and flat out adverse additives. This came up most recently at: https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2016/04/why-calcium-supplements-are-unnecessary-on-the-wheat-belly-lifestyle/#comment-64626
The homemade coconut milk recipe above is a great solution for a safe alternative milk.
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I buy organic coconut cream all the time. There is no additives. And the cream has more plant fat than the milk.
Hi Courtney,
How do you used your coconut cream? I have a small jar and love that it’s organic, packed in glass, and contains no additives. So far I’ve only stirred it into coffee and tea (and eaten a dollop off the spoon on occasion!) Can you dilute the cream somehow and substitute it for the milk in recipes?
I had the same problem… Now that I am getting it caned with out any additives it’s amazing how much better my stomach feels. People look at me like I’m crazy because I read very label. I am also allergic to black pepper and it’s a never ending job to look for it in products. Going to restaurants is a nightmare and so I only go rarely.
I’m following the SCD right now and they verify the negative intestinal effects of cellulose, gums and emulsifiers. I’d imagine if you’re following a healthy diet and don’t have Celiac disease or an intestinal disorder, minor and rare exposure to them wouldn’t be a problem. It’s difficult to avoid them. Thanks for the recipe.
DM wrote: «I’m following the SCD right now…»
Specific Carbohydrate Diet? What has it to say about gut flora?
«I’d imagine if you’re following a healthy diet and don’t have Celiac disease or an intestinal disorder, minor and rare exposure to them wouldn’t be a problem.»
Our microbiomes are under continuous assault from so many things (not just emulsifiers) that I’m beginning to wonder if more frequent courses of quality probiotics might be indicated (I now do that annually, or if specific circumstances suggest it).
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I’ve read on the Truth About Cancer page that carageenan can cause cancer, too…
Dr. D, have you found out any more about Acacia and its effect on the bowel lining? I have recommended it to my daughter and several of her friends. They’ve seen great results for IBS, but I don’t want to recommend it if it could promote leaky gut over time or affect the bowel lining in a negative way.
Donna Reinas wrote: «…any more about Acacia and its effect on the bowel lining?»
The article above mentions [whole] acacia seeds. As far as I know, however, acacia fiber is still suggested as a source of prebiotic fiber. Here’s Dr. Davis on that just over a year ago:
https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/04/commercial-prebiotic-fiber-supplements/
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Thank you Bob. I know I had messaged Dr. D about Acacia a few months ago and he said he felt the verdict was still out after talking to one of his doctor friends. I was wondering if he had heard anything further yet. It works fantastic for the digestive process and makes you very regular. But, I still wondered why he said that in his message, but can no longer message him on FB to try and get an answer.
Donna Reinas wrote: «I was wondering if he had heard anything further yet.»
My reading of the above article, and there being so far no mention of a change in position on the prebiotic fiber suggestions is:
Acacia fiber: OK
Acacia seed/oil/flour: Avoid
But I’ll make an inquiry. I already see that nutritional breakdowns for Acacia are not easy to find. The usual sources don’t cover it. There are further over 900 species of this Mimosoideae, and apparently some dispute over the nomenclature.
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re: But I’ll make an inquiry.
Done. Make that
Acacia fiber: Avoid until further notice
Acacia seed/oil/flour: Avoid
The science is still skimpy, and apparently even the fiber may still have emulsifying properties.
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“Specific Carbohydrate Diet? What has it to say about gut flora?”
I haven’t read the entire book yet, but mostly familiarized myself with the legal/illegal foods. It basically points to bad bacteria that overpopulate the small intestine and can cause Crohns, Ulcerative Colitis, and Celiac disease among many other intestinal problems to appear and pervade by blocking enzymes to work on foods you digest. It almost mentions their toxic by-products being responsible for behavioral changes and brain problems probably among other things.
DM wrote: «I haven’t read the entire book yet…»
Which book? It looks like there are multiple programs and books.
«…but mostly familiarized myself with the legal/illegal foods.»
If that’s the list on the BTVC site, I can say that it has little commonality with Wheat Belly. What is legal or illegal has no immediately obvious theme (surely there is one, but it didn’t jump out at me). They green-light many things red-flagged here, and vice versa, but it’s almost random.
They also list few prebiotic fiber sources, and fail to identify those foods that are radically different in that regard when consumed raw. They also appear to disfavor probiotics as a class.
«It basically points to bad bacteria that overpopulate the small intestine and can cause Crohns, Ulcerative Colitis, and Celiac disease among many other intestinal problems to appear and pervade by blocking enzymes to work on foods you digest.»
Sounds like only part of the solution, and does not take major steps to provide favorable bacteria, and perhaps not keep them adequately fed (they need prebiotic fiber). If you are dealing with one of these ailments, be sure to search this blog on it, or check the Index in Wheat Belly Total Health.
«It almost mentions their toxic by-products being responsible for behavioral changes and brain problems probably among other things.»
It’s a major part of the program here:
https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/01/remember-cultivate-healthy-bowel-flora/
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“Which book? It looks like there are multiple programs and books. ”
The book the creator of the diet, Elaine Gotschall wrote called Breaking The Vicious Cycle.
“What is legal or illegal has no immediately obvious theme (surely there is one, but it didn’t jump out at me).”
Anything that will feed pathogenic bacteria is considered illegal on the diet. I wouldn’t say they disfavor probiotics necessarily. She advocates consuming fully fermented (with no lactose remaining) home made yogurt as an important part of the intestinal healing process. There’s also talk about prebiotics feeding bad bacteria as well as good when you have a severe digestive upset or SIBO. The same applies to probiotics in which certain people experience acute “die off symptoms” when adding them back into their diet and they should proceed with gradually increasing probiotics if that’s the case.
I fully agree with you about the prebiotic fiber and have implemented the recommendations in this blog for it and have been following this blog for quite some time. There’s prebiotic fiber in quite a few foods in general though (aside from what is listed by Dr. Davis) so I don’t lack it.
DM wrote: «The book the creator of the diet, Elaine Gotschall wrote called Breaking The Vicious Cycle.»
Actually, the creator of the diet was Sidney V. Haas (1870–1964), and Gotschall is really the promoter and perpetuator (which is not necessarily a criticism – had someone not done it, it would have vanished).
SCD has arisen as a topic a few times on this blog, but I’ve not studied it beyond deciding that personally I wouldn’t do it (for multiple reasons). Here’s a critique by a FODMAP advocate:
http://www.stephanieclairmont.com/the-specific-carbohydrate-diet/
If you decide to do it, however, and need any insight on particular foods, ailments and issues from a Wheat Belly perspective, by all means ask here.
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So, after all these back and forth comments, is carrageenan to be avoided?
Gusblossom wrote: «So, after all these back and forth comments, is carrageenan to be avoided?»
Yes. It’s mentioned in the first sentence of the base article here, and was cautioned about in the previous article that brought up emulsifiers:
https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/04/the-battle-for-bowel-flora/
“Solution: minimize (absolute avoidance is tough) exposure to carboxymethylcellulose, polysorbate-80, sodium steroyl lactylate, carageenan, and others.”
The blog search engine, and most web browser local search features are a bit too strict on spelling ?, or you might have found it.
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Hi! I’m wondering now about lecithin. I’ve been taking it when eating fats after reading good things about cholecalciferol, of which it consists. Thanks for all you do, Dr Davis!
Mary wrote: «I’m wondering now about lecithin.»
My reading of the situation: avoid or at least minimize any processed food product that lists a lecithin as a distinct ingredient, and this includes any supplements that are partly or entirely lecithin. This typically includes non-specific “lecithin”, egg lecithin, soy lecithin and sunflower lecithin.
Any whole foods that naturally contain a lecithin, such as pastured organic eggs, are not a problem.
«I’ve been taking it [lecithin?] when eating fats after reading good things about cholecalciferol, of which it consists.»
Can you restate that more expansively? Just comparing the molecular structure of a typical lecithin and cholecalciferol on the ever-iffy-Wiki, I don’t see how either could consist of the other.
The FDA thinks lecithins (and the other emulsifiers and thickeners with the same suspect microbiome effects) are GRAS (generally recognized as safe). It’s going to be a very long time before they revisit that, given that they also think that grass is GRAS.
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Thanks for your response, Bob. My mistake on the cholecalciferol, which is vitamin D. I was thinking of phosphatidyl choline and acetylcholine. I’m glad this topic came up and understand that with our improved diets and following Dr Davis’s recommendations for gastrointestinal health, we are better able to produce our own lecithin. Thanks so much!
~Mary
So who are you, mysterious Bob Niland?
Donna wrote: «So who are you, mysterious Bob Niland?»
There’s no mystery about it, really. The answer is a click away in every reply I post.
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Gotcha! Read it. Glad you can help out! It used to astound me that Dr. D could personally answer questions for so many years and it’s completely understandable why that is no longer possible. I agree with your mission and try to contribute where and when I can….
Another recent paper on the importance of the mucus lining of the gut:
Polymers in the gut compress the colonic mucus hydrogel
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2016/06/13/1602789113.full
(open access full text)
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