Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

1

Hello again

I just finished the book Paleo Solution and my family will go 30 days paleo for october.

I have just one question, you can answer just one word, YES or NO is Blue Diamond Almond Breeze unsweetened OK for the 30 days?

Here are the ingredients: Purified water, almonds, tapioca starch, natural vanilla flavor with other natural flavors, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan and soy lecithin. For the 30 days, YES or NO ? Thanks

flag	asked Sep 23 2010 at 1:58 Guy The Healthy Paleo Guy 133●3●9

	Carrageenan is a known carcinogen. – Stephen-Aegis Sep 23 2010 at 20:41
	The hubby came home with a carton from the grocery store. He was ostracized. I doubt he'll buy it again. ;-) – W8liftinmom Sep 25 2010 at 0:25
	Man, it's all in the fineprint. I did see an organic almond milk...but have yet to read it's fineprint! – Guy The Healthy Paleo Guy Sep 26 2010 at 20:32

Diane at Balanced Bites · Accepted Answer · 2010-09-23 20:23:26Z UTC

As a nutritionist, when someone asks me if a processed food is "okay," I ask them the question right back. Do you think it's okay?

Personally, I vote for homemade or none at all. You have NO way of knowing what "other natural flavors" means. As Robb Wolf says... "plutonium is natural, that doesn't make it okay to eat..."

I have a recipe for almond milk on my blog, but I don't know if I'm allowed to link to it- I got suspended for linking before.

Oh, I haven't posted the recipe to the blog yet- I guess it's still in draft mode! Here it is:

1 c raw organic almonds + filtered water to soak them in (will yield roughly 2c when soaked)
2-3 c filtered water (depending on how thick you like it- start with less, add more if desired)

optional: 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, cinnamon to taste to flavor and either 1 pitted date, 2 tsp of organic grade B maple syrup or a pinch of green stevia powder to sweeten

FIRST: SOAK almonds in filtered water in a glass or ceramic container overnight (at least 8 hours).

STEP 1: Rinse the almonds and place into a blender. Cover with 2c (or more if you like) of filtered water. BLEND until the almond particles become very, very small.

STEP 2: Strain the liquid through a nut milk bag, squeezing out every last drop possible. The resulting liquid is plain almond milk. It's important to strain the mixture BEFORE adding flavorings or sweetener so that the pulp remains unflavored in the event you want to make a savory dish with it.

STEP 3: Set the pulp aside and put the liquid back into the blender if you want to flavor/sweeten it. Add vanilla extract, etc. as desired and re-blend in a rinsed out blender to add flavor or a touch of sweetness.

STEP 4: Take the pulp (almond flour/meal) and spread it on a baking sheet on the lowest setting in your oven for a few hours (until moisture is gone) to make your own almond meal for baking or "breading" of meats or veggies. If it's too chunky once it's dried out, grind it up in a food processor before storing.

JJ · Answer 2 · 2010-09-23 02:18:58Z UTC

Does it have ingredients that you would normally buy and put into your food? If not, there's your answer. Can't remember the last time I bought or cooked with soy lecithin, myself....

In general, when someone asks "is X ok for my 30-day Paleo challenge?" the answer is

No
It doesn't matter -- do what you need to do to make it through the challenge

Also in general, when someone asks "is X ok to eat?" my answer is: Stop asking whether X is ok to eat, and start asking yourself whether it is healthy. And if it's not optimally healthy, then ask yourself whether it's worth it. And if it's worth it, ask yourself how often and how much you are willing to damage your health for the pleasure of this thing you are about to eat.

Paleo is not a religion, and there are no rules.

Personally, I think an occasional sleepless night spent with old friends, or some squares of dark chocolate, are worth whatever small amount of damage I may inflict on myself. Others may think beer is worth it. You may decide you just can't live without this beverage, whatever it is. That's fine.

But it's not "approved" because the Robb Wolf or the Paleo Gods or some PaleoHackers say it's ok. It's ok because either it is healthy or it is worth it.

Paleo Seb · Answer 3 · 2010-12-29 11:21:22Z UTC

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Carrageenan can cause or aggravate a leaky gut.

answered Dec 29 2010 at 11:21

Paleo Seb
4,238●14●32

gilliebean · Answer 4 · 2010-09-23 02:09:15Z UTC

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No.

Too much processed stuff.

answered Sep 23 2010 at 2:09

gilliebean♦
13.7k●2●20●55

Amber · Answer 5 · 2010-09-23 02:14:33Z UTC

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No. Make your own. No need for chemical garbage in your body. And for sure avoid hidden soy!

answered Sep 23 2010 at 2:14

Amber
11●1

Tim Rangitsch · Answer 6 · 2010-09-23 02:24:31Z UTC

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I'd say "No". Almonds, fine. Almonds roasted in soy bean oil and coated in salt, NO. Same goes with almond milk.

answered Sep 23 2010 at 2:24

Tim Rangitsch
4,803●1●7●17

Eva · Answer 7 · 2010-09-23 03:14:24Z UTC

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Natural flavors can include things like MSG.

answered Sep 23 2010 at 3:14

Eva
22.3k●4●24●71

Thanks Eva, figured Natural Flavors was way to much of a blank check for these folks!!! Dang!!! – Guy The Healthy Paleo Guy Sep 23 2010 at 9:00

Adam Crafter · Answer 8 · 2010-12-29 15:49:29Z UTC

I think we are back on the matter of over-processing here.

Irish Moss is the seaweed source of Carrageenan. Irish moss would be good for us, but carrageenan is what goes into processed food as a thickener. Pleas see the Before and After highlighted below in the chemical components section.

http://www.home-remedies.info/herbal-medicines/irish-moss.htm

Source

The name Irish moss usually refers to a seaweed, Chondrus crispus, or is applied to a mixture of C. crispus and Mastocarpus stellatus. It can be collected at low tide on the rocky Atlantic coastlines of northwestern Europe and Canada. Carrageenan, a seaweed gum, is processed from C. crisp us to commercial status through several procedures that can involve cleaning, extraction with sodium hydroxide, filtration and drum rolling, or precipitation with alcohol. Carrageenan gels rapidly degrade in an acidic environment (like the Human Stomach) or when exposed to heat (The Cooking). Degraded carrageenans lack the "gelling" or viscous properties.

Chemical components

Irish moss contains a large percentage of mucilage, carrageenan, iodine, bromine, iron, and vitamins A and B. Carrageenan is a variable mixture of potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and ammonium sulfate esters of galactose and 3-6 anhydrogalactose copolymers. The major types of hydrocolloid copolymers are kappacarrageenan, iotacarrageenan, and lambda carrageenan. Carrageenan readily dissolves in water to form various types of gels with a wide range of characteristics, depending on the type of algae used, the manufacturing process, and the desired function. Actions

Irish moss is reported to have demulcent and emollient properties. Carrageenan extracted from the seaweed is used in the pharmaceutical industry as an emulsifying, suspending, and gelling agent. The gelling fractions are kappacarrageenan and iotacarrageenan; lambdacarrageenan does not gel. These hydrocolloid properties also make this plant useful to the food industry for various types of jellies.

Carrageenan has exhibited numerous pharmacologic effects in vitro and in animals, including lowering cholesterol levels, limiting food absorption, decreasing gastric secretions (osmotically active), and producing cathartic effects and hypotension, as well as anticoagulant and immunosuppressive activities. Carrageenan has demonstrated antiproteolytic activity against pepsin and papain in vitro. Interestingly, carrageenan has been reported to cause GI ulceration in various animals .

When carrageenan is injected into a rodent's paw, it produces a consistent inflammatory response. The carrageenan-induced rat paw edema model is a popular and reliable model for testing potential antiinflammatory compounds.

Lady_Arwen · Answer 9 · 2011-05-24 14:24:41Z UTC

I and a celiac friend did drink Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened almond milk (vanilla or original) during the 30-day elimination of grains/legumes.

If you don't have any allergies to almonds you could use it since it is soy-free, dairy-free, lactose-free, gluten-free.

The newer version of this brand has calcium carbonate, tapioca starch, natural vanilla flavor, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, sunflower lecithin, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2, and D-Alpha-Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E).

I can think of a lot worse items that people eat. However when we do drink this almond milk it's no more than 1 cup a day, and I wouldn't do more than that.

My severe celiac friend (even cross-contamination) had remission of all symptoms on Paleo, and was able to reintroduce dairy (grass-fed but not raw) after 30 days with no symptoms. My celiac friend also showed me testing results that showed no casein sensitivity.

is Blue Diamond Almond Breeze unsweetened OK for the 30 days?

9 Answers