The goal of this series is to consider different food-related culprits to IBS symptoms, not to create food fear and food restriction. Before undergoing dietary changes, please work with a nutrition professional to ensure you are meeting your body’s nutritional needs in a healthy manner.
Perhaps you've realized that dairy milk, whey protein shakes, yogurt, cheese, or other cow's milk products irritate your digestive system, so you've switched over to plant-based "milk". After all, there's an overwhelming variety of non-dairy milk alternatives to select from: coconut, soy, rice, almond, hemp, oat, cashew, hazelnut, quinoa, and even flax! However, you may be surprised to discover that dairy-free milk isn't necessarily bulletproof when it comes to digestive wellness, and may in fact, trigger the symptoms you are trying to avoid!
Carrageenan
Carrageenan is used as a stabilizer or as a thickening agent to yield a smooth texture, especially in beverages that separate, such as non-dairy milks. Many store-bought, plant-based milks are very creamy and thick, despite their relatively low-fat content because of carrageenan. This food additive may seem harmless, considering it is derived from red seaweed. However, in recent decades, numerous studies have linked the type of carrageenan used in food products with gastrointestinal disease in laboratory animals due to low levels of chronic internal inflammation from added carrageenan! Food-induced inflammation can greatly affect those with gut issues, such as IBS and Ulcerative Colitis. Although studies on lab animals have implied that carrageenan can cause GI disturbances, the FDA has not removed carrageenan from the "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) food list because there are no human studies, to date, that examine the effects of carrageenan inside the human digestive system.
Carrageenan can be found in many types of products, including some organic brands...
On a personal level, I have found carrageenan to be a past and present IBS trigger for me. When I was in the heat of my IBS battle, I used to consume store-bought almond milk that contained carrageenan on a daily basis. Even though my IBS is now significantly better, I have found that if I consume a product with carrageenan, my stomach is not happy with me the next day.
Added Gums
Guar gum, locust bean gum, xanthan gum, and gellan gum are some of the most common gums that are added to plant-based milks. Like carrageenan, these gums are often added to commercial non-dairy milks (and other food products) to thicken and stabilize ingredients for an enhanced mouthfeel and taste. Unfortunately, this increased convenience and flavor appeal can come at a high cost.
If any beverages or food products in your daily diet contain added gums and you are experiencing undesirable IBS symptoms, you can do an experiment and remove these additives out of your diet for a month to see if it leads to a happier gut. Also, reduced GI distress will help promote a healthier intestinal microbiome and enhanced health in the long-run.
Calcium Carbonate
This poorly absorbed form of calcium is known to slow down motility in the digestive tract, making a person with IBS more susceptible to experiencing constipation. I will discuss calcium in greater detail in a future blog post!
Two common almond milk brands I found at Whole Foods that contain carrageenan, added gums, and calcium carbonate - oy!
A Better Alternative Than Store-Bought
The best nut milks contain just nuts, water, sea salt, and some spices (optional). This option is much less expensive than store-bought alternatives, is easy to make, plus it's environment-friendly. Also, you're not limited to store-bought varieties, so you can experiment with non-traditional options, such as sunflower seed, hazelnut, walnut, and sesame seed milk! Check out this 83-second DIY video:
You could also try making an easy homemade oat milk or coconut milk with just a few simple steps. I'll be sharing more nutrition "pearls" in my upcoming blog posts, so you'll want to stay in the loop!
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