Is Irish moss healthy and safe?
I've read several articles about carrageenan, and its possible detrimental health effects.
Having been also contacted and asked about this, I decided to look into it further myself.
As you may know, carrageenan is an element of Irish moss, so I actually get asked is Irish moss is safe.
The conclusion that I personally came to is that the isolated carrageenan does seem to cause some potential health problems. I also believe that isolating an element of an ingredient can cause problems. For example, when you isolate sugar from fruit, it becomes a 'treat' in desserts, rather than a healthy piece of produce.
Let's remember that Irish moss is a seaweed. I'm really keen not to demonise a seaweed, as a whole food, as we use it in raw food recipes.
I've yet to see any peer-reviewed studies on Irish moss as a whole food, to determine that it would be unsafe, or at what level that might even be at. If you do have any peer-reviewed studies you can point me to on this specifically, please do let me know by dropping us an email.