GI microbiota affected by emulsifiers:
 

This is a very interesting article.

I myself have found triggers of certain gums (carob bean gum) and emulsifiers found in chocolate and some other foods to be very hard on me...It has taken me about 3 yrs to isolate this.

http://news.yahoo.com/study-links-co...4--sector.html

This problem is now thought to lead to metabolic syndrome and glucose intolerance. This then can lead to neurological issues like PN.

Watch out for Carrageenan
 

This one is in so many "health foods" so you really need to read the ingredient list. Most soy, rice and nut milks have it. Manufacturers are starting to make some without but they are not always easy to find. It's in lot of dairy products and soup broths too.

http://www.cornucopia.org/2014/01/carrageenan-natural

It is increasingly difficult to find products without additives. You have to seek out those who stick to making things the old fashion way. Additives are used to save time and money.

All the vegan "milks" at my stores have gums in them, but I use them anyway in my cereal, oatmeal, and coffee. I'll have to read your articles above. If you want to avoid such things, what you mostly have to buy are whole plant foods, generally not foods packaged in a factory. Often the additives are to improve flavor or mouthfeel and to increase shelf life. No offense, but I get a little frustrated with people saying it is so hard to find foods without things like animal products, preservatives, and other additives. Walk down the produce aisle, and there they are. Now they still do contain the chemicals used in farming and genetically engineered material, unless maybe if they are organic, but that's a different story. The packaged foods contain these as well. I think some companies are wising up to the fact that some people don't want all this crap, but that's not where the money is, so there is not a lot of motivation.
Ron

mrsD, thank you for that link.

I think that it is part of what is a hot topic with biomedical scientists - there is increasing evidence that differences in the kinds of bacteria (the gut microbiome) which normally live in the gut may be causally linked to conditions ranging from inflammatory bowel diseases, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, among others.

I think that this is currently at the basic science stage but, with more hard work it may (depending on the results), lead to better therapies for many health issues.

Our grocery cart is mostly whole food. But we too like to use almond milk with our oatmeal. What I have found is organic heavy cream can contain carrageenan so you really have to read the labels. I would classify whole milk products as "whole food". Low fat/no fat, I do not. You would think that heavy cream would be a "one ingredient" food. Just look at all the different yogurts out there. Even plain ones will have additives. Same with sour cream. I don't understand a brand that says it's "grass fed, organic" and then adds in a thickener. Just saying...don't be fooled by the marketing labels on the front. Read the ingredient/nutrition facts.

And the other packaged food I'll use is soup broth. There is one brand that is making bone broths without natural flavors and thickeners.

Yes, this is a bigger problem than many people realize.

There is an emulsifier in some chocolate today-- not all brands have it, but Hershey's does...
This bothers me quite a bit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygly...olyricinoleate

Then there are the Greek yogurts artificially thickened. Ruined my vacation 2 summers ago.

If you use Tylenol or the generic brands, they now have polyethylene glycol in them. I don't recall seeing that before.

Shredded cheeses have a cellulose powder on them to prevent clumping. These are commonly used on pizzas today.

Daisy sour cream appears additive free: This is the one we buy--
http://daisybrand.com/sour-cream

And cream cheese? You guessed it... filled with thickeners.

So the doctors kill off most of our beneficial GI bacteria with antibiotics, and the food companies provide the substrates that undesirable bugs love and the result? Fermentation in the bowel, and gas etc.
So then the GERD that results is treated with proton pump inhibitors which cause fermentation of proteins (which cannot be properly digested with low acid) and MORE gas and diarrhea result.:(

And the next thing you know, that antibiotic has killed off the bugs all right, (both good and bad ones) and now you have a fungus or candida growing.