FoodBabe: Are Thickening Gums and Emulsifiers Added to Food Giving You a “Bubble Gut”
They Include: Gellan Gum, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Locust Bean Gum, Carob Bean Gum, Cellulose Gum, Tara Gum, Konjac Gum
By Food Babe
The other day my friend told me that she had been drinking a bottled protein shake every morning, and she suspected that it was making her feel like she had a “bubble gut” a few hours later.
You know that feeling when you have to unzip your pants because they feel too tight? When you feel so bloated that you can’t get comfortable? When you just want to put on your stretchy pants and lie on the couch?
She asked me to review the ingredients for her…and so I grabbed the bottle and it didn’t take me long to spot the culprit on the ingredient list. Her daily protein shake had THREE different “gums” listed on the label.
Whenever you see any of these “gums” on an ingredient label, you need to run away if you want to feel your best:
Gellan Gum
Guar Gum
Xanthan Gum
Locust Bean Gum
Carob Bean Gum
Cellulose Gum
Tara Gum
Konjac Gum
All of these gums are added to foods to thicken the consistency and as “Emulsifiers” to suspend ingredients evenly throughout the product so it does not separate.
Think about what these thickening ingredients are doing inside your GUT and to your digestive system.
When you ingest gums, they slow down your digestion and form a “gel-like” substance in your stomach.
They sit in your stomach like a glob of thickening goo. This leads to that awful bloated, gassy, “bubble gut” feeling.
After they stew in your stomach, some people experience constipation and others get diarrhea. Gums make you feel like crap…literally!
If that’s not awful enough…
These gums change the bacteria in your stomach and intestines (microbiome), which can lead to disease.
A deep dive study by researchers from the University of Michigan Medical School and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences looked into how we digest (or don’t!) Xanthan Gum. They found that it may alter the gut microbiome. (1, 2)
A previous study in 2021, published in Gastroenterology, investigated Carboxymethylcellulose (aka cellulose gum) consumption in humans and found that it “detrimentally” alters intestinal microbiota composition and may contribute to an array of chronic inflammatory diseases. (3, 4) There are multiple studies on guar gum, cellulose gum, and other gums that have found they negatively affect your microbiome. (5, 6, 7)
This means that gums kill beneficial bacteria in your gut and decrease bacterial diversity. This is very bad news for your health!
When your microbiome isn’t filled with a rich and diverse composition of bacteria, your health can go downhill very fast. An unhealthy gut can lead to mental disorders like depression, obesity and difficulty in losing weight, nutritional deficiencies, depleted immune system, autoimmune diseases, and gastrointestinal illnesses. (8)
If you want good health, you need to keep your microbiome healthy. PERIOD.
It’s like a garden, and you need to keep it watered, colorful, and alive! This is why probiotics and fermented foods are so good for you.
Gums are certainly not something you want to consume on the DAILY… But you probably are.
Sadly, many of the products that gums are found in are daily go-to products like protein shakes, coffee creamers, and non-dairy milks.
Want to add some creamer to your morning coffee? GELLAN GUM!
Want to whip up a smoothie with almond milk to bring to work? GUAR GUM!
Want to grab a quick ready-to-drink protein shake after your workout? XANTHAN GUM!
We are being bombarded by gums, and you can barely escape it!
Here are the most common places to watch out for gums in your food and drinks (even if they’re organic):
Ready-To-Drink Bottled Protein Shakes (I can’t find a single one without gums, yikes!)
Ice Cream (nearly ALL of them)
Coffee Creamers
Non-Dairy Milks (Almond, Oat, and Coconut Milk)
Salad Dressings
Yogurts
Gluten-Free Products
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