(NaturalNews) Allergies to lactose, casein, and other milk derivatives are on the rise in the industrialized world, and many people are turning to milk alternatives made from soy, rice, and almonds instead. But a large percentage of these products contain added fillers and chemicals that are perhaps more harmful to health, and may even contain ingredients linked to causing cancer.

Soy milk is an endocrine disruptor that can cause major health problems

Soy milk, for instance, is made from processed soybeans, which have been shown in their unfermented state to cause endocrine disruption, especially in men. More recent research has linked soy consumption to infertility and other reproductive problems.

Genetic engineering is also problematic with regards to soy milk, as the vast majority of conventional soybeans grown in the U.S. have been modified to resist Monsanto's Roundup herbicide. Soy crops are heavily sprayed with the chemical cocktail, which contains glyphosate, and residues end up making their way into the beans, which are then turned into liquid.

Soy and other milk alternatives often contain toxic carrageenan, which may cause cancer

In order to make the liquid palatable in a way that resembles actual dairy milk, companies often add fillers like carrageenan, a thickening compound derived from seaweed that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies as a potential human carcinogen. IARC is part of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Carrageenan is also highly inflammatory to the digestive tract. Though extracted from natural seaweed, carrageenan has repeatedly been shown to cause intestinal lesions, ulcerations, and even malignant tumors, which is why many cutting-edge health experts recommend against its consumption.

Milk alternatives contain all sorts of synthetic vitamins, some of which are toxic

Then, there is the laundry list of synthetic vitamin chemicals added to milk alternatives that, in most cases, are not even digestible. Vitamin A palmitate, for instance, is a common additive that might make a milk alternative product appear healthy, but that the body cannot use. The same is true of vitamin D2, a form of vitamin D that is actually toxic to the body.

"When synthetic, or incomplete vitamins are introduced into the body, the body attempts to 'build' a complete vitamin complex by adding the missing factors that it knows should be there, specifically minerals and other vitamin co-factors," explains the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) about the nature of synthetic vitamins.

"This "building" process depletes the body's nutritional reserves, creating an overall deficiency."

Be sure to check out this extensive piece on why synthetic vitamins don't work, and why your body needs full-spectrum vitamins and minerals for optimal health:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_3697.cfm

Stick with clean milk alternatives or just make your own at home

Soy milk isn't the only milk alternative that contains carrageenan, fake vitamins, and other synthetic additives. A majority of commercial hemp, rice, almond, and coconut milk products contain these ingredients, which is why it is critical to carefully read labels and only consume the cleanest products available.

As far as rice milk is concerned, there is the added threat of arsenic poisoning, as many rice products contain trace or higher levels of this and other heavy metals. The Natural News Forensic Food lab, in fact, uncovered the presence of arsenic in almost every rice product available on the market today, so choosing a milk alternative other than rice is probably your best option.

If you have the time and resources, you can also make your own milk alternatives at home. Healthy Families for God has published recipes for both almond and coconut milk that you can access for free here:
http://healthyfamiliesforgod.com/2014/03/non-dairy-milk-alternatives/

Sources for this article include:

http://healthyfamiliesforgod.com/2014/03/non-dairy-milk-alternatives/

http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/10/3/179.full

http://www.scientificamerican.com

http://www.cornucopia.org

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_3697.cfm

http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com