Enjoy Your Scoop With a Sprinkle of Science

July may be “National Ice Cream Month,” but in my house, every month is Ice Cream Month! It is my family’s all-time favorite treat. I think it must be genetic. It is our “go-to” dessert every chance we get.
Concerns about adding extra sugar and fat to the diet keep some people from enjoying their ice cream. Combine those with some of the food ingredient fears I’ve been seeing on the Internet, and ice cream could (undeservedly) be placed off-limits. Don’t get me wrong, I won’t lose any sleep if some people choose not to eat ice cream. But I do get upset when I think that people are making food and nutrition decisions based on fear, not facts.

Recent research by Brian Wansink at the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab studied food ingredient fears. They found that giving people more information can be effective in reducing food ingredient fears. So that’s what I’d like to do here.

ice cream

Let’s take carrageenan, a natural stabilizing agent often used in ice cream to prevent whey separation. Carrageenan is found in seaweed. It’s used to improve the texture and palatability of many foods and beverages, including chocolate milk, ice cream, salad dressings and infant formula. Some Internet articles claim that carrageenan has adverse health effects such as cancer and digestive disorders. However, the research that supposedly supports that panic has some limitations and flaws that need to be addressed, such as:
•    They used excessively high doses of carrageenan that are not comparable to what is typically consumed. Remember, all substances—even water! – have negative impacts when consumed at incredibly high, atypical levels.
•    The form of carrageenan studied is not even the same as the form used in foods and beverages.
•    These studies were conducted on animals, and their results aren’t directly applicable to human health.

Studies looking at effects of carrageenan on a variety of health conditions (including cancer, digestive health, reproductive health, etc.) have demonstrated that carrageen is safe to consume. The bottom line is: Research shows that carrageenan is safe.

As a dietitian and a mom, I would never feed my family something that I didn’t trust was safe. Honestly, I worry far more about foodborne illness and calorie balance than miscellaneous food ingredients. I encourage you to enjoy your ice cream during National Ice Cream Month – or any time, for that matter. As long as it is in moderation, of course!

For more information on food ingredients and nutrients go to FoodInsight.org.

For more information about me, check out my Guilt-Free RD philosophy here!

To check out other posts on my “Food for Thought” blog, click here.

For more info on my background and credentials, click here and here.

If you’re interested in my interviews with other dietitians, and their nutrition insight, click here.

Note: I’m pleased to be a consultant to The International Food Information Council, providing blogs and other social media content that shares their resources for health professionals and the public. I believe whole-heartedly in their mission of effectively communicating science-based information on health, nutrition and food safety for the public good.
Thank you for visiting my site! I hope you have a Guilt-Free day!  Melissa