This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Food Science Matters, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #foodsciencematters http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV.
Carrageenan is a food additive made from edible seaweeds. It's widely used in many foods, from ice cream to protein powder. With all the controversy surrounding carrageenan, I was concerned that I might be ingesting something that could harm me, but the more I learned the more I realized, I'm totally safe.
Carrageenan - An Ingredient in So Many Things
As all of you may know, I've been on a personal quest to get healthier. I've been exercising more, making healthier food decisions, and reading labels. What I found by reading those labels was very interesting. Carrageenan is in so many of the foods we eat every day. From reading labels, I've seen this ingredient in almond milk, protein powders, canned soups, and more. The rule of thumb that I've found is that if a food needs to be rich, thick, and/or creamy, it probably has carrageenan in it.
Homemade Vanilla Milkshake Recipe
Ingredients
- Vanilla Ice Cream
- French Vanilla Creamer
- Whipped Topping/Whipped Cream
- Maraschino Cherries, optional
Directions
The ratio for this milkshake is 1 cup ice cream to ¼ cup french vanilla creamer. Place 3 cups ice cream in a blender. Add ¾ cup creamer. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses, top with whipped cream & a maraschino cherry. Enjoy.
Notes: If this is too delicious and creamy for you, use ½ cup creamer and ¼ cup milk.
I'm not letting all the controversy scare me away from the foods I love, especially since that food pool has been drastically reduced due to trying to eat a more healthy diet. I've never experienced any health effects from foods with this ingredient, and studies show that it's totally safe. Regulatory authorities around the world, including in the U.S., EU, China, Japan, and Brazil, have all deemed carrageenan to be a totally safe food additive.
That's not surprising considering you can make the stuff in your kitchen. This food additive is nothing more than a compound of already edible seaweed. In fact, you can make carrageenan in your own home simply by cooking seaweed with a little salt, adding a bit of alcohol, and then mixing it in a blender to release the naturally occurring carrageenan within the seaweed.
More than all of that, this ingredient is a safe way to make food readily available across the planet. Carrageenan and ingredients like it allow foods that are nutritious and safe to be delivered to people in even the most remote locations. These ingredients and the food science behind them make food available for billions of people by allowing products like milk, juice, and ice cream to be transported long distances while maintaining their quality.
Carrageenan - It's in Many Foods, and That's Okay
As part of living a healthier lifestyle, I've become conscious of food labels, and I've discovered that carrageenan is in almost everything I buy. I've also discovered that it's completely safe. I figure when every major nation in the free world says something is safe, it's safe. I'll continue to buy products that fit into my healthy lifestyle, and I'll continue to do it without fear of carrageenan.
For more information on carrageenan and how it and other food ingredients have been used in our food for centuries, visit Food Science Matters.
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