When you go out to pick up a soft serve ice cream from a local business or major fast food chain, you never think twice about the ingredients.
You know that your ice cream contains milk, sugar, cream, and all that other stuff that you're expected to find in this sugary treat, but what else could be lurking in that delicious swirl of goodness?
If you're health conscious, then you may want to take a closer look at the listed ingredients, which you'd probably be able to find online for major dessert chains like Dairy Queen.
Trust me, they don't sound natural nor appetizing.
Here's a list of some ingredients you may find in your soft serve ice cream:
Polysorbate 80
This is added to allow the soft serve to bind and lock air into its mixture. There have been studies that show that this ingredient is linked to cancer and infertility in mice. Another study suggested that it could be one of the reasons why pregnant woman go into anaphylactic shock.
Mono- and diglycerides
These fatty acids help combine ingredients containing fat with ingredients containing water. Studies suggest that these trans fats contribute to heart disease and diabetes.
Carrageenan
This is a carbohydrate extracted from red seaweed and has no nutritional value. Health advocates argue that this ingredient is linked to cancer, immune suppression, and other health problems.
Guar gum
This is used as a thickening agent. It was once used in diet pills, but people soon learned that it was dangerous. However, food companies that sell soft serve argue that small amounts of it are safe to consume.
Last year, McDonald's changed their soft serve after receiving many complaints. A McDonald's spokesperson said that they're implementing a new soft serve nationwide. The new version is said to contain no artificial flavors, artificial colors or preservatives.
All that being said, not all soft serve ice creams are created the same.
How much soft serve do you eat?
[Huffpost]