Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream! To a kid, those two magic words are like saying “walk” to a dog – ears perked and all. There’s nothing better than enjoying a cold ice cream cone in the summer heat.

However tasty ice cream may be, it’s important to indulge in this sweet treat in moderation. Excess consumption of ice cream can contribute to health risks due to the sugar and carbohydrate content. The extra sugar contributes to a high calorie intake that can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, tooth decay, and gut disruptions. Many of your favorite ice cream brands include harmful, artificial ingredients like polysorbates, neotame, and carmine (cochineal) that have serious health impacts. What does this mean?

Polysorbate 60, 65, and 80 are emulsifiers, ingredients that allow the combination of substances that wouldn’t normally mix. These emulsifiers can damage gut health by disrupting the balance of bacteria, causing inflammation and metabolic disorders (1). The gut lining acts as a barrier to prevent unwanted bacteria and toxins from entering the bloodstream, but exposure to emulsifiers makes the lining permeable, or simply put, just allowing for these substances to pass through (2).

Neotame is an artificial sweetener that is 13,000 times sweeter than table sugar. Similar to polysorbates, neotame has negative impacts on gut health that can also influence the development of neuropathic pain and neurological disorders (5). In short, neuropathic pain is a chronic condition that causes sharp pain sensations throughout the body that may disrupt the quality of life (6). Neotame can also lead to weight gain and obesity, due to its addictive nature.

Carmine (cochineal) is a coloring agent made from the bodies of female insects. Read that again. Dactylopius Coccus are scale insects that, once dried and mixed with a solution, are extracted to color foods. This is commonly found in ice cream and other sweets, as well as drugs and cosmetics. Ingesting carmine can lead to serious allergic reactions and can contribute to hyperactivity in children (4).

These three artificial ingredients are just the tip of the ice cream cone; there are many more harmful additives to your favorite cold treat – make sure to read labels! Thanks to Earth Fare’s Boot List, these three ingredients will never, never, never ever be found in your treats. We mean it.

On a sweeter note, what are some healthy options you should look for when purchasing ice cream? Read the ingredient list; the shorter the list, the better. Avoid the words that you can’t pronounce and look for options that align with your health goals, like labels that have no added sugars or preservatives. Some of the top-selling ice cream brands at Earth Fare are Alec’s, Tillamook, and Van Leeuwen. Enjoy ice cream guilt-free when shopping at Earth Fare, where our labels are always clean and your health is our priority.