Healthy Acai Bowl Recipe with Carrageenan

I am all about eating healthy, and with the warmer season coming on, I want to make sure I’m bikini body ready. Thus, I like to incorporate acai bowls and smoothies into my diet. It’s just a fun way to get your daily dose of yogurt in, berries, chia seeds and everything else you need for a healthy diet. Did you know that yogurt has carrageenan in it? It’s been quite a misinterpreted ingredient, many people aren’t aware that it’s actually good for you, and aren’t aware of how it’s made.

First off, this particular acai bowl that I made has yogurt in it (which it should!) but did you know that carrageenan is actually in yogurt? Okay, so you’re now intrigued aren’t you, what is carrageenan? Carrageenan is a soluble fiber derived from red seaweed; it’s a natural food ingredient that has been used for hundreds of years in cooking all over the globe. What I really love about it is that it’s a replacement for synthetic and animal-based products. Being a vegetarian, that’s music to my ears, as carrageenan is commonly used in vegetarian and vegan diets and lifestyles. #hollaSo, with this said, you’re probably wondering how to make carrageenan aren’t you? Well, it’s quite simple – it requires minimal processing and can actually be extracted from seaweed in your kitchen. The process is: cooking seaweed with a little salt, adding a touch of alcohol and then mixing it into a blender to release the natural carrageenan. Pretty easy, hey?

Don’t worry, carrageenan is completely safe, and many countries around the world have authorized it to be safe for use in your food.The reason we should want carrageenan in our food is because it actually improves the taste, texture, quality of food — it creates a creamy texture in lower fat yogurt (this is what I purchased and it’s definitely true!).

Food Science is important because, obviously food matters. We need to ask questions about what we consume, how can we keep food safe and nutritious? How can we make sure it tastes the way it’s supposed to? How can we, overall make our diets better? These are the questions scientists are working so hard to figure out for us. Did you know that without food science, thousands of the products we find in an everyday grocery store wouldn’t exist?Food science allows us to breathe easier, it makes the bread on our sandwiches crunchy and fluffy at the same time, our yogurt creamier, and it gives our low-fat pudding that texture we all know and love, without sacrificing our diets. If I haven’t convinced you enough that food science is significant in so many ways, then please think about this the next time you go for your weekly grocery shopping trip: we would have severe food shortages if we didn’t have food science because there would be no way to figure out how to preserve or extend our foods shelf life, or even perfect it.

I know that while eating this delicious acai bowl, I am not only healthier (and happier) but, I am knowledgeable about what is going into my body. Life is so much better when you’re not in the dark about these important issues.

“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”