Reese Witherspoon Likes To Eat Snow, But Should You?

On a recent wintery day, when others were hiding inside from the cold, Reese Witherspoon and fam were busy scooping snow off the top of her car to make an icy coffee recipe, which she later dubbed a “snow, salt, chococcino.”

The actor, 47, shared her snow day moment on TikTok where it quickly collected over five million views, as well as thousands of replies.

Turns out, there are two types of people in this world, at least in Reese Witherspoon’s comments section: those who eat snow and those who find the very idea revolting.

Witherspoon’s recipe required two mugs of fresh snow, a drizzle of caramel, a pour of chocolate sauce, and a splash of cold brew — and it honestly did look refreshing.

The Your Place or Mine actor also seemed happy with the final result, but she quickly found herself posting three follow-up TikToks to address the snow-eating concerns.

Reese Witherspoon’s Snow Recipe Sparked Debate

After watching Witherspoon make a snowy coffee recipe, one person wrote, “can you put the snow in a clear cup and let it melt... I just want to see if it’s safe to eat first” while another frantically typed, “no no no, snow is not made to eat. you can get seriously sick.”

Meanwhile, other commenters were having a giggle. “Me laughing at everyone because I grew up eating snow,” one person wrote, while another said, “I look forward to a few bites of snow every year.” And others seemed to agree there was no cause for concern.

In a follow-up video, Witherspoon tried to appease her viewers with a quick at-home science experiment, where she scooped more snow from her backyard, microwaved it, and took a look. “It’s clear,” she said. “Is this bad? Am I not supposed to eat snow?”

In a second video, the actor noted that it only snows once a year where she lives, so she was opting for a “you only live once” mentality.

Then, in a third video, she explained that she didn’t grow up drinking filtered water, so she figured it was fine to have “dirty” snow. She also added that the chococcino was “so good.”

Is Snow Safe To Eat?

According to Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an associate professor of clinical medicine at Huntington Health in Pasadena, California, and the chief medical advisor at Sleepopolis, it’s OK to eat fresh snow, but you do need to be choosy when sourcing it.

“Make sure the snow comes from a clean place and is free of possible contaminants,” he tells Bustle. That means no snow from the side of the road or high-traffic areas, like sidewalks. Dirty snow can contain things you don’t want to ingest, he says, like road salt, pollution from vehicles and factories, and even dirt or animal waste.

That said, eating snow poses more of a hygiene concern than a serious health risk, he says. At most, it might lead to mild discomfort or a slight stomachache.

The Bottom Line

“If the snow looks or smells weird, don’t eat it,” says Dasgupta. That means no gray snow, no salty snow, and definitely no yellow snow.

But overall, fresh, clean flakes — like the kind on top of Witherspoon’s car — are likely safe to eat. So if you want to make yourself a tasty chococcino, go ahead and do it.

Source:

Dr. Raj Dasgupta, chief medical advisor at Sleepopolis, associate professor of clinical medicine at Huntington Health