In the movie “Hook,” Peter Pan (played by Robin Williams) and his band of lost boys magically create any food their hearts desire for a dinner-turned-food fight. In reality, however, not every meal is a blend of our favorite foods. Decadent treats like ice cream are often reserved for occasional indulgence. Or are they?
Believe it or not, outside the fantasy world of Neverland, there is a diet that claims you can eat ice cream and lose weight (via Healthline). The concept behind the ice cream diet is based on a fixed calorie intake, allowing some calories for ice cream and the remainder ideally for healthy, low-fat, and high-fiber options like fruits and vegetables. At the end of the day, you’re consuming a set number of calories, potentially leading to weight loss. However, don’t get too excited. While the basic idea of the ice cream diet might work, deviating from its strict calorie limit can cause the weight to return. Moreover, classic ice cream lacks certain nutrients and is loaded with ingredients like sugar and fat, which can impact your health over time. So, are there any benefits to making ice cream your daily snack? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t as sweet as you might hope.
You could raise your cholesterol
Did you know that your body requires cholesterol? Yes, that’s correct. Cholesterol is crucial for several processes happening inside you right now, like the production of vitamin D and building new cells (via Healthline). However, not all cholesterol is beneficial, and unfortunately, ice cream increases the type that’s harmful to your health.
As Healthline explains, cholesterol is divided into two types: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). While both HDL and LDL contain fat and protein, LDL has more fat than protein, making it bad for your heart. When you hear about the dangers of high cholesterol levels, it’s specifically about high LDL levels. Although your liver produces both HDL and LDL, consuming high-fat foods can lead to more LDL production. Since ice cream is a full-fat dairy product loaded with saturated fat, eating it regularly is likely to raise your LDL levels.
If you’re an ice cream lover and worried about your cholesterol, you don’t have to quit your favorite treat entirely. An occasional scoop should be fine as long as you maintain a healthy meal plan and exercise regularly. However, indulging in even a small amount of ice cream daily is not advisable if you want to keep your cholesterol in check.
You might irritate your IBS
If you have IBS, those three letters represent a world of discomfort and health issues. Short for irritable bowel syndrome, IBS affects your gastrointestinal (GI) tract and can cause problems like abdominal pain, gas, and bowel issues such as constipation or diarrhea (via Johns Hopkins Medicine). And, if you guessed that ice cream is not good for IBS, you’d be absolutely right. Classic ice cream contains lactose, a type of sugar found in milk. As Dr. Linda Lee tells Johns Hopkins, “70 percent of adults worldwide do not produce large amounts of lactase, an intestinal enzyme that helps break down the sugar in milk.” So, instead of being properly broken down, lactose interacts with bacteria in the colon, causing unpleasant IBS-related symptoms. This is also why some people are lactose intolerant.
Besides ice cream, Medical News Today warns about other foods often eaten with ice cream that can exacerbate IBS issues. For instance, fruits like bananas are off the menu if you have IBS, so say goodbye to banana splits. Popular ice cream toppings like nuts and cherries are also not recommended for irritable bowel syndrome. Even ice cream made with less sugar can cause problems due to artificial sweeteners.
You’ll probably give yourself brain freeze
Ice cream is so irresistible that people often eat it too quickly, resulting in a painful sensation commonly known as brain freeze or an ice cream headache — technically termed “sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia,” according to WebMD. According to the Mayo Clinic, when you swallow something cold, it touches the roof of your mouth, including your soft palate and the back of your throat. This sudden cold sensation sends your blood vessels into a slight emergency mode, causing them to shrink to trap heat inside your body. Until the blood vessels return to normal size, you may experience a headache.
While ice cream headaches aren’t typically dangerous, they can affect your heart if you have a condition called atrial fibrillation or AFib (via WebMD). In addition to feeling pain, a person with AFib may also experience an irregular heartbeat, difficulty breathing, and dizziness when indulging in their favorite frozen treat. While the reason isn’t fully understood, it’s theorized that the sudden temperature change in your mouth may momentarily disrupt your nervous system. Lastly, if you’re prone to migraines, you’re more likely to experience an ice cream headache than someone who never gets migraines, according to WebMD. Fortunately, while ice cream can cause brain freeze, it’s unlikely to trigger a migraine.
You’ll make happy memories
Chances are that when you think back on eating ice cream, you’re reminded of cheerful memories like a birthday party, a day at the beach, or buying a cone with friends from the local ice cream truck. And you’re not alone. A study from 2008 found a pattern between sweet treats like ice cream and feelings of happiness (via WebMD).
Conducted by Dr. David Vanata, associate professor in the foods and nutrition department at Ashland University in Ohio, the study involved more than 200 adults who ranked 62 foods based on how they made them feel. Participants were only supposed to record their immediate reactions to the food. Not surprisingly, ice cream ranked high in the following categories: happiness, pleasantness, excitability, and comfort. Chocolate, frequently used in or as a topping for ice cream, also scored high in these areas. In fact, ice cream and chocolate received the overall highest scores in this study, along with cookies and cake.
It could impact your fertility
Does eating ice cream every day increase your chances of becoming pregnant? A Harvard study found that women who consumed high-fat dairy foods like ice cream were significantly less likely to have ovulation issues than those who ate low-fat dairy foods (via WebMD). However, don’t rush to the ice cream shop just yet. “This should not signal women to get buckets and buckets of ice cream,” says Harvard researcher Dr. Jorge E. Chavarro, who worked on the study (via WebMD). “That would be bad for fertility and their overall health.” Fertility expert Dr. Celia Dominguez echoed Dr. Chavarro’s concerns, telling WebMD, “Nobody needs to run off to eat Haagen-Dazs to get pregnant,” emphasizing the importance of a balanced diet. She also noted that obesity can affect ovulation, and none of the women in the Harvard study were obese.
Ultimately, Dr. Chavarro was surprised by his study’s findings and suggested further research on the possible connections between high- and low-fat dairy products and fertility. If you’re having trouble conceiving, your best option is to speak with your healthcare professional or a fertility specialist about your diet and lifestyle. You might discover unexpected ways to increase your chances of becoming pregnant.
You could become constipated
You may love ice cream, but consuming it every day might not love you back. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, if you’re experiencing constipation, you should cut back on ice cream consumption. So, does ice cream cause constipation? It’s a bit more complex than that. First, let’s clarify: if a person is constipated, it doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t have a bowel movement. Rather, their bowel movements are irregular, and they have difficulty when nature calls. Your stool should contain a certain amount of water to exit your body without difficulty. However, when your colon absorbs more water than it should, your stool becomes dry, hard, and more difficult to pass.
A simple way to avoid this issue is by eating fiber-rich foods like fruits and vegetables. However, consuming foods lacking fiber — like ice cream — creates more waste material to be converted into hard stool. Eating ice cream instead of fiber-rich foods could increase your chances of becoming constipated. If you’re thinking a little discomfort in the bathroom is worth having chocolate ice cream daily, remember that constipation can lead to other medical issues like hemorrhoids and fecal impaction, where your stool becomes stuck inside your colon.
You could have a heart attack
Between childhood memories and its comforting nature, it’s no wonder ice cream holds a special place in many people’s hearts. Unfortunately, indulging in this sweet treat too often can harm your cardiovascular health. According to Healthline, a heart attack (or myocardial infarction) occurs when something blocks normal blood flow to the heart, depriving it of oxygen. Just like you need to breathe oxygen to live, your heart needs oxygen from your blood, or the muscle tissue will die. While many factors can increase the likelihood of a heart attack, diet, weight, and cholesterol level can all play a role. Eating ice cream daily could raise your cholesterol and put your heart at risk (via Healthline).
Furthermore, Healthline advises that if you’ve already had a heart attack, you should cut out or stop eating ice cream entirely due to its high levels of unhealthy fats, salt, and sugar. Additionally, popular ice cream add-ons like candy, cookies, and cakes (yes, some ice cream flavors contain chunks of cake) are also no-nos if you want to avoid another heart attack.
You’ll consume more calcium
This may sound positive, but there’s a caveat to this potential health benefit of ice cream. Yes, according to the Baton Rouge Clinic, ice cream does contain calcium. As Medical News Today explains, calcium is an essential nutrient you need to consume regularly (unless your healthcare professional advises otherwise). Among calcium’s benefits are that it helps keep your heart beating and your blood clotting properly. It’s also vital for strong bones and teeth since all but 1% of the calcium in your body is in your skeleton. Research supports that calcium may help control cholesterol and blood pressure and reduce the risk of developing colorectal adenomas, a type of benign tumor of the colon and rectum. With all these potential benefits, isn’t it worth eating ice cream daily to increase your calcium intake? Unfortunately, it’s not that straightforward.
While ice cream contains calcium, the amount isn’t substantial (via Baton Rouge Clinic). Although eating it daily would cumulatively increase your intake, it would also mean consuming more sugar and unhealthy fat. Ultimately, the negatives of increasing your sugar and fat intake would outweigh the positives of consuming more calcium. If you want to incorporate more calcium into your diet, consider foods like yogurt and almonds (via Medical News Today).
You could wind up with tooth decay
It’s no secret that classic ice cream is packed with sugar, and sweet treats aren’t good for your dental health. But what is it about sugar that makes it so potentially harmful to your teeth? To answer that, we need to discuss something that appears in almost every commercial for teeth whitening products: enamel.
Like your skin, your teeth have layers, and the outermost layer is called enamel (per Asleep for Dentistry). Unfortunately, when you consume sugar-rich foods (like ice cream), a type of acid forms in your mouth that can weaken your enamel (via Parkcrest Dental Group). How? According to the American Dental Association, your mouth naturally contains bacteria that thrive on carbohydrates. When this bacteria encounters foods high in sugar and other simple carbs, it causes the food to ferment, creating acid that harms your teeth. Once your enamel is weakened, you’re more likely to develop dental issues. The Parkcrest Dental Group website specifically mentions that ice cream can lead to gum disease, cavities, and tooth decay.
Besides ice cream, the American Dental Association’s website warns that other foods commonly found in ice cream or its toppings can also be detrimental to your teeth. These include caramel, candy, cakes, and cookies. But whether you indulge in ice cream or not, make sure to practice good dental hygiene by seeing your dentist for regular checkups and brushing your teeth twice a day (via Parkcrest Dental Group).
It could affect your mood
There’s no denying that when you’re feeling down, something sweet can lift your spirits. Ice cream has become so associated with being a mood-lifter that it’s almost cliché. Case in point, when someone goes through a breakup on TV or in movies, they usually dive into a carton of ice cream for comfort. But the happy sensation you get from sugary treats isn’t just because of their flavor.
According to WebMD, sugar, like the kind found in ice cream, can impact your mood in two ways. First, when you consume sugar-rich foods, your body creates large amounts of dopamine, making you feel happy. The problem is that dopamine can have a similar effect on your brain as some drugs, causing you to need more sugar to achieve the same emotional high. Speaking of highs, the second way sugary ice cream can affect your mood is through a classic sugar high and crash. Since sugar can spike and drop your blood glucose levels, you can quickly transition from feeling energized to nervous and shaky. While fluctuating dopamine and blood glucose levels might sound like temporary side effects of eating sugary foods like ice cream, research has linked excessive sugar consumption to an increased risk of developing depression (via WebMD). In addition to possible chemical changes, research is finding that sugar may lead to depression because it increases inflammation throughout your body (via Healthline).
You may get less restorative sleep
Imagine this: A 5-year-old is getting ready for bed but wants a snack before sleeping. Her dad gives her a big bowl of ice cream covered with chocolate syrup and sprinkles. Later, he’s confused about why his little girl is jumping on the bed instead of sleeping. It doesn’t take a professional nutritionist to figure out that the sugar in her bedtime sundae is why she’s too hyper to sleep. However, even consuming sugary foods like ice cream during the day can disrupt your sleep patterns.
According to Psychology Today, research has found a connection between sugar consumption and poorer sleep quality. One study divided people into two groups based on diet. The first group focused on fiber-rich foods, while the second group consumed higher levels of fat and sugar. As a result, participants in the second group didn’t fall asleep as quickly, and even when they did, their sleep wasn’t as deep or restorative. To make matters worse, once you start consuming high amounts of sugar (like you would if you ate ice cream every day), you can get caught in an unhealthy cycle (via Psychology Today). Essentially, when you eat large quantities of sugar (especially at night), you don’t sleep as well, which increases your sugar cravings, leading to even larger sugar intake, escalating the problem.
You could develop cancer
Before you start discarding all the Rocky Road in your freezer, let’s clarify that a little ice cream probably isn’t an issue. However, eating it daily can lead to weight gain, and as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains, being overweight or obese can increase the risk of developing cancers of the breast, pancreas, kidney, colon, and liver, among others.
This doesn’t mean there’s one ideal weight for everyone. After all, we’re all different heights, and expecting someone who’s 6’2″ to weigh the same as someone who’s 4’5″ would be unrealistic. This is where the body mass index, or BMI, comes into play, as it’s determined by both a person’s weight and height. If someone’s BMI is too high, they may have an increased risk of developing cancer. To mitigate this risk, the CDC recommends managing your weight by eating a nutritious diet and maintaining a regular exercise routine.
You could get wrinkles
Even though we associate ice cream with being young, this childhood delight can add years to your appearance. To be fair, many factors can affect your skin. As Dr. Andrew Weil, founder and director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, states on his website, factors like age, genetics, smoking, ultraviolet light, air pollution, and even facial expressions can impact our skin.
With that said, sugar, like the kind found in classic ice cream, can lead to sagging skin and wrinkles when consumed in large quantities. How? If your blood glucose levels are elevated, sugars and proteins in your body may combine into advanced glycation end products or AGEs. Yes, AGEs is the acronym, and it’s easy to remember since that’s what these compounds do to your skin by weakening its molecules. So for your skin health, sugar is best consumed in moderation. According to Dr. Weil, if 90% of your daily calorie intake isn’t sugar, it could help prevent your skin from sagging and developing wrinkles. Additionally, you might want to add vitamin C and antioxidants to your diet to keep your skin healthy. But bottom line: eating ice cream every day could make you look older.
You could experience pain in your joints
Unfortunately, there’s a domino effect when it comes to ice cream and arthritis. Classic ice cream is loaded with sugar, which causes inflammation throughout your body (via Verywell Health). So, the more sugar-filled ice cream you eat, the more inflammation your body has, increasing the likelihood of developing arthritis or exacerbating existing arthritis.
But wait, there’s more. As Verywell Health explains, there’s more than one type of arthritis you may have to deal with, especially if you start eating ice cream every day. Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, goes beyond just pain and stiffness in your hands, wrists, and knees. RA can also lead to health concerns for your heart, eyes, and lungs. As one study showed, sugar-loaded desserts are likely to increase the severity of RA symptoms. Additionally, inflammation caused by sugary ice cream can negatively impact a condition called osteoarthritis or OA. While RA usually affects the hands, wrists, and knees, OA often targets the spine, hips, and knees. Besides being painful, OA eventually causes deterioration of the joints, impacting your quality of life both in the short and long term. One study also found that weight gain caused by a diet high in sugary and fatty foods can exacerbate OA-related issues.
You might gain belly fat
Did you know there’s more than one type of belly fat? As Harvard Health Publishing explains, there’s the subcutaneous kind just under the skin, which tends to make up about 90% of belly fat. Visceral fat is deeper and can be found around organs like the liver, as well as in tissue beneath muscles called the omentum, located in the belly and around the intestines.
Chances are it’s not surprising that regular ice cream consumption could contribute to belly fat. However, as Eat This, Not That! points out, eating one pint of ice cream could mean consuming over 90 grams of sugar. Around half of this sugar could be fructose, which specifically increases belly fat. In fact, findings in Science Direct concluded that “excess fructose ingestion” can lead to several health concerns, including visceral fat.
Okay, but visceral fat is usually only 10% of total belly fat, so is it really that big of a concern? Unfortunately, even that seemingly low percentage of visceral fat can be detrimental to health. According to research published in Obesity, visceral fat can increase the risk of developing conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even certain cancers. Plus, according to Harvard Health Publishing, visceral fat can lead to higher blood pressure.
You may experience brain fog
Imagine this: Two friends are meeting up in a nearby park. Normally, either one of them could easily walk there, but on this particular day, there’s heavy fog. Everyday tasks like crossing streets and avoiding bumping into other people have become extremely difficult. As a result, it takes longer for the two friends to meet up than it normally would. This is similar to what happens when someone experiences brain fog — only in this case, the “fog” refers to difficulty performing mental tasks like focusing and remembering (via Hackensack Meridian Health).
It’s important to note that several factors can cause brain fog, including certain medications and lack of sleep. Yes, diet can also be the culprit behind this mental clarity issue. As Assisting Hands Home Care explains, foods containing dairy can impact one’s central nervous system and cause brain fog, as well as headaches. Additionally, artificial sweeteners — especially in large amounts — can cause problems like confusion and fatigue.
Of course, the ice cream market has expanded over the years to appeal to a wider audience. For example, there are ice creams made from dairy alternatives. Nevertheless, if you suspect certain foods might be behind your brain fog, you should speak with a medical professional about your condition.
You’ll keep craving ice cream
There’s a simple logic to craving ice cream. A person tries it, enjoys it, and wants to have that experience again. However, a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found possible parallels between the impact of frequent ice cream consumption and drug addiction. So yes, there is data to support that craving ice cream goes beyond just having a bad day.
With all that said, there are aspects of ice cream that make it a treat one wants to eat repeatedly. According to Gail Civille, founder and president of the consulting firm Sensory Spectrum, sweetness is the major factor behind why people crave ice cream (via CNN). But too much sweetness can have the opposite effect. Additionally, Deanna Simons, the quality manager of Cornell’s Dairy Bar, told CNN that the amount of butterfat in ice cream impacts its “mouthfeel,” which is a component of its appeal. Even the rate at which ice cream melts is part of why people keep coming back for more.
Although some people crave ice cream in general, Civille explained that for some, the craving is centered around a specific brand of ice cream. Steve Young, a consulting food chemist and microbiologist, told CNN that even if two manufacturers were to make the same flavor of ice cream, their products could still differ.
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