Ice cream, a beloved treat enjoyed worldwide, has been a source of joy for centuries. In the United States, the average American consumes 20 pounds (four gallons) of ice cream annually, contributing $13 billion to the national economy. July is even designated as National Ice Cream Month, with National Ice Cream Day celebrated on the third Sunday of the month. While often considered an indulgence, ice cream can offer some surprising health benefits when consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
Nutritional Value and Potential Health Benefits
Contrary to popular belief, ice cream contains essential nutrients that your body needs. The main ingredients in ice cream are milk and cream, which are good sources of calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin A, and phosphorous. These nutrients contribute to vital functions in our bodies. Calcium is crucial for maintaining strong bones and teeth. Our heart, muscles, and nerves also use calcium to function. Milk is also packed with potassium and iodine, an essential nutrient for expecting and lactating women.
- Energy Source: Ice cream provides energy from carbohydrates, especially sugar. Carbohydrates, including sugar, are broken down into glucose, which is our body's main energy source. Every cell in our body uses glucose! The brain, a large energy user, needs a constant supply of glucose to function properly. When we eat sugars or carbohydrates, they are broken down and used immediately. Any extra is stored as glycogen for later use.
- Fat Content: Fat is an important nutrient that provides energy, helps absorb certain vitamins, and maintains cell membranes. Considering we have about 100 trillion cells, sufficient dietary fat is necessary to keep them healthy. The fat found in dairy products can also help us to feel more satisfied or full after eating it than foods that are low in fat, which can help us manage our hunger and satiety cues.
- Mood Booster: Eating ice cream can trigger the release of "feel-good" hormones like dopamine and serotonin. These neurotransmitters help us to feel pleasure or happiness and keep us feeling awake or alert. They also play a role in digestion and sleep!
- Probiotics: The dairy content in ice cream may contain probiotics that promote a healthy gut. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that aid in digestion and contribute to a balanced gut microbiome.
The Importance of Moderation and Mindful Consumption
While ice cream offers some nutritional benefits, it's important to consume it in moderation. Ice cream contains some important nutrients, like calcium, vitamin D and vitamin A, among others. But while these nutrients are all needed for good health, the amount in ice cream is small and is accompanied by a hefty dose of fat and added sugar. If you eat a sensible portion of ice cream (1/2 cup), the carbohydrates and added sugars may cause a modest rise in blood sugar. But devouring a triple-scoop cone with extra toppings far exceeds the daily recommendation for added sugar (25 grams for women and 36 grams for men) and can send you on a blood sugar roller coaster ride. Experts suggest eating any foods that contain added sugar and saturated fat, like ice cream, in a moderate and mindful way.
- Balanced Diet: Treats like ice cream are an important part of a balanced diet. Eating normally or balanced, means including all foods, as they all contribute different things for our health. Creating rigid rules about foods that we can and can’t eat can be detrimental to our mental or emotional health, which can impact our physical health as well!
- Portion Control: Pay attention to serving sizes. At home, serving sizes are usually clearly described on the nutrition facts label. However, scoop sizes are not standardized when visiting an ice cream shop and portion sizes are known to be rather huge.
Considerations for Specific Health Conditions
People with diabetes, prediabetes, or PCOS should be mindful of their ice cream consumption. Other research has found eating too much ice cream can cause complications for folks with diabetes, prediabetes and PCOS, and, like other highly processed food, it can increase the likelihood of developing some cancers.
Healthier Ways to Enjoy Ice Cream
To dress up ice cream in a healthier way, choose nutrient-rich garnishes like fresh berries, chopped nuts, chia seeds, banana, pineapple or crunchy whole-grain cereal. Not only will these ingredients add flavor and texture, but they’ll bump up the vitamins, minerals and fiber of your treat.
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- Add Protein: Ice cream already has some protein in it, but topping your treat with chopped nuts will give you a boost of protein and fiber, which will make you feel fuller faster.
- Lower-Sugar Options: Try lower-sugar flavors.
- Homemade Ice Cream: Some people choose to make their own ice cream, to better control the ingredients such as sweeteners, or if they prefer to use non-dairy products or lactose-free milk. The composition and nutritional value of ice cream can change drastically based on what ingredients are included in the recipe.
Social and Emotional Benefits
Going for ice cream with friends or family is a great way to improve our friendships! Eating is not just about the nutrition in a food, it is also about enjoying time with the people we care about, creating memories, and strengthening these relationships. Eating ice cream is also a beloved summer pastime that sparks feelings of nostalgia that can put a smile on your face.
Understanding the Research
It's important to analyze research suggesting health benefits of ice cream critically. The 2018 research the article drew upon looked at data from the Nurses’ Health Study I and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. To conduct their analysis, the researchers only included data from participants of these two studies who reported having type 2 diabetes when the studies began - so around 16,000 people total. The participants with diabetes had also provided information about which foods they typically ate over the previous year. It could also be the case that participants who reported eating ice cream before joining the study could have stopped eating ice cream altogether just after joining the study - possible because they may have been made aware they were at greater risk of cardiovascular disease. It’s also important to make clear that this was an observational study - meaning that it can only show an association between eating ice cream and lower risk of heart disease.
Seattle might be known for its coffee and seafood, but when the temperatures rise and Seattleites flock to Alki Beach or Volunteer Park, ice cream takes summer’s centerstage. We’ve got seasonal scoops with Washington-grown berries. Ginger beer ice cream floats.
Ingredients to Consider
Ingredients - Note any allergens listed. Milk, soy, nuts and sometimes eggs are common. Milk (cream), sugar and salt are all necessary to make ice cream. The quality of these ingredients may be of concern. For example, does the recipe use cane sugar, corn syrup or a non-nutritive sweetener like sorbitol or monkfruit? Additives like chicory root fiber and gums or carrageenan can cause gastrointestinal problems for some people.
- Sugar: Lactose is present as a natural occurring sugar found in milk. Something sweet is generally always added to an ice cream recipe, whether it is sugar, corn syrup or a non-nutritive sweetener. Non-nutritive sweeteners like sucralose, stevia, and monkfruit extract sweeten ice cream without having a direct impact on blood sugar. However, with lactose present, there will likely still be carbohydrates present in the food to have some impact on blood sugar. Sugar alcohols (ingredients that end in -ol) are often used to sweeten foods like ice cream as an alternative to sugar.
- Saturated Fat: The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fat to 5-6% of total calories. For the average adult consuming 2,000 calories, this is around 13 grams per day. A standard serving of 2/3 cup of ice cream will contain about 7 grams of saturated fat.
Alternative Options
There are other ice cream-style products available; some will support a heart-healthy diet more than a serving of ice cream.
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- Frozen yogurt - Similar to ice cream, but ingredients have been cultured.
- Fruity Greek Yogurt Bark - Spread vanilla Greek yogurt in a thin layer on a small, rimmed baking sheet. Top with berries, then freeze for several hours.
- Banana “Ice Cream” - Process frozen ripe banana pieces in a food processor or high-powered blender until creamy.
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