8 Reasons You Should Eat Ice Cream!
We all know that eating a variety of vegetables and fruits is an important part of a healthy diet, but did you know that ice cream can be healthy too? Foods that are higher in sugar and fat are often given a bad rap, however avoiding these foods can end up being more detrimental to our health in the long term. Instead of avoiding, incorporate these foods into your diet mindfully. A balanced diet includes eating all foods, which can help support not only your physical health, but also your mental and emotional health as well!
1. It Contains Many Important Micronutrients
The main ingredients in ice cream are milk and cream. These ingredients are great sources of calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin A, and phosphorous which all contribute to vital functions in our bodies!
2. It Helps Keep Our Bones Strong!
Calcium is an essential nutrient that keeps out bones healthy, along with some other micronutrients like vitamin D. Our heart, muscles, and nerves also use calcium to function. Since our bodies can't make these micronutrients, eating foods that contain them such as ice cream can help us meet our needs, while keeping our bones nice and strong!
*https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/
* https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22081685/
3. It Is An Excellent Source of Energy!
Our body gets energy from the food we eat, especially those rich in carbohydrates like ice cream! Carbohydrates, including sugar, are broken down into glucose, which is our bodies main energy source; literally every cell in our body uses it! Since our brain is such a large energy user, it needs a constant amount of glucose to function properly.
Our body likes to make sure we have a consistent amount of sugar in our bloodstream so it can use it when needed. When we eat sugars or carbohydrates, they are broken down and used by our body immediately. Any extra is stored in the form of glycogen to be used as energy later if we run low.
* https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/sugar-brain
4. It Keeps Our Bodies Running Smoothly
Fat is an important nutrient for our bodies! It contributes to a lot of different functions like providing us with energy, helping us absorb certain vitamins, and maintaining our cell membranes. Since we have about 100 trillion cells in our bodies, we need enough fat in our diets to keep them all healthy!
5. It Can Help Us To Feel More Satisfied!
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. This can help us manage our hunger and satiety cues.
6. It Boosts Our Mood and Helps Us Feel Happy
When we eat ice cream, our bodies release feel-good hormones such as dopamine and serotonin that play important roles in our brain and bodies. 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!
7. It Helps Us Maintain A Balanced Diet
Balanced eating means we are comfortable consuming a variety of foods from all food groups. 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!
8. It Helps Us To Create Connections!
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.
*https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40750-017-0061-4
