Eating too much added sugar can be detrimental to your health. So when it comes to ice cream, which obviously has a lot of sugar in it, how much ice cream is too much? Everyone loves a bit of ice cream. We all know how the saying goes, we all scream for ice cream. Though ice cream is one of the most sought after and desired treats, is it healthy to eat every day?
Eating too much sugar has been linked to various diseases such as diabetes. Ice cream tends to have a range of sugar levels and you should really try to avoid ice creams that have more than 16 grams of sugar per serving.
It is the sugar in ice cream which makes it unhealthy. There is also a considerable amount of fat, which makes it a weight gainer. Does this mean that you cannot eat ice cream on a diet? Not entirely, moderate amounts of ice cream can still be eaten if you are on a diet. Then again, it depends on the diet that you are partaking in and how seriously you are taking your diet.
However, in general, how much ice cream is too much? Should you eat a whole pint of ice cream? We all know that you are more than capable of eating the whole pint, but is it advisable?
Should I Eat Ice Cream Every Day?
Some of us make a practice out of eating ice cream after a meal. Many enjoy eating ice cream every day. So is eating ice cream every day bad for you? Is eating ice cream every day considered too much ice cream?
The truth of the matter with regards to whether eating ice cream every day is healthy or not depends on your diet and lifestyle. If you are accustomed to eating unhealthy meals with a lot of fat and sugar, then adding ice cream to the list would only be more detrimental to your health.
All in all, eating ice cream every day is not recommended. The sugar in ice cream gets quickly digested by your body which leads you to feel tired afterwards. You could also notice that you get cranky and may even feel hungry again.
When you get into the habit of consuming something, it becomes a form of addiction, without which, you would find yourself feeling cranky and moody. This is why many of us reach for a pint of ice cream when we are feeling sad. Your body has just learnt to react positively to ice cream, which acts as an emotional fixer.
Emotional eating can be a very difficult problem to fix. Many people have trouble with emotional eating. Emotional eating, also known as stress eating is when you find comfort in food and resort to food to resolve emotional and stressful issues.
Ice cream is one such food that is often eaten by emotional eaters. Regardless of whether you are happy or sad, you would find yourself reaching for the ice cream pint. Is this healthy? The short answer is, no. Emotional eating can have disastrous consequences on your health.
If you are an emotional eater or would like to understand emotional eating a little better, we recommend you read our article on, ‘How to Stop Stress Eating: Signs That You May Be An Emotional Eater.’
So coming back down to answer the question, should you eat ice cream every day? If you maintain a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables and high-quality protein and fats and exercise every day, then a small amount of ice cream even if eaten every single day won’t have unhealthy effects on your body. However, if you eat an unhealthy diet and live an unhealthy lifestyle, then eating ice cream every day would have detrimental effects on your health and should be one of the many things you look to change and fix about your lifestyle.
You should note, that eating ice cream every day places you at a higher risk of developing chronic diseases. Further to this, if you notice that you are gaining weight due to the fact that you are eating ice cream every day, the weight gain will bring with it all the chronic health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
How Much Ice Cream Should I Eat Every Day?
Ice cream is sugar and you should limit your added sugars to 10% of your daily calories. This translates to about 50 grams of sugar for a 2,000 calorie diet. If ice cream is the only added sugar you consume every day, then even one or two small servings of ice cream can easily push you towards the upper limit.
As mentioned earlier, eating ice cream every day brings you closer to developing chronic health conditions such as obesity and diabetes. Obesity could bring with it a whole lot of chronic complications which is why you should really be mindful of your sugar intake.
Though a person who lives a healthy lifestyle can consume a small portion of ice cream every day, it is advisable that you only eat ice cream on rare occasions in small servings.
Non-dairy alternatives to traditional ice cream that is made from almond, soy or coconut milk, is considered healthier. Hence if you are opting to eat ice cream every day, you should really look into the non-dairy based alternatives.
However, to answer the question, how often is it okay to have ice cream? You should only have ice cream on an occasional basis and not make a habit out of eating ice cream every day.
How Much Ice Cream is Too Much?
We all know, if you take a pint of ice cream from the fridge and sit in front of the TV, the pint would evaporate without you even realising it. So, is eating a pint of ice cream bad for you?
Eating a whole pint of ice cream would raise your sugar levels, which if you make a practice out of, will most certainly lead to chronic health conditions including obesity.
As a one time thing, eating a whole pint of ice cream isn’t considered detrimental to your health. The problem arises when you start making a habit out of it. If you start eating a whole pint of ice cream every week, for instance, you would be overloading your body with sugar on a regular basis. This is not considered a healthy habit.
So, how much ice cream is too much ice cream? As mentioned prior, even eating ice cream every day can be considered too much ice cream. You should really try to limit your ice cream intake to an occasional basis. This can be a problem for people with a sweet tooth, who usually crave sugar. Don’t simply replace your ice cream with more added sugar like chocolates or candy. Instead, look for non-dairy alternatives and other healthier options and look to consume a small amount on a more regular basis.
One or two small serving of non-dairy ice cream eaten every day is considered fine. However, you would still have to check to measure the amount of sugar in each serving.
However, if you are asking how much ice cream is too much ice cream? The simple answer is, anything more than one or two small scoops, eaten on a daily basis would be considered too much ice cream. This includes the whole pint of ice cream that you ate on Saturday night.
As mentioned repeatedly in this article, eating ice cream every day isn’t considered the best practice. Hence you should try to limit yourself to one or two small scoops on an occasional basis; once or twice a week.
What Happens When You Eat Too Much Ice Cream?
Ice cream has a high saturation of fat with a fat content anywhere between 7 to 22 grams. The milk fat that is found in ice cream is predominantly cholesterol, which is saturated fat. Hence eating too much ice cream could cause the amount of ‘bad’ cholesterol in your blood to increase, thereby leading to deposits of fat in your arteries; increasing the chances of developing heart disease.
When you eat too much ice cream, you run the risk of developing multiple chronic health conditions. As mentioned, the fat can clog up your arteries leading to heart disease. The high sugar and fat content can also cause obesity, which can result in various health complications. The sugar which causes blood sugar to spike could cause diabetes. These are all serious health conditions that you should be very mindful of.
Eating too much ice cream could also mean a one-off event, where you end up eating a whole pint. If you find yourself eating a whole pint and don’t really make a habit out of it, it is more likely than anything more that you may suffer from stomach irritation. The high content of dairy in the ice cream could cause your stomach to become upset, leading to stomach pains.
Does Eating Ice Cream At Night Make You Fat?
Eating ice cream at night before bed could result in more weight gain, depending on the amount of ice cream that you consume. Though the amount of calories eaten is the same regardless of the time of the day, studies have shown that you are more prone to eating more calories during the night. You make poorer choices.
Further to this, the ice cream in your stomach when eaten too close to bed may not digest properly, resulting in the ineffective breakdown of the food, resulting in an upset stomach. What is more worrying is the fact that the ice cream that is eaten too close to bed would result in greater storage of fat, which could in essence make you fatter.
So does eating ice cream at night make you fat? It depends on the time of the night and the amount of ice cream. However, in general, at night you are more likely to make poorer choices and consume more than you normally would. When coupled with the fact that digestion slows down in your sleep, your body could absorb an unhealthy amount of fat, which could lead to you gaining more weight.
How to Stop Eating Ice Cream
One of the best ways to limit the amount of ice cream that you eat is to make your ice cream yourself. This way, you would have direct input into the amount of sugar you add to your ice cream and the various types of fruits that you use. Otherwise, you can replace your ice cream intake to quench your craving with a frozen treat such as frozen fruit with whipped cream.
When it comes to fighting the urge to eat ice cream, your best bet would be to opt for healthier options. There are a host of things that you can try at home such as fruit and yoghurt cones, yoghurt parfait popsicles and chocolate-dipped frozen bananas. These all provide a good sugar fix and is generally considered healthier than eating ice cream.
Will power is really important and you have to tell yourself that you won’t eat ice cream and find the means to actually stick to it. With this, both exercise and meditation can help you. Some form of exercise every day won’t just make you healthier by giving your body the exertion it requires, it will change you to a healthier mindset, where it would be easier for you to say no to certain food.
Meditation also works to calm your mind and increase self-awareness. This can be great when you are struggling with emotional eating.
If you find yourself eating too much ice cream or have noticed that it has become a habit, take control and make the necessary changes. First, try your hands at alternative healthier options and shift to a healthier mode of life. This will enable you to take control of your cravings and will give you a new lease on life.
To Conclude: How Much Ice Cream is Too Much Ice Cream?
Ice cream when eaten in excess can have detrimental effects on your health. It could lead to weight gain, which brings with a host of unnecessary health complications. Hence be mindful of the amount that you are consuming this sugary treat.
Try to limit yourself to no more than two servings a week. This way, you would not be overconsuming something that could have detrimental effects on your health.
We all love ice cream, this is why you spent all this time reading this word to word to understand how much ice cream is considered too much ice cream. Regardless of how much we love ice cream, do make it a point to leave it as treat and not make a habit out of eating ice cream.
We hope that you found this article useful and that the information within has helped you on your journey. Remember, you scream, they scream, we all scream for ice cream. Just don’t scream too much, it gets really loud!
Happy Munching!
