Stress and Food: Why Ice Cream Can Help You Cope

Stress and Food

When you think of stress and food, you are often told to stay away from treats, like ice cream.

Ice cream: My favourite food. Creamy. Cold. Sweet. Hard or Soft…doesn’t matter. I love ice cream. It can be high in fat and it contains a lot of sugar. It’s not the kind of snack food that I should have everyday…though wouldn’t that be absolutely wonderful? But it has some definite pros.

Coping with stress and food issues.

Did you know that ice cream may be useful in PMS?

Ice cream contains calcium which helps control blood pressure, reduces the risk of colon cancer, may lower the chances of developing kidney stones and it puts a damper on PMS…I knew there was a reason that I crave it more at different times.

Ice cream may help in maintaining weight.

How interesting is that? Ice cream for weight control. Research from the American Society of Experimental Biology found that a diet that included dairy prevented about 50 percent of weight regain and 80 percent of fat regain after the animals had lost weight and were allowed to eat at will, compared to those on the low-calcium, dairy-free diet. Now this research was done with animals, but if it works there it may work on humans….I would at least like to be a part of the experimental group…test group…not the control group.

Ice cream may help me to keep my girlish figure.

And there is other research to go along with the benefits of dairy. The North American Association for the Study of Obesity found in a study of 800 men and women that those who ate the most calcium were also the leanest. Research from Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Woman’s University in Houston reported an association between the consumption of low-fat milk and dairy products and a lower waist-to-hip ratio.

Ice cream may keep me from shrinking. Beverly Beuermann-King Click to tweet

Ice cream may keep me from shrinking.

Calcium is essential in preventing osteoporosis. Adults need 1,000 mg of calcium a day, and those age 50 and older need at least 1,200 mg a day. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that postmenopausal women who are not on hormones get 1,500 mg of calcium a day for bone maintenance. One reasonable (insert small) serving of ice cream can give you 10% of your daily calcium intake. One hospital is even giving out a complimentary ice cream bar to all women who call before Aug. 31 to schedule an appointment for a DXA Scan to screen for osteoporosis. Someone say free ice cream…sign me up!

Other DYK Ice Cream, Stress and Food Facts:

Ice cream is not a new treat…people have been creating frozen delicacies since 400 BC
Britain’s Margaret Thatcher was part of a research team that helped to develop soft ice cream
The average American eats 18.3 litres of ice cream each year while Canadians eat 8.7 litres. Japan has the lowest consumption with .01 litres per year.
Scientists are tinkering with ice cream – not to remove sugar or fat, but to add enough nutritional value that ice cream will be classified a “multifunctional” food. The advantages of ice cream they’re proposing will include: Antioxidants, Dietary Fiber, Probiotics and Prebiotics. This new breed of ice cream can play a role in preventing cancer, aid in digestion, encourage good bacteria in gut flora, bolster the immune system, lower cholesterol and lose weight. Yahoo!

Beverly’s Hot Tips For Building Resilience By Celebrating National Ice Cream Day:

Ice cream can be a healthy treat. But it is a treat. Until they develop ice cream that is more multifunctional, indulge, but not everyday.
I have nothing else…just go out and celebrate.

Now which kind to choose…DQ, Kawartha Dairy, Cold Stone, soft, hard, dipped, sauced, fruit, chocolate…..