Hot days are a real invitation to enjoy one of the most delicious desserts in the world, ice cream. Dough or toothpick, in the cone or cup, with or without topping, fruit, yogurt or accompanied by goodies like chocolate, crumbs, confetti and whatever you can imagine, ice cream is always an irresistible, tasty temptation and refreshing. However, when sipping an ice cream, few people wonder about its health effects and how everything in life, it also has its pros and cons.
Where does the ice cream come from?
According to ABIS, the Brazilian Association of Ice Cream Industries, the history of this dessert begins in China more than 3,000 years ago, when Chinese began to mix snow with fruit and honey, a technique later learned by the Arabs and later by the French. From 1292, new oriental preparation techniques arrived in Italy and the frozen dessert became a great success that later spread throughout Europe and the United States. In Brazil, ice cream only arrived around 1834, when merchants from Rio de Janeiro bought ice that arrived in the country on an American ship and mixed it with Brazilian fruits. On tropical lands with a wide variety of fruits available, success was guaranteed.
Composition and Benefits of Ice Cream
Ice cream is made from the mixture of water or milk, sugar, fat, fruit juice or aroma, emulsifier, thickener and additives and has different manufacturing techniques. Its formula allows ingredients to be added for varied flavors and textures.
From a nutritional point of view, ice cream can be considered a nutritious food because its formula contains protein, sugar, vegetable or animal fat, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C, D, K and other minerals that are good for your health.
Creamy creams, which are made from milk, have high amounts of minerals, especially calcium, essential for the development and proper functioning of bones. The calcium in two ice cream balls is equivalent to what we find in a glass of milk. The large amount of protein found in ice cream also helps the body maintain its vital functions.
And for those who are frightened by the calorie indices of this delight, the good news is that the rates are not that alarming. A 60-gram ball of chocolate ice cream, for example, has 112 calories, about the same as a 50-gram crumb French bread that has 135 calories. But that does not mean that you can have jars and jars of ice cream, because too much fat and protein is bad for the body.
It is essential to observe the amount of trans fat present in the composition of ice cream. Both fat and normal fat, when consumed in excess amounts, are harmful to the body and can contribute to health problems such as increased bad cholesterol (LDL), cardiovascular disease and obesity.
Stay tuned to the accompaniments offered at the ice cream shops. Behind so many colors and flavors of toppings, candies, crumbs and other confectionery, hundreds and hundreds of calories are hidden.
Fruit ice cream tends to be lighter, as it is made with water, but compared to mass ice cream, calories are equivalent, as are soy-based ice cream. The advantage of the latter is that because it is completely vegetable, it can be consumed by people who have lactose and gluten intolerance. In addition, soy protein helps reduce bad cholesterol.
For those who want to cool off without having to blame the balance, the best option is low-calorie ice cream and frozen natural, which is a yogurt-based ice cream. Frozen is less caloric, rich in calcium and fiber that prolong the feeling of food satiety, has no preservatives and contributes to the proper functioning of the intestine
In addition to these nutritional aspects, according to research conducted at Harvard University, ice cream can also contribute to increased female fertility. In this survey, 18,000 women were followed and those who exchanged a glass of whole milk for ice cream, consuming at least two servings of ice cream daily, were 85% more likely to ovulate than those who did not consume ice cream.
In another study at the Center for Neuroimaging Sciences in London, British researchers discovered something that many people already knew: ice cream provides pleasure. To prove it, volunteers consumed cream ice cream and then undergo MRI scans, which showed that ice cream affects the pleasure zones of the brain, the same that are activated when people are having fun.
And for those who believe that ice cream causes the flu, cold or sore throat and therefore can only be consumed in the heat, doctors say this is just a myth, since what causes flu is a virus and not cold foods. The countries with the highest ice cream consumption are the European countries, where winter tends to be much more severe, and no scientific research confirms the relationship of these diseases with the consumption of ice cream in the cold. In the case of sore throats such as tonsillitis, contrary to popular belief, frozen foods are more suitable than hot foods.
Even with so many points in favor of its consumption, in a study that circulates on the Internet that selected the ten worst health foods of all time, the ice cream achieved the feat of being in tenth place. According to Canadian nutritionist Michelle Schoffro Cook, the high levels of sugar and trans fats present in industrialized ice cream, as well as artificial colors and flavors, can cause serious damage to the brain and nervous system.
So whenever we can opt for a natural option over an industrialized one, we are making the best choice for our body, that's a fact, but no research is needed to prove that measured doses of pleasure, like an ice cream in the end. in the afternoon they are good for the soul. So, enjoy your ice cream sparingly and without fault.
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