Why Eating Ice Cream In The Summer Heat Can Make You Hotter!

Ice cream is without a doubt one of the most popular summertime treats and people consume it to beat the heat.  But did you know it could backfire?

How much you consume could make you feel even hotter.

While it’s amazing at first, instantly cooling you down, it’s when the digestion starts that could be the problem.

When we eat something with calories, whether ice cream or food in general, it takes some work to burn off the fats, proteins and sugars.

A registered and licensed dietitian with the University of Kansas Health System, explains “It’s all about the thermic effect of digestion and absorption,” Marchello said. “And when we digest, it creates energy and heat. And therefore, our body temperature can go up.”

There are things we can do to prevent ourselves from overheating. Staying hydrated with water is a big deal!

When deciding on foods to include in your day, you want to include foods with good water content in your meals and snacks; such as tomatoes or cucumbers, berries and melons.

These items have higher water content and keep the body a little more hydrated, which helps that balancing effect.

But it’s not the indulgence of ice cream that can make you feel your body burning off the calories; eating heavy or fried foods in the summer, in addition to meats and bread, should be limited. Our bodies have to do work to digest these foods… It all comes down to sugar.

Whether it’s old-fashioned vanilla, mint chocolate chip or peaches crème, just remember moderation, take your time and savour the moment. Your mind and body will thank you later.