Ice cream – benefits and harm for teeth

Ice cream is the favorite dessert of most children and adults. When prepared according to the classic recipe, its composition contains milk or cream (fat content of at least 10%), sugar, and egg yolks. But manufacturers, expanding their range, use additives to make the taste of the dessert richer and more varied. They add vanilla, caramel, condensed milk, nuts, fruit jams, cocoa or chocolate, candied fruits, fruits and berries to it. It is sold in wafer or paper cups, in chocolate glaze.

Why is ice cream harmful?

In the Soviet Union, ice cream was made according to GOST standards, using natural products. Now some manufacturers, in order to reduce costs, replace cow’s milk completely or partially with palm oil. To improve the taste and increase shelf life, various preservatives, flavors, stabilizers, thickeners and other additives are added, some of which are harmful to the body. You need to carefully study the composition on the packaging and not buy products whose safety is questionable.

Ice cream can contain up to 20% fat. People who are prone to obesity or are overweight should limit their consumption due to its high calorie content. The fast carbohydrates it contains help satisfy your hunger. In terms of calorie content, a serving of ice cream corresponds to a dietary lunch. But the feeling of fullness goes away after 30-50 minutes.

High sugar content activates the proliferation of various microorganisms in the mouth. As a result of their vital activity, acid is released. When it gets on the teeth, it eats away the enamel, which causes caries.

Some people believe that cold dairy products can cause a sore throat. Scientific research does not confirm this. If you eat 1-2 servings of popsicle or ice cream, your throat will not be hurt. But eating cold dessert is bad for tooth enamel. It is destroyed by temperature changes. It is especially dangerous to eat cold ice cream with hot coffee or tea.

Types of ice cream

There are two types of ice cream available: classic hardened and soft. When producing classic varieties, dairy raw materials are cooled to -18°C, while soft ones do not require deep freezing; their temperature is 4-6°C.

Ice cream is differentiated depending on the content of fat, sugar, and the addition of other ingredients. The fattest, high-calorie variety is ice cream. Its fat content is 12-20%. Less fatty varieties: creamy popsicle (8-11.5% fat), milk popsicle (0.5-7.5% fat). If you want a low-fat variety, choose popsicles. Along with ice cream, fruit ice is also sold in similar packaging on wooden sticks. It does not contain milk fat or palm oil. But it can have a fairly high calorie content due to the large amount of sugar in the composition. Check out its composition. It can be made from natural fruit juice, fruit puree or water with sugar, flavorings, flavorings and dyes.

Composition and calorie content

The manufacturer is required to indicate the composition of food products on the packaging. Choose varieties made from natural milk or cream, without added palm oil. Check to see if it contains any dangerous food additives. They are designated by the letter E with a digital index. Some of them do not affect the health of the body, but others can provoke the development of various diseases. The calorie content of 100 g of the product must also be indicated on the packaging. There are more calories in ice cream and popsicles than in dairy varieties.

Various additives also affect taste and calorie content. When buying a chocolate-covered ice cream, you will get significantly more calories than a portion of the same weight in a waffle cup. Nuts, fruit fillings, caramel, condensed milk, and chocolate chips increase the calorie content of the dessert.

But ice cream made with natural milk contains not only sugar and empty calories, but also useful substances:

• vitamins A, B1, B2, C, E, PP;
• calcium;
• sodium;
• iron;
• potassium;
• magnesium;
• phosphorus;
• Omega-3 fatty acids.

The percentage of nutrients in cold milk dessert is quite high. It is enough to eat one serving to get 9% of the daily value of vitamin B2 and 11% of the daily value of calcium.

Benefit

When eating ice cream, the body activates the production of the joy hormone – serotonin. A small glass of sweet milk dessert will lift your mood and reduce anxiety and irritability.

If you slowly eat cold ice cream, it gives a slight vasoconstrictor effect, reduces pain in the muscles after intense training, heavy physical work, and reduces the risk of nosebleeds. If a child falls, breaks his knee or nose, you can give him this healthy treat to calm him down and reduce pain. It can also be offered two hours after tooth extraction. Ice cream will help relieve stress, reduce pain and swelling.

Children and adults who do not like milk, yoghurt, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, or cheese should periodically eat ice cream to enrich their diet with calcium and other vitamins and microelements contained in dairy products.

Unlike cakes and other desserts with cream, ice cream contains a lot of liquid. It cools the body well in the heat (but you need to eat it slowly) and replenishes the body’s loss of moisture.

Harmful properties

When eating ice cream, remember that it has harmful properties, you should eat it in moderation, and in case of some diseases it is better to avoid this dessert:

• high calorie content – not only ice cream and popsicles contain a lot of calories, but also dairy varieties with fruit fillings, chocolate icing, caramel, condensed milk, nuts;
• contains a lot of sugar – it is not recommended for people with diabetes; it can cause digestive upset in people suffering from colitis and gastrointestinal diseases;
• a significant fat content increases the load on the liver;
• its vasoconstrictive properties can cause headaches in people with weak blood vessels and life-threatening complications in severe lesions of the cardiovascular system (atherosclerosis, pre-infarction).

Frequent consumption of sweets increases the risk of destruction of tooth enamel and the development of caries. Sweet foods are especially dangerous for children (their enamel is thinner than that of adults), for pregnant women and during menopause, when hormonal levels change, the absorption of calcium worsens and its consumption increases.

Another danger of eating ice cream or popsicle is unscrupulous manufacturers who replace milk or cream with palm oil. It is a carcinogen, causes disturbances in the functioning of the liver and stomach, and is poorly excreted from the body.

Is it possible to give ice cream to children?

Children over two years old can be given ice cream. But when choosing products for your child, carefully study their composition. Do not buy sweets that contain palm oil, dangerous food additives, a long shelf life, unnaturally bright colors or a strong chemical aroma. Check to see if your popsicle contains ingredients that may cause allergic reactions. If your child is prone to obesity, be sure to take into account the number of calories in dessert when calculating the daily calorie intake.

If a child often suffers from sore throat or other colds, do not forbid him to eat cold dairy products. They help strengthen the child’s body. There is no need to heat them in a microwave oven or in a steam bath before use. Let it melt a little at room temperature and make sure your child eats it slowly.

If you eat sweets often, tooth decay may develop. Tell your child why ice cream is dangerous for teeth. After eating sweets, you need to rinse your mouth with clean water, and in the evening, thoroughly brush your teeth. As recommended by your dentist, you can use mouth rinses to reduce the number of harmful microorganisms. And the calcium contained in the ice cream strengthens tooth enamel, bones, and nails.

Conclusion

The benefits and harms of eating ice cream depend on the quality of the product, how much and how often you eat it. With diabetes, colitis, atherosclerosis and some other diseases, even a small portion can be not just harmful, but life-threatening. Ice cream or popsicle is also dangerous for people diagnosed with lactose intolerance. But they can cool the body in the heat with fruit ice.

But for healthy people, consuming 1-2 servings 2-3 times a week is safe and healthy. Do not overindulge in cold desserts to avoid gaining excess weight. Be careful in the heat. Due to the large temperature difference, short-term acute toothache occurs. Do not bite off the filling in large pieces, do not wash it down with hot coffee or tea, brush your teeth with a toothpaste with low abrasiveness and a high fluoride content.