Refreshing, ice creams are welcome when it’s hot. Is it a problem to eat it every day? What impact on health? Dietitian-nutritionist Matthias Vidal gives us his best advice for making the right choices and enjoying them healthily.
In summer, the temptation to eat ice cream every day is great. Of course, ice cream is high in calories, but “food must above all remain a source of pleasure”immediately recalls Matthias Vidal, dietician-nutritionist and co-founder of Maju-Nutrition. However, not all ice creams are equal. We must therefore distinguish ice creams, often rich in fat and sugar but more protein, from sorbets, composed of fruit and water, much less fatty but sometimes just as sweet. “Let’s say that ice creams, although delicious, must remain a little more occasional than sorbets”specifies the dietitian.
Beyond the recipe, it is the balance of the meals that dictates the impact of ice cream on the body. Treating yourself to ice cream is not a problem if the rest of the day is made up of light meals, rich in vegetables and lean proteins (like a nice mixed salad), thus allowing you not to exceed your daily calorie quota. “Two scoops of ice cream are between 60 (sorbet) and 140 calories (ice cream), a Magnum type stick is 250 calories, this fits easily into a day if you have eaten a balanced diet otherwise.“.
So, can you really break down every day and what are the health risks? Excess sugar and saturated fats over the long term put you at risk of weight gain or metabolic disorders. Moderation remains essential. While it is completely understandable that we would like to increase our ice cream consumption to cool off during heatwaves, Matthias Vidal recommends not necessarily eating it every day, but rather “3 to 4 times a week if you feel like it“. This allows you to maintain control without falling into automatic excess sugar, while preserving pleasure.
Matthias Vidal advises consuming your ice cream at the end of a meal rather than isolated at snack time: “As a dessert, it benefits from the fibers and proteins of the meal, which helps smooth blood sugar levels and avoid the famous spike in blood sugar, responsible for fatigue and cravings.“, he explains.
To best combine freshness and health without guilt, several alternatives exist. The ideal is to opt for “full fruit” sorbets without added sugar, or frozen yogurts garnished with fresh fruit or crushed pistachios for crunch. Finally, if you want a more delicious ice cream, the queen of solutions remains good quality ice cream such as artisanal ice creams or homemade ice creams to control the quantity of sugar you put in it.
