I wanted to address this subject as one of the biggest things I see is the assumption that if you are trying to achieve a specific health goal then you can't have x food. Often times this food is ice cream. But then, what happens is that food is deemed "bad" or "unhealthy" and is off limits and most people do pretty well avoiding it -- until they don't. And then enters feelings of failure, or uncontrollable cravings, or binge eating, etc. and then general healthy eating is out the door all together. But the short Answer is YES, generally you can enjoy ice cream, or any other dessert/fun food, in the context of an overall healthy eating pattern and still lose weight, gain muscle, get more energy, etc.
Long Answer: It would really depend on what your health goals are and if you react to a particular food or not. For example, if you are trying to ameliorate an autoimmune condition and you find refined sugar is highly inflammatory for you, then eliminating all refined sugar for a short period of time before reintroduction may be recommended. But, if you are trying to lose weight and have no underlying nutrition concerns, GI issues, etc., then including ice cream could absolutely be part of a healthy eating pattern.
So how do I do that?
1. Assess your hunger.
There are a couple of major factors that affect hunger and satiety. When we are
hungry, our body produces a hunger hormone called grhelin. When we begin to feel
full, that's because our body is producing our satiety hormone, leptin. Two things
help produce leptin when we eat:
The physical expansion of our stomachs
Protein
Aside from being nutritional powerhouses, this is largely why dietitians recommend including lots of fruits and vegetables in the diet. They are high in fiber and water, making them high in volume. They tend to fill us up quickly and expand the stomach, while not actually having eaten many calories. Protein takes a long time to digest and breakdown. It keeps us satiated for longer periods of time.
Ice cream, on the other hand, is not a food that will typically fill us up easily, so we may need to a lot of it in order to feel full, which could be hundreds of extra calories. Ice cream does not typically have much fiber or protein (though many low-cal ice creams do now), but it does have a lot of refined sugar, which has little impact on satiety levels. It also typically has a decent amount of fat, which usually helps with satiety, but when paired with sugar, it often overrides our satiety signals, allowing us to eat way more than we need or intend to.
That being said, if you're really hungry, don't start with ice cream. Choose a more balanced meal or snack to help fill you up. Otherwise, you may find yourself eating more ice cream than you intended because it's not making you feel full. Typically, if I choose to have ice cream, I'll have it after a meal. That way, I'm more likely to have a small amount and feel satisfied.
2. Assess physical activity
This is NOT to say that you have to "earn" your calories or punish yourself by working them off. Ice cream, however, is typically calorie dense, usually averaging around 150-250 calories per 1/2 cup serving. And there is a decent amount of added sugar, usually around 15-25 grams (that's about 4-6 teaspoons) per 1/2 cup serving.
When we exercise, we are burning additional calories. We also are using our muscles, so we are using up stored glucose. The more we move our muscles, the more insulin sensitive we become, the more likely the glucose (a.ka. sugar, carbs, etc.) we eat gets stored preferentially in our muscles. Also, the more we moved our muscles, the more we burn stored glucose, the more we need to replace that glucose. For example, an elite athlete will burn through way more glucose day to day than someone who is more sedentary. Therefore, those diets will look a lot different. This is why athletes are recommended to eat more carbohydrates than those who aren't as physically active and may feel better eating a lower carbohydrate diet.
Personally, I generally just feel better overall when I eat ice cream on a day that I was more physically active than on a day that I was sedentary, but that doesn't mean I'll never eat ice cream just because I didn't work out - it's just about assessing how I feel and how my choices will impact my goals.
3. Eat mindfully & joyfully
If you're choosing to eat ice cream, do so with joy and mindfulness. Try not to eat ice cream while being distracted (i.e. while watching TV, reading, etc.). Truly taste the texture and flavors. Choose a small amount, eat slowly, and take small bites. Let yourself enjoy it and don't feel as though you are "cheating" or being "bad." Food doesn't have morals. In fact, when/if you can, go out for ice cream! Although it's more expensive, going out for ice cream can often make enjoying this dessert into more of an experience and special occasion.
Deprivation and/or an all-or-nothing mindset does not usually do us any favors in the long run. For some, this may be the route to take, and sometimes it can be beneficial for a short period of time. But, to live everyday with the mindset of "I can't have that" can start to take a toll on the mind and body (I know, I've been there). This doesn't then mean you should go and eat ice cream everyday, but that once in a while it is okay and you are not failing or falling off the wagon, you are simply enjoying a dessert. After I adopted the mindset of "I can have anything I want" it's been much easier to just choose if I want something or not. Now, if I choose not, I don't feel deprived since I also allow myself to enjoy it when I really want it. And you know what? I find I don't actually want ice cream, or any other dessert for that matter, very often.
4. Is it helping?
Does occasionally allowing yourself ice cream help you maintain a healthy eating pattern because you don't feel deprived, and therefore more likely to give up and binge? Or do you find yourself eating it more and more? How do you feel day-to-day? Do you find you're more tired and achy when you have ice cream? Or do you actually feel happier and more energized because you are confident in your food choices?
Just because overall it is absolutely okay to enjoy occasionally, does not always mean everyone responds well to it and that you have to include it - you certainly don't if it doesn't work well for you! But can you? Sure! Continue to do what works best for you.
Conclusion: If you're choosing to eat ice cream, don't beat yourself up or feel guilty about it. Ice cream is delicious and you are allowed to enjoy it! Just do so with mindfulness and intention. Try to avoid mindless eating. Do what works best for you.
If you have questions about this topic, let me know in the comments or through email! If you need more guidance on this topic, schedule a free discovery call with me.
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