Ice Cream Diet: How does it work and is it good for you?

Can a 99 Flake be the key to a healthy lifestyle?

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When you think of ice cream, do you picture yourself enjoying a white Magnum on the beach on a hot, summer’s day? (We do).

As delightful as ice cream can be, chances are you never considered the dairy delicacy as a component of a healthy eating diet.

Believe it or not, there is a diet out there called the “Ice Cream Diet”, which supposedly has the potential to help you lose weight, reduce your PMS symptoms, reduce your risk of developing colon cancer and lower your blood pressure.

So, is it legit or is it too good to be true?

The "Ice Cream Diet” was first coined in a book of the same name by Holly McCord back in 2002.

McCord is a registered dietician and former nutrition editor of Prevention magazine.

In the book, McCord encourages people to eat a portion of ice cream every day as part of the diet, as long as they simultaneously follow a healthy eating regime.

To be exact, McCord advises consuming 1,250 calories a day in addition to a portion of ice cream for a final sum of 1,500 calories.

In December last year, Public Health England revealed new guidelines that state Britons should aim for a calorie intake of 1,800 a day, as opposed to the previously recommended amounts of 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 for men.

If you’re burning more calories than you’re taking in, then the likelihood is that you will lose weight.

However, is following a fad diet like the "Ice Cream Diet" a wise choice?

McCord believes that including ice cream in your diet will make you feel less deprived when you’re eating smaller amounts than usual, in addition to the frozen dessert being high in calcium.

While ice cream may be considered a guilty pleasure in general, studies have shown that there are proven benefits to eating it on a regular basis.

In 2016, a study conducted by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School concluded that increased consumption of dairy products could help middle-aged and elderly women maintain a healthy weight.

On top of that, a 2005 study by the Centre of Neuroimaging Sciences at the Institute of Psychiatry in London found that consuming ice cream can make you happy, as it lights up the brain’s pleasure zones.

However, despite the apparent pros associated with savouring a Solero every now and then, following a fad diet can have potentially damaging consequences.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre has warned that attempting to religiously follow a fad diet can cause poor long-term weight control, increase your risk of developing chronic diseases and diminish your athletic ability.

The most important thing is to follow a balanced and nutritious diet, which involves eating healthily while also allowing yourself to enjoy treats when you feel like it, no strings attached.