Odd that for a weight loss blog my first entry would be about a former love: ice cream. I say "former love" not because I've lost the taste for it, but rather because it's proven to be detrimental to my health. Obviously everyone knows that ice cream is loaded with fat, sugar and cholesterol--a lethal mix in and of itself--but most are unaware of the connection that exists between ice cream and the onset of sinus infections/flu-like symptoms.
Up until last year I was able to eat ice cream in mass quantities without getting sick. During our college years, my sister and I would often make ice cream runs to Walgreen's or Dave & Andy's (the BEST ice cream in Pittsburgh) and down a quart (each) of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough or Reeses' Peanut Butter Cup in one sitting. However, one night in February 2008 would forever change my relationship with ice cream. Right before bed I had polished off a pint of Reeses'. The next thing I knew I was sitting upright in my bed at 2am in a pool of sweat (yet freezing) gasping for air. It felt like someone was standing on my chest and every time I inhaled I felt a sharp pain in my lungs. I seriously thought I was going to die. Prior to this I had suffered acid reflux episodes where I would be awakened at night, but nothing this severe. By the next morning, my lungs had become so inflamed that I began coughing up bloody mucus, at which point I went straight to the walk-in clinic around the corner from my apartment (no health insurance at the time). What I thought was a terminal illness of some sort ended up being just a "bad respiratory infection", for which I was prescribed an antibiotic and reassured that I'd be back to normal within a few days. Little did I know it would take over a month for me to finally start feeling better.
After suffering several similar episodes following that nightmare of an ordeal, I finally made the connection between eating ice cream and getting sick. For a long time I was convinced that I had developed a milk allergy; however, after recently being tested for allergies, I learned that milk has no negative effect on me.
Up until last weekend, more than nine months had passed since I experienced those symptoms. While I hadn't eliminated dairy completely, I made sure to avoid ice cream like the plague. However, with all the heat this past weekend, I found myself craving a McFlurry from McDonald's. I figured I'd be fine, seeing that their ice cream is technically frozen yogurt. Big mistake. Shortly after indulging in my Reeses' McFlurry I began to feel the same shortness of breath, body aches and chills that I experienced that night in February and subsequently every time I've had any form of ice cream. Coincidence? I think not.
This morning I found an article linking ice cream to sinus infections and flu-like symptoms. One would think that milk would be the culprit here, yet according to the author, it's due to the seemingly endless list of artificial flavors and preservatives found in your typical tub of ice cream, namely the term "natural flavors", which is code for "too many chemicals to list on this label". The author cites Ben & Jerry's, Baskin Robbins, Dairy Queen and Wendy's as having a high content of artificial/hazardous ingredients; however, I question why I was able to eat ice cream from these places in the past without getting sick. Could it be that they've altered their ingredients and have begun to use more harmful ones? Or is it just that my now almost thirty-year-old-body can no longer digest ice cream?
Either way, the article definitely confirmed my suspicion that a link indeed exists between eating ice cream and feeling ill. Add to that all of the well-known negative health effects of ice cream, and you've got more than enough reasons to leave it alone--or at least make your own using organic dairy or non-dairy ingredients.
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