For years, people keep repeating the same old saying related to eating ice creams – “you should not eat ice cream when you have cold, as it will worsen your cold.” In fact, this is one such legendary story that has been passed over from generations to generations, without any second thoughts. There are even different versions of this particular MYTH like just having an ice cream is enough to cause cold in children.
Yes, you read it right! Ice cream makes a cold worse is simply a Myth!
But, in reality, Ice creams might help in soothing the inflammation caused due to cold, and help with your sore throat.
It all started with the link between milk and the phlegm production – just a glass of milk would thicken or produce more phlegm. And this idea has lasted for centuries, with the oldest script found in the writings of the 12th Century doctor Moses Maimonides.
In the times of Coronavirus pandemic, people are too afraid to catch cold, and have even started the belief of preventing COVID-19 by avoiding ice creams or other related frozen foods. But World Health Organization has set the record straight that there is no evidence to such claims.
What’s more is that even today more than 50% people believe in this theory, which includes even doctors. Most of these people have reported to have even experienced symptoms and un-comfortableness, after intake of milk or any other dairy products, including yogurt and ice cream.
So, is it really because of ice cream or is it something else?
Studies over the years have proved that drinking milk or having ice cream has no impact on the quantity of phlegm secretions. However, Milk being an emulsion, when mixed with saliva, leads to the sensation called flocculation, which is cluster of droplets of milk. This would give a different feel to the individual, which he/she tends to assume as phlegm, though it is not.
And when it comes to ice cream, even the flocculation does not occur, so there is no chance of a person’s cold getting worse. The belief of ice cream worsening cold started with the reason being the frozen temperature of ice cream, which would chill your body, and slow down your recovery. But, the concept of ice cream cooling down the body’s temperature is also totally wrong, as once the digestion process breaks down the ice cream, the body gets to warm up with the heat generated.
In short, there is simply NO reason to avoid ice creams if you have a cold. Being high in calorie fat content, a bowl of ice cream is sure to provide you with the required calories that you may not eat due to sore throat.
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