Every time I try to write this article, which I had in my head for a while, I get lost in the tide of definitions, among the various articles that denounce food scams, I get nervous and abandon everything.But, alas, talking about ice cream is extremely important not only because consumption increases in the summer, but because ice cream, which you may not know, is one of the most nutritionally complete and useful foods for metabolism and in particular for our hormonal health! Do you have a low metabolism, hypothyroidism problems, do you suffer from amenorrhea, from accumulation of stress? Eat ice cream. Many nutritionists and “counter-current” researchers of the caliber of Ray Peat recommend it for those with metabolism problems. Because? Because ice cream has carbohydrates, including simple sugars, proteins and fats, it is therefore a balanced food. Among the main ingredients we find cream and milk, eggs, sugar. Simple foods, easily digestible, useful for reducing excess cortisol in the blood, and paradoxically promoting weight loss.Now I know what you will say: will you say, sugar? You pass the milk, but the cream is fat and the sugar is the devil. Well, even though I eat sugar sparingly (I currently have honey and coconut palm sugar in my pantry), I consider it absolutely necessary if you want to lose weight. Sugar, even white, is a fundamental energy resource and acts directly on stress. Stress hurts your metabolism more than a little sugar . If taken in moderation, for example with ice cream or with a slice of homemade cake in the morning, sugar can be our secret ally to push the body to get rid of excess fat. Unfortunately, in this way, it seems that ice cream is the panacea for all ills: and it could be, if we made it at home, or consumed it only in real artisan ice cream parlors, clearly after having personally made sure that these ice cream parlors do not use thickening powders or the fiordilatte preparation to customize. In fact, both are industrial products, alas, also used in ice cream parlors with their laboratory.
Let’s say you don’t want to make ice cream at home, you’re not sure about artisanal ice cream, and you want industrial ice cream.
What hidden ingredients to watch out for? Here is what the Butter Nutrition site indicates and what I have personally found by reading the various labels.
INDUSTRIAL ICE CREAM, AVOID THESE INGREDIENTS:
Natural flavors and artificial flavors:when you think of natural flavors, you automatically think of harmless things, after all it says natural! Instead, nine times out of ten it is a mix of substances of natural origin extracted and processed in the (synthetic) laboratory. However, it is better to find written natural aromas than artificial aromas or just “aromas”: these are chemical aromas that can cause digestive problems and allergies and are “fattening”.
Gums and thickeners:we also find carrageenan in cream (also fresh), puddings, creams and many confectionery products. Too bad it is very bad for your health and in particular for the liver. All gums and thickeners appear to be bad for the good bacteria in the intestinal flora. Warning: it is those good bacteria that keep us fit. From what I understand, the Italian legislation leaves the game to the imagination of the producers a little, without having to distinguish whether the thickeners are chemical.
Dyes: save those who can, it is the fair of bad chemistry, because often the wording is generic, and the dyes are not natural but artificial or natural based but processed in the laboratory.
Palm oil:it is everywhere and makes us fat. It is one of the most harmful ingredients used by the food industry, because its polyunsaturated acids slow down the metabolism. If you want to get fat, the advice is simple: season everything with palm oil or seed oil. And in no time at all, your metabolism will slow down. But be careful: I saw with my eyes the use of terms such as vegetable fats, vegetable oils, hydrogenated fats. If you read them my advice is to give up the product, move away slowly so as not to arouse suspicion, then run away.
Beware of soy lecithin , another silent killer of metabolism. You can find it in creams, cones and ice cream biscuits.
Glucose-fructose syrup: it would be better to avoid it in favor of the banal sugar.
Industrial ice cream, is there a winner?
According to Butter Nutrition , one of the best ice creams is the Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream , while others are not present in Italy. Unfortunately it is easier not to buy industrial ice cream in Italy, but a brand that I recommend as it seems to me the least “polluted” is Cremamore.