Experts Say, Eating Ice Cream for Breakfast Is Good For You...Maybe Kids Activities Blog

Growing up your parents probably told you dessert came after your main meal but you might want to rethink that strategy now if you’re a parent because Experts Say, Eating Ice Cream for Breakfast Is Good For You so grab a spoon and let’s start digging up some ice cream!

This article has been updated since the original publication in summer 2019 due to new insight on study and how it has been covered online. As a lover of science it was important for us to update the new details (Holly Homer).

Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast?

According to translation from The Telegraph, a study by Yoshihiko Koga, a professor at Kyorin Univeristy in Tokyo, found that eating ice cream in the morning makes you more mentally alert.

Telegraph Reports Results on Study

According to the Telegraph story, subjects were told to eat ice cream upon first awakening, and then had their mental acuity tested by performing tasks on a computer.

Report of Study Said Eating Ice Cream Created Better Performance

Those who had eaten ice cream performed better and had faster reaction times, researchers found.

They tested whether ice cream shocks people into alertness just because it’s cold by repeating the experiment with cold water. The cold water subjects did also demonstrate improved mental performance, but not as much as those who’d eaten ice cream.

Report of Study Explains Possible Reasons

So, could it be a combination of sugar and the coldness? Or, is it really that ice cream has magical benefits?

It actually might just be the reduced level of stress one feels when they eat ice cream. I mean, have you ever seen a person be upset while eating ice cream? Emotional maybe but not overly angry.

Professor Koga is a specialist in psychophysiology, and his studies look into links between certain types of food and reduced stress. He also studies the connection between different foods and their impact on the aging process.

While he hasn’t nailed down exactly what makes someone happier, believes that ice cream is a treat that triggers positive emotions and added energy. Um, duh that totally makes sense!

And he isn’t the only expert that has come to this conclusion.

Another Study Agrees that Ice Cream Makes You Happy

In 2005, neuroscientists at the Institute of Psychiatry in London scanned the brains of test subjects as they ate vanilla ice cream and saw immediate results…

The study found that eating ice cream activated the same “pleasure spots” of the brain that are lit up by winning money, or listening to a favorite piece of music.

“This is the first time that we’ve been able to show that ice cream makes you happy,”
–Unilever spokesman Don Darling

So, while eating ice cream every morning probably isn’t good for you, eating it for breakfast time to time won’t hurt and it can bring some positive benefits.

But Wait…Where is the Research?

There was a huge buzz online when this report first came out. We admit that we jumped on board because who doesn’t want this to be true?!

But in looking for the original source to cite here at Kids Activities Blog it became apparent that the English version is not available readily. In fact, there have been several reputable articles that call into question the original report’s summary.

It’s hard to argue too much with The Telegraph’s approach to reporting the study. Though the report doesn’t directly link to the source material or mention the study’s partnership with the mysterious sweets company, the reporters do seem to have at least read the paper, and they identify some of the key criticisms.
–Insider

I bolded the statement “or mention the study’s partnership with the mysterious sweets company” because the other study we mentioned in this article was also sponsored by a sweets company. I couldn’t find any source that said it was the same one, but the 2005 ice cream makes you happy study…

The research was carried out by Unilever, using ice cream made by Walls, which it owns.
–The Guardian

Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Because You Want To

OK, so I am a tiny bit suspicious of ice cream manufacturers sponsoring the only two scientific studies that say ice cream is healthy. But my love for ice cream is strong.

In doing all this research into these ice cream studies it occurred to me that we are adults. We don’t need permission! And if ice cream for breakfast makes YOU happy, then you do you.

And I know that one of the biggest treats at my house is favorite foods at unexpected times like waffles for dinner. Ice cream for breakfast would make me a hero that day!