Emma Miller
It’s summer outside and the heat is unbearable, and the only way to escape it is to use the air conditioner, swim in the pool or river, or eat ice cream. Many people are now wondering whether it is possible to get sick from eating cold treats and whether they are dangerous to health.
According to doctors, the ice cream itself cannot lead to throat diseases, but only if a person is completely healthy, without chronic tonsillitis, for example. The cause of the disease is not the ice cream eaten or a sip of cold water drunk, but the pathogenic microflora that is already in the throat. The colonization of the mucous membrane with microorganisms contributes to soreness, inflammation, and pain.
Can you eat ice cream when you are sick?
According to the latest research, doctors have found that eating ice cream by a patient who complains of a sore throat alleviates his condition. When swallowed, the cold treat cools the tonsils, which constricts blood vessels and reduces pain.
Eating ice cream for sore throat
It is also not forbidden to eat ice cream in case of a purulent sore throat because a cold reduces inflammation and swelling. However, it is still necessary to take antibiotics as prescribed by a doctor, because it will not be possible to overcome a dangerous disease without them. Sometimes children are strongly advised to eat ice cream even after adenoid removal, as it helps to heal the wound and reduce postoperative swelling.
Some people have hypersensitivity to cold foods – in this case, a sharp headache and sore throat may occur.
It also happens that after eating ice cream, the temperature rises sharply, which means that the cold served only as a provoking factor and weakened the immune system, against which bacteria began to actively multiply on the mucous membrane. Additional symptoms of the disease may also appear:
- swollen lymph nodes
- cough and sore throat
- pustules on the mucous membrane
An increase in body temperature to 38.5 °C indicates the progression of the disease. In this case, you need to drink plenty of fluids to reduce intoxication and consult a doctor who will prescribe the right treatment. Gargling and moisturizing the mucous membrane will help relieve pain.
How not to get sick after ice cream
First of all, you should monitor the temperature difference, because if you enter an air-conditioned room in the heat and drink water from the refrigerator in a gulp and eat it with fruit ice, a cold is almost guaranteed. The more packs of ice cream a person eats, the higher the chance of getting a sore throat, especially if the patient has a history of chronic tonsillitis.
It is acceptable to eat no more than one serving of ice cream per day (about 150 g). It is also important to remember that this is a very high-calorie product that contributes to rapid weight gain.
Doctors recommend drinking cold drinks slowly, in small sips, because ice water is stressful for the mucous membranes, to which the body can easily react with an inflammatory process.
