Children should eat cool snacks to cool off the heat wisely, eat "cold" instead of "ice"! On a hot day with the sun high in the sky, no one can resist the temptation of refreshing ice cream! But "eating ice is harmful to health"? If it’s not good for adults to eat ice, let alone young children? Nutritionists suggest that eating "cold" food is worse than eating ice. As long as parents know how to help their children, grasp the right timing, and choose beneficial ingredients, cold food can also be eaten to relieve the heat and be healthy! Eating "ice" can relieve the heat and has many disadvantages!

Taipei City Postal Hospital nutritionist Huang Shuhui said that the purpose of eating ice is to relieve heat and relieve heat. Although the cold popsicles and ice water will immediately cause a cooling sensation all over the body, but At the same time, the blood vessels will shrink immediately when they are cold, so the blood circulation begins to slow down. As a result, it is difficult for the heat energy to be dissipated! The correct way to quickly discharge heat from the body is to perspire a lot or accelerate blood circulation. This is why some people feel that their bodies will become hotter after eating ice cream.

In addition, nutritionist Huang Shuhui reminds children that eating ice has the following four adverse effects:

*** Trachea, coughing and asthma will follow

Because The esophagus is very close to the trachea. When cold food or drinks with very low temperature enter the esophagus, the trachea will contract rapidly due to stimulation. This will be more obvious especially for children with allergies. For example, after eating After cooling the product, it will cause coughing and even asthma.

Slow gastrointestinal motility affects appetite for dinner

As mentioned before, eating too much ice will worsen the circulation in the body. At this time, the gastrointestinal tract will The peristalsis function will also decrease, making digestion and absorption take longer. Especially if a young child is allowed to eat ice cream just before the main meal, it will easily affect his appetite.

Sugar, fat and pigments... are a heavy burden on the body!

Generally, the sugar and fat content of commercially available ice products, such as ice cream, ice cream, milkshakes, smoothies, etc., are often quite alarming. Just one piece of ice cream usually has about 150 calories, which is equivalent to It is more than half a bowl of rice. At the same time, in order to increase the color and aroma to attract people, there may be a lot of spices, pigments and other additives. Therefore, if children often eat such commercially available ice products, they will not only easily exceed the caloric limit, but also may eat into many artificial chemicals that tax their bodies.

If you are not careful, it is easy to get a bad stomach. Young children should eat cool snacks to relieve summer heat. Eat "cold" instead of "ice"! Make homemade "cooling products" instead of commercially available ice products

"Although it is not recommended for young children to eat iced products, proper cooling products are not harmful. The difference between the two lies in the temperature." Nutritionist Huang Shuhui explained, and Foods with a larger body temperature difference are naturally more harmful to the body. Ice products usually refer to foods or frozen drinks stored in freezers at around zero, such as popsicles, ice cream, ice cream, etc. Smoothies and milkshakes all fall within its scope. In comparison, although the temperature of cold drinks is not that low, it is not too hot for children whose body temperature is higher than that of adults, and it is enough to cool them down. purpose.

There are many choices of cool snacks. Of course, the most safe and healthy thing is to recommend homemade cool drinks, which can take into account nutrition and hygiene. The following are recommended options for homemade cool drinks according to the different needs of children:

Purpose 1: Replenish water

Cooling DIY: lemonade, perfumed perfume

The most direct way to replenish water is to drink more water, but if children don’t like it, there is no taste For boiled water, parents can add lemon slices or passion fruit to the water, which can help children like to drink water and increase the intake of vitamin C.

Purpose 2: Clear away heat, diuresis and make you feel full

Cooling DIY: high-water fruits such as watermelon, lotus root, dragon fruit; cooling whole grains such as mung beans and barley

In summer, there are many seasonal fruits with high water content, which have the effect of clearing away heat and diluting water, such as watermelon, lotus root, dragon fruit, or choose ingredients with cooler properties, such as mung beans and barley, which are nutritious and healthy Whole grains can not only achieve the purpose of relieving heat in the body, but also are a good choice to replace commercially available snacks.

Goal 3: High fiber and low calorie

Cooling DIY: Aiyu, grass jelly, coral grass, mountain powder balls

Children who are overweight, Parents always have to worry about calorie control. You might as well choose aiyu, grass jelly, coral grass, and mountain powder balls with lower calories. The characteristics of these ingredients are that they have high soluble fiber and can absorb a lot of water. They taste better. It's also very smooth. Children will love it if you add some natural seasonings such as lemon, honey, brown sugar or winter melon juice.

Objective 4: Maintain electrolyte balance

Cool DIY: vegetable juice

If children sweat a lot in summer, it will cause loss of potassium, sodium, calcium, With the loss of magnesium and other minerals, drinking water at this time will dilute the electrolytes in the body, and children will also appear particularly tired. Through fruit juices made from seasonal fruits and vegetables, you can absorb rich vitamins, minerals and Sugar is more nutritious and less burdensome than using sports drinks as a supplement. It is recommended to pair less flavorful vegetables with sweeter fruits, such as celery, cucumbers, dragon fruit, apples, pineapples, and berries, so that children can easily accept them. Young children should eat cool snacks smartly, eat "cold" instead of "ice"! 5 Tips for Healthy Eating Cold Foods

1. Avoid eating on an empty stomach

Eating any food that is too spicy on an empty stomach can easily cause gastrointestinal discomfort, so if you are young, If a child drinks a large amount of ice water or eats cold-temperature ice products on an empty stomach, he or she is likely to suffer from stomachaches later.

2. It is not suitable to eat if you are sweating

Toddlers who have just returned from outdoor activities usually have red faces and sweat. At this time, they should not rush to eat from the refrigerator. Give them ice cream to eat, otherwise the blood vessels will suddenly constrict, which can easily lead to headaches, sore throats, coughs, abdominal pain, diarrhea and other symptoms in children. Instead, you should give them a glass of cold water or lemonade to rehydrate them first, and wait until the body cools down. When the speed slows down, eat cold drinks again, so as not to cause too much damage to the body.

3. Do not eat immediately after a meal

If you eat ice cream immediately after a meal, your gastrointestinal tract will be exposed to heat and cold in a short period of time, which can easily cause digestion. This undesirable phenomenon will also affect the absorption. Therefore, it is recommended to wait at least an hour after eating a full meal so as not to put a burden on the body.

4. It’s just right to eat cold snacks in the afternoon

From 1 pm to 3 pm is when the body temperature is the highest and heatstroke is most likely to occur. You might as well use this time to give your child some cold snacks. It is also the most appropriate time to drink it to cool down and relieve heat.

5. Taste carefully and swallow slowly

When children are eating cold snacks, parents should remind them not to swallow them in big mouths or swallows, but to drink them first. Put it in your mouth and then swallow it. Taste the dessert carefully and swallow it slowly. Not only can you prolong the cooling feeling, but the temperature in your mouth can also warm the cold food slightly, reducing gastrointestinal discomfort caused by low temperature. probability of occurrence.

Huang Shuhui

Current position: Nutritionist, Taipei Postal Hospital

Education: PhD, National Niigata University, Japan

Experience: Taipei City, Taian Hospital nutritionist, Tainan County Jianan College of Pharmacy (now Jianan College of Pharmacy) Lecturer in Food Hygiene Department, Nutrition Consultant in Weight Loss Class at Xinjiaodian Sports Center, Lecturer in Traditional Chinese Medicine Nutrition Course at Taipei Medical University, Lecturer in Health Nutrition at Songshan District University for the Elderly , Director of Cancer Care Foundation