Let’s find out ‘Does Ice Cream Raise Cholesterol Levels?’ High cholesterol is not caused by a single food. It depends on how frequently and how much you consume particular meals, as well as how they fit into your overall diet plan.
However, ice cream, which is frequently heavy in sugar and saturated fat, may cause an increase in triglycerides, a form of fat that can clog your arteries, as well as low-density lipoprotein, also known as “bad” cholesterol.
Ice cream calories can also contribute to weight gain, which is a risk factor for high cholesterol.
Ice Cream and Heart Health
A diet that is heart-friendly restricts sugar, trans fat, and saturated fat. Based on a 2,000-calorie diet, the American Heart Association (AHA) advises limiting saturated fat to 16 grams per day, trans fat to 2 grams, and added sugars to 5 to 10% of your daily intake, or around 100 to 200 calories. Your daily fat consumption should not be heavily influenced by ice cream.
Sugar
If you still want to eat animal products and indulge in ice cream, pick low-fat flavors. Limit your intake; use a 1/2 cup rather than a cup. For instance, a 1/2 cup serving of light vanilla ice cream has 2.2 grams of saturated fat.
A cholesterol-lowering diet can easily accommodate light vanilla ice cream. But be aware of how many calories are from sugar in meals like ice cream. 17 grams of sugar are in a half cup of light vanilla ice cream. This totals 66 calories.
It would add 132 calories from added sugar to your diet if you consumed an entire cup of vanilla ice cream.
Saturated Fat
According to AHA recommendations, one cup of rich chocolate ice cream has 15.36 grams of saturated fat or about a full day’s worth. You would need to abstain from the majority of other sources of saturated fat for the whole day in order to consume 1 cup of rich chocolate ice cream without increasing your LDL cholesterol. These sources include meat, cheese, milk, and other animal products.
If you ate whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds along with other plant-based foods throughout the day, you could consume chocolate ice cream without seeing an increase in cholesterol.
A few vegetables, like coconut, have large levels of saturated fat; therefore, on days when you’re consuming ice cream, limit your intake of these foods.
Considerations
Make ice cream an infrequent indulgence rather than a regular part of your diet because it can develop cholesterol issues. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, low-fat dairy, and lean protein are the best sources of nutrients.
Your cholesterol levels can also be raised by making lifestyle modifications. According to a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute report, losing just 5 to 10 pounds can aid in lowering LDL cholesterol. According to the AHA, moderate exercise for 30 minutes most days of the week can reduce triglycerides by 20 to 30%.
