15/12/2023
Ice cream for breakfast - depression or perk of being an adult? 🍦
Did you know that Ice Cream for Breakfast Day is actually a holiday celebrated on the first Saturday in February when some people purposely eat ice cream for breakfast? It is only one day. But what about the other 364 days of the year? Let’s find out 😉
There is a famous Twitter comment stating that the times you had an ice-cream for breakfast weren’t the happiest (https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fzd7gpnyiyjx81.jpg). Well, at least part of that is true.
The brain just loves glucose. Glucose fuels the cells that make up our body — including brain cells (neurons). We know we shouldn’t be eating too much cookies, ice cream or drinking sugary sodas, but for some reasons it is so hard to resist. It’s as if our brain is hardwired to want these foods. Especially, during the depressive episodes.
When we eat sweets the brain’s reward system gets activated. Dopamine (also known as the “feel-good” hormone) is a brain neurohormone released by neurons which signals that we got our treat. Low levels of dopamine have been linked to depression. Consuming sugar triggers the release of the dopamine what makes us happier. That’s why we keep wanting more and more of sugar. This is similar to the way our brain reacts to the intake of he**in and co***ne. The higher the dopamine release, the more addictive the thing. Over time, regular sugar consumption actually changes the gene expression what requires more dopamine and, subsequently, more sugar.
But, there is another side of the coin. Of course, I am talking about comfort food 😌 Sometimes that is the only thing which keeps us going. Our body just knows that having ice cream for breakfast will help us in the worst of times.
The study, published by professor Yoshihiko Koga, compared participant’s brain activity in people who had been given ice cream immediately after waking up with those who had not eaten ice cream. They found that people who had ice cream for breakfast showed better reaction time and were able to process information better than those who did not have the ice cream.
And finally, tell me, what ice cream is made of? That’s heavy cream, milk, sugar and, sometimes, eggs, chocolate, or fruits - just regular products. Products, you’re probably having for breakfast.
Ice cream for breakfast won’t make you crazy. So go ahead and start the day the way you want!:)
