Did you know July is National Ice Cream Month?  And rightfully so; summertime and ice cream go hand in hand.

You may have heard that ice cream is a way to get calcium in your diet, but it’s also a way to get excess calories, fat, and added sugar in your diet, too.  So while enjoying ice cream from time to time won’t have negative impacts on your long term health, indulging in it regularly as part of your daily eating pattern can.  The amount of calcium you get is not enough to offset the ultra processing it goes through, making it an empty-calorie (low nutritional value) food.

Additionally, there are other ways to get calcium in your diet that doesn’t come with all the fat and sugar (or any dairy at all), such as:

• Leafy greens like kale, bok choy, collard greens and turnip greens
• Broccoli
• Canned seafood such as tuna, sardines, and salmon
• Tofu
• White beans
• Oranges or fortified orange juice
• Calcium-fortified cereal

Of course, you want to get enough Vitamin D, too.  Without it, only about 10-15 percent of calcium gets absorbed.  However, it is not found naturally in many food, and so fortified foods (such as milk and cereal), supplements, and sunlight are other ways to get Vitamin D.

Back to dessert: what about frozen yogurt?  It is made from cultured milk, as opposed to cream, so while it has less fat content, it has more sugar to make up for it.  As for other frozen treats, such as sorbet, sherbet, and gelato, you’re still going to find high amounts of sugar and/or fat.

So yes, while ice cream can contribute to your total calcium intake, it’s not something that you should consume regularly when there are other nutrient-dense options that give you more than just calcium (and spares you the empty calories).  The age-old rule applies: enjoy it (and any dessert) in moderation to live a balanced life.

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