You may be surprised to learn that a Japanese\u00a0website\u00a0says ice cream is the perfect morning jolt. The study, conducted by professor Yoshihiko Koga of Kyorin University, says eating ice cream can improve alertness and mental performance.In the study, Koga compared the brain activity of participants who had ice cream right after waking up with those who did not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Participants who had ice cream had faster reaction times and less mental irritation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before you start replacing your Cheerio\u2019s with Ben & Jerry\u2019s, consider the fact how this Japanese study went viral on English-language media.The Japanese website that originally popularized the study mentioned the it was supported by a sweets company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Worse, the Japanese website does not link directly to the study itself, making it impossible to fact check.Homemade ice cream is made from egg yolks, sugar, whole milk, and heavy cream. Conventional ice cream, like Ben & Jerry\u2019s, has other such ingredients as soybean oil, corn syrup, and pectin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One serving of Ben & Jerry\u2019s contains 260 calories, 23 grams of sugar, and 14 grams of fat. That\u2019s hardly the picture of health. In comparison, a serving of Cheerio\u2019s with whole milk has the same amount of calories, but only 1 gram of sugar and 2 grams of fat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Cheerio\u2019s isn\u2019t the most nutritious breakfast option, if you like a bowl of dairy for breakfast, a low sugar cereal with organic milk is a whole lot better than ice cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to\u00a0Harvard Medical School, a diet high in sugar increases the risk of heart disease. You may think this is only true of people who are overweight, but in fact, sugar is equally as dangerous for people of a healthy weight.The American Heart Association recommends women consume less than 100 calories of sugar per day and men consume less than 150.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Considering there are 4 calories in 1 gram of sugar, a single serving of ice cream contains nearly 100 percent the recommended total amount of sugar. Clearly, ice cream for breakfast is a less than ideal choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n