Limit your kid's ice cream to 1 scoop a week, say experts

BENGALURU: When five-year-old Aditya (name changed) started getting restless and refused to focus on daily activities, it seemed unusual to his mother Preethika (name changed). Over the past year, she recalled during her visit to the doctor, the number of chocolates and ice creams he consumed had spiked.
Sayed Mujahid Husain, a consultant paediatrician who is also popular as Dr Hifive, said he has come across several children like Aditya showing either hyperactive behaviour caused by a dopamine rush from excess sugar, or gastroenteritis issues from sugary drinks. Ice creams and cool drinks are the natural go-to options for kids, especially when they choose to play outside in the sizzling sun. Doctors cited a range of short-term and long-term damage the products could do to the development of a child, from obesity to fatty liver. "If ice cream is on the menu, it is better for kids to have not more than a 50ml scoop a week," said Dr Hifive.
Doctors also cautioned against frozen desserts masquerading as ice cream, as hydrogenated fat can harm the physical and neurological development of a child.
While some doctors believe the metabolic activities of children help them burn glucose, the extreme summer and inertia from Covid-19 make many choose a gadget indoors over sports outdoors.
Dr Sriram Bonu, consultant and head, department of paediatrics and neonatology, Specialist Hospital, said sedentary lifestyle aids the accumulation of fat, causing the enlargement of liver (called fatty liver). If the quality of ice cream is not up to the mark, children develop stomach inflammation, he added, suggesting natural alternatives such as lemon juice to keep cool, or at the most, a 50ml scoop of ice cream a fortnight.
Doctors warned parents about preservatives that are carcinogenic in ice creams. Dr Manjiri Somashekhar, lead and senior consultant, paediatric surgery, Aster CMI, said junk food consumption in general has increased in recent years. She said she is seeing three cases of appendicitis on an average a week.