Eating Ice Cubes

[richjthorpe]

Is it bad for you ? I think I can remember someone saying that eating too many gave you stomach ache but I can't be sure.

My 18 month old daughter has got a taste for them, should we tell her no ?

Richie.

[mh123]

I love eating ice-cubes BUT I have a feeling that some might advise avoiding extremely hot/cold food items on the basis that they cause tiny cracks in tooth enamel which eventually turn nastier.

[Nobber22]

It's just (very) cold water. As long as she isn't cracking them with her teeth and possibly damaging them, I can't see the problem.....

If the ice is in a glass of soft-drink, then that's another story altogether!

[mjn]

Yeah, the crunching is not good for the enamel on the teeth.

[krish]

I'm not a parent and do not condone cruelty....
but have anyone's littluns tried a spoonful of English mustard, or raw chillies?
- if so what was the reaction?

I would get a headache eating something very cold like ice cubes, so I would imagine it may not be an ideal habit for a toddler

[mrtbag]

Originally Posted by krish72

I'm not a parent and do not condone cruelty....
but have anyone's littluns tried a spoonful of English mustard, or raw chillies?
- if so what was the reaction?

Nothing that extreme, but our 14 month old girl likes spring onions.

[PmSonic]

The recent BBC series, Planet Earth mentioned something about the Bactrian camels eating snow as a source of water. Apparently they know not to eat too much to quickly as it would kill them... Dunno why?? but if that's what Richard Attinburgh said about camels, i'd worry about eating too many ice cubes


http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pre..._deserts.shtml

[WillBowling]

since tooth enamel is nearly as hard as diamond i shouldnt worry about crunching ice! my aunt has always had an on/off thing about eating ice and she (at 39) was asked by her dentist if he could use a mould of her teeth for demonstration as they are so perfectly uniform and defect free! ask your dentist if your not sure but im sure the biggest worry is to do with too cold ice cubes causing burns etc, or brain freeze (you know, when you drink/eat something really cold and you get that tense feeling in your head like your brain is freezing, that feels really wierd ).

[Duncan G]

Originally Posted by richjthorpe

Is it bad for you ? I think I can remember someone saying that eating too many gave you stomach ache but I can't be sure.

My 18 month old daughter has got a taste for them, should we tell her no ?

Richie.

Just cut down on the gin and increase the Tonic water.

[WillBowling]

Originally Posted by pshand

The recent BBC series, Planet Earth mentioned something about the Bactrian camels eating snow as a source of water. Apparently they know not to eat too much to quickly as it would kill them... Dunno why?? but if that's what Richard Attinburgh said about camels, i'd worry about eating too many ice cubes


http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pre..._deserts.shtml

do you not think that was more to do with being in a very cold environment and eating snow? i think hypothermia is more dangerous than the terrible brain freeze (see last post) that will make your brain turn into a slush puppy and run out your nose! (i may have made up the last bit, effects are not guaranteed, please do not try this at home...).

[PmSonic]

Maybe, but brain freeze sure does nip!

[Knyght_byte]

Originally Posted by krish72

I'm not a parent and do not condone cruelty....
but have anyone's littluns tried a spoonful of English mustard, or raw chillies?
- if so what was the reaction?

I would get a headache eating something very cold like ice cubes, so I would imagine it may not be an ideal habit for a toddler

not with kids, but my cat likes mustard on ham, mango chutney and he loves chicken korma, altho doesnt mind a bit of lamb rogan josh from time to time...heh total nutter

as for the ice cubes, i used to love ice, slush puppie freak here, whereas most people sucked out the juice, i used to spoon out the ice...lol

[mjn]

Originally Posted by Knyght_byte

but my cat likes mustard on ham, mango chutney and he loves chicken korma, altho doesnt mind a bit of lamb rogan josh from time to time...heh total nutter

One of my cats eats the following:

yoghurt
protein shake
mousse
curry
beer
chocolate

[colinwheeler]

You guys may be a bit confused about your pets here.

I will give you a hint. The image below is NOT a cat!

[Astaroth]

The main concern is the temperature - it can cause the enamel to crack (not as the ice is harder than it but the sudden temperate change from mouth temp to 0C) and in very small children it can reduce their core tempature which could cause problems if done to excess.

That all said and done - i doubt the occasional ice cube is going to cause too many problems and probably less than many of the sugar filled snacks that are the alternative.