How To Eliminate Ice Cream From Your Diet

If you can’t control your appetite for creamy, sweet frozen treats, you don’t have to go cold turkey in order to win your war against the cone or the dish. Kicking your ice cream habit gradually helps you master your cravings, and sets you up for success, even if you slip up. With tangible changes to your lifestyle and a few mental tricks, you’ll be able to eliminate ice cream from your diet, get healthier and ultimately lose excess weight or lower your cholesterol.

Step 1

Keep the frozen dessert out of sight. Steering clear of ice cream until you have a handle on your desire for it might curb cravings, or at least make it more difficult to give in. Purge your freezer at home, and avoid putting yourself in the path of products that trigger your habit. Avoid the ice cream aisle in the supermarket, and if your daily commute puts you in proximity to a soft-serve stand, take an alternative route. While removing ice cream from your radar won’t entirely wipe out the urge for a scoop, it buys you time to think before you indulge.

Step 2

Manage stress and comfort yourself in ways that don’t involve food. Emotional eating might be at fault for your overindulgence, according to the Mayo Clinic. When you try to suppress negative emotions -- anxiety, sadness, anger or even boredom -- with food, you’re bound to a vicious cycle that doesn’t solve your problems. Instead of taking comfort by the spoonful, phone a friend to hash out your frustrations or cozy up with an engrossing novel. Schedule a calming massage or yoga class, take a walk to clear your head, or snuggle in for an extra hour of sleep. Keeping a journal to track how you’re feeling when you’re craving ice cream can help you pinpoint times when you’re at your most vulnerable.

Step 3

Stop the negative self-talk that weakens your resolve. Beating yourself up over excess weight or lack of discipline will keep you stuck in old behavior patterns. When you catch yourself sabotaging your own self-esteem, replace the damaging messages you’re focused on with positive affirmations that renew your motivation. Susan McQuillan, nutritionist and author of “Breaking the Bonds of Food Addiction,” says this technique won’t change your mindset overnight, but in time, you’ll automatically become your own best cheerleader.

Step 4

Replace your high-fat, sugar-loaded ice cream fix with a healthier alternative. When your ice cream addiction is rearing it’s ugly head, opt for a cool, creamy carton of yogurt to tame it, or indulge in a naturally sweet piece of fruit, instead. The Mayo Clinic Women’s Health Source recommends eating a balanced diet that includes healthy snacks; you’ll stay satisfied and be less likely to reach for those forbidden treats.

Tips and Warnings

If you’re able to control yourself when you have a carton of your favorite flavor in the freezer, there’s no reason to completely eliminate ice cream from your diet. Feeling deprived makes it easy to binge, but enjoying ice cream in moderation might help you from going overboard, and could even help you to slim down. A study published in the December 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition points to evidence that diets that include one daily serving of a full-fat dairy product might inhibit weight gain. Medline Plus of the National Institutes of Health notes that saturated fat, which is found in ice cream, whole milk, butter, and other foods, is a major risk factor for heart disease.