See the dangers of eating cold food
For whatever reason, some people love cold foods and for them, a meal is incomplete without a cold drink.
Eating cold food is bad for digestion
Our stomach has a temperature of 36.7 degree Celsius — about 100 degree Fahrenheit. When you ingest food or drinks that are much colder, your body experiences a shock, and has to spend more energy to process and absorb what you just ate.
You may have noticed that when you eat ice-cold food your digestion is slower, as the body has to heat up the food in order to digest it properly. In some cases, you may even have stomach pains and loose motions.
Even Ayurveda, one of the oldest healing systems in the world, recommends you avoid cold food, and drink warm liquids to facilitate the digestive process and improve your overall health. Now, I get it: some foods are supposed to be eaten cold, such as dessert; but you can still let them warm up a bit before you consume them, rather than eating them straight from the fridge.
Eating cold food may lead to poisoning
In general, food is best prepared right before you want to eat it. If, for whatever reason, you need to prepare a meal then eat it hours later, then you must keep it hot (for instance, in an oven) or cold (at 8 degree Celsius or colder).
If you let your meals cool down for too long, you may be at risk of food poisoning. For example, if you let rice or pasta become cold, then eat it, you risk food poisoning because of the harmful bacteria that will have grown on them. Similarly, if you are reheating food, check it’s steaming hot to make sure bacteria have been killed.
Another thing you want to keep in mind is that some foods taste a lot better when they are warm; and while I am sure you wouldn’t eat warm ice cream — some dishes such as rice or meat can lose freshness, quality, and flavor when they cool down.
Eating cold food leads to poor circulation
According to traditional Chinese medicine, eating too many cold foods can lead to poor blood circulation which, in turn, can cause many health issues. If your blood flow isn’t optimal, you may experience cold extremities, lack of energy, dry skin, and even brain fog. You may also notice a decrease in pain tolerance and increased symptoms if you have chronic pain conditions.
We are all different, and some people may find that even when they eat a lot of cold food, their circulation does not change much. But in general, it is recommended that you give your body hot food as often as possible so it stays warm (even during the summer) and it digests food properly.