Ice Is Nice!

     I have had what my children consider a rather annoying habit, and that is chewing ice. I've read that it's a form of pica ( eating of things that are not food ), and that it indicates something lacking in your body, in this case I believe it's iron.



     Anyway I can't help it, I fill my glass with ice and a little but of whatever I'm drinking, and when the liquid is gone I happy chew my ice cubes. I even bought an ice crusher to make the chewing easier on my teeth. I don't see a problem with me doing this but my kids find the sound more than they can tolerate. They want me to lose weight and be healthy. I try to explain that it's better for me to chew ice than cookies or chips.



     Well today I've been vindicated. My daughter had gotten a health magazine and there was a little article that explained chewing ice is beneficial to weight loss because every time you eat the ice left over in your glass you are expending about 70 calories. Yes that's a small amount, but what else can you enjoy chewing that uses up calories instead of adding them, and as a bonus you're getting more water in your body. So excuse me while I finish my low sugar grape juice and enjoy my wonderful ice!



     One more thing, I finally tried frozen grapes. What a delight! Because they're frozen you can eat them much more slowly which means eating less of them because they last longer. They also make great ice cubes. I had a small glass of pineapple juice to which I added five or six frozen grapes to. They keep the juice cold, don't water it down, and when you're finished with the juice you get to eat the grapes. Try some frozen strawberries in a glass of orange juice, or make up your own combination!