by Rebecca Mohning, DTG Nutritionist
Nothing hits the spot better than a frozen treat during those hot days of summer. But with so many kinds of ice cream and flavors where do you start? If you are trying to make healthier choices it can be confusing. Do you go low-fat, light, non-fat or frozen yogurt?
The good news is that with all the new options for ice cream it can be part of a healthy diet; it’s just a matter of knowing what to look for on the label.
A number of the well-known premium (a.k.a. higher fat) ice cream brands, including Baskin Robbins, Haagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s, can be your worst picks. For example, a half-cup serving of some comes in close to 300 calories and over 15 grams of fat. It does not matter which brand you are looking at. They all have a tremendous amount of fat and calories. It’s tough enough to stick with a half-cup serving at home. But when you’re out at an ice cream shop you can easily be tempted to get a sundae that racks up 1,250 calories!
The good news is that your favorite premium brands are now making "light" varieties, too. Buyer beware: Some light ice creams can be nearly as high in fat and calories as other brands' regular ice creams.
The newer light or lite versions that are lower in calories are made with a new ice cream technology called “slow-churned.” This process allows for the same satisfaction of thick and creamy texture, but for less fat and calories. Ice cream companies like Edy’s have seen their ice cream sales go through the roof after they released their reduced-fat, slow-churned ice cream.
For example, the slow-churned yogurt or ice cream blends like Edy's Cappuccino Chip have only 110 calories and 3.5 grams of fat per serving. Others might be drawn to the Edy's Loaded Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup which has only 140 calories and 6 grams fat per serving. Both of these taste so good that I can’t imagine that it would be that much more enjoyable to eat one of the premium ice creams, with 16 or more grams of fat per serving!
To avoid any confusion there are five main things to look for on the label of an ice cream treat. It's not all about fat grams! Per half-cup serving (the standard serving for a scoop of ice cream), your best bets will have:
- 4 grams of fat or less
- Around 120 calories
- 3 grams or less of saturated fat
- No more than 10 milligrams cholesterol per serving
- 15 grams of sugar or less per serving. Many ice creams have almost double this amount.
NOTE: Watch out for frozen yogurts. They can be fat-free but really high in sugar!
Finally, portion control tends to be an issue when it comes to ice cream. Remember that a single serving is considered a scant half cup. Most of us have a hard time sticking to one small scoop when they dip into the half gallon of ice cream.
Have trouble with portion control? Choose individual serving ice cream bars and fudgsicles. There are many choices, so keep the same guidelines in mind when deciding what to buy and enjoy!
How do you stay cool when the weather gets hot? Share your favorite ice cream picks at the new Diettogo.com Community Forum!
Rebecca Mohning has a Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology and a Bachelor's of Science in Dietetics from Iowa State University. She is a certified Personal Trainer by the American College of Sports Medicine. She specializes in weight management, performancenutrition, and eating disorders.
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