Healthy Ice Cream 101

(HealthCastle.com) Are you overwhelmed by the variety of frozen desserts available on freezer shelves? Terms like "premium", "low-fat", "fat-free", "sugar-free", "non-dairy", and so on can be very confusing. So how should you go about choosing an ice-cream product that you can indulge every day? Let us show you.

Get Smart with Ice Cream

Traditionally, ice cream is made with heavy cream loaded with saturated fat (the bad kind of fat). Some premium brands shockingly contain more than 10 grams of saturated fat and 300 kcal per half cup! If a frozen dessert treat is something you eat every day, it may be time to try the lower-fat versions.

Non-believers claim that lower-fat foods do not taste as good. But you really have to try them out before making such an assumption. A few brands have mastered the technology of making lower-fat ice cream taste good without so much fat. As a matter of fact, it is often difficult to tell that you're eating a light or low-fat version. Breyers, for instance, has made their Double Churn Light and Double Churn Fat Free very tasty. Your kids will never suspect that you are serving up healthier ice cream.

We also love the Skinny Cow Low Fat Fudge Bar. What's not to love this generous portion with only 100 calories and 0.5 g of saturated fat!

As a general rule, choose an ice cream product with less than 120 calories and 2 g of bad fats (add up saturated fat and trans fat) per serving.

What to be Wary About

• Extras: aded cookies or chocolate chips add extra calories and bad fat - specifically, trans fat. If you would like to add some zest to your frozen dessert, try adding cut-up fruits such as berries or melons.
• Coating: The rich, crunchy chocolate adds texture, but may also add a ton of fat. That's because the shiny coating is mostly oil. A Haagen Dazs bar, for instance, serves up a whopping 21 g of fat!

• "Sugar-Free" or "No Sugar Added": How do you make a sweet treat with no sugar? The answer is artificial sweeteners. Artificially-sweetened ice cream may not be an ideal choice for healthy kids without diabetes.
  
  

Go for Frozen Yogurt

Let's set the record straight: frozen yogurt does not have the same tartness found in yogurt. Indeed, frozen yogurt tastes more like ice cream than yogurt. If you feel the lower-fat ice cream is not creamy enough, you will be delighted with frozen yogurt! Half a cup of frozen yogurt usually contains 100 kcal and less than 2 grams of saturated fat. We like Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned Frozen Yogurt. No only does it fit the calorie bill, it also claims to be the only frozen yogurt that contains beneficial active bacterial culture.

However, not all frozen yogurts are low in calories. Despite its low fat content, a serving of Ben and Jerry's frozen yogurt still has 160 kcal, and most of its calories come from sugar! So always read the labels.

What about non-dairy frozen desserts?

There are options for non-dairy fans. Mostly sugar and fruit, sorbet is a fat-free frozen dessert alternative. Soy or rice ice cream is low in saturated fat. It is important to note, though that not all non-dairy desserts are low in calories. The terms "fat-free" and "non-dairy" do not necessarily mean low in calories. Therefore, always use the Nutrition Facts label when comparing products.

What about Popsicles?

Popsicles are available in various versions from regular to fat-free to sugar-free. Some contain dairy; some are only made with sugar and ice. It pays to always read the Nutrition Facts label and ingredient list. Look for real fruit juice on the ingredient list. For a healthier popsicle version, make home-made popsicles by freezing real fruit juice or yogurt in popsicle molds.