The Diet Scoop on Ice Cream

Are there healthier versions of ice cream that will pack flavor, not pounds?

Difficult to resist, most people experience immense guilt after eating ice cream, placing it high on the forbidden food list. But just because ice cream tastes sinfully creamy, does it really mean that it is loaded with fat laden calories? As with anything, moderation is the key but you may be surprised to know that you do not have to completely shun this cooling yummy treat on hot summer days.

Stick with the plain variety of chocolate, strawberry or vanilla. Stay away from ice cream that looks chunky, nutty or pretty with ribbons of sauce – this translates to mega fat and calories. A single 4-ounce scoop of plain chocolate ice cream has 216 calories and 11 grams of fat. An equivalent size of chunky chocolate peanut butter contains 360 calories and more than twice the fat at 24 grams!

Go for low-fat which has no more than three grams of fat per one-half cup. Regular ice cream has at least 10 percent milk fat (about 7 grams of fat). Other good choices are sorbets and sherbets. Sorbets are basically fruit juice and ice and have no milk, so there is no fat but are usually high in sugar. Sherbets are the same as sorbets but have a small amount of milk added (about 1-2 percent of milk fat). Frozen yogurt uses yogurt and milk, instead of cream so excellent for dieters. For vegans and lactose-intolerant folks, soy or rice ice creams have no dairy and are also low in saturated fat. Remember the terms “fat-free” and “non-dairy” does not mean low in calories. Always check the backs of nutrition labels. If you are constantly craving something cold, popsicles are good non-fat options as they contain between 15-60 calories each depending on the brand. They will cool you down and quench your sweet tooth at the same time.

Eat from a small bowl, rather than directly from the container to avoid the temptation to overindulge. Watch portion size – should be no bigger than half of a tennis ball. And use a small spoon so your ice cream goes a long way by forcing yourself to take smaller bites.

Technology is helping us not miss the fat by making low-fat ice creams taste better. Many ice cream makers are using a technique called double or slow churning which produces a smooth product with only half the fat and one-third of the calories. Another method, used by Dippin’ Dots (those small beads of ice cream), utilizes liquid nitrogen to freeze instead of the conventional freezing method. This allows manufacturers to get away with using less milk fat and you would never know by the taste. Another example is gelato which is made with milk, not cream which is lower in fat. So why does gelato taste so creamy even though it typically contains 7-8 percent fat versus the minimum of 10 percent fat in ice cream? The gelato machinery whips almost no air into it, resulting in a more concentrated intense flavor than ice cream which is 50 percent air. Now that’s a ray of sunshine.

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