Spring has arrived – and as the weather gets warmer and days get longer, your favorite ice cream stand is opening for the season. If you’re trying to maintain a healthy diet while being distracted by thoughts of a double-dipped chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cone, you may be tempted to switch to frozen yogurt, sorbet or low-fat versions.
But does it really matter?
“This becomes a common topic this time of year. Similar to coffee, changing your ice cream order is a touchy subject,” says Jamie Allers, MS, a registered dietitian with Hartford HealthCare’s Digestive Health Institute.
Here’s the lowdown on ice cream, the “healthy” alternatives and advice for managing your love of frozen treats.
Ice cream vs. its alternatives
The bottom line when it comes to ice cream, frozen yogurt, gelato or sorbet is: fat, sugar, lactose, and calories. And if you can’t fight the urge, at least you can make an informed choice, Allers says.
- Ice cream, by definition, is made with cream and it’s high in fat. Many ice creams actually brag about their high fat content, because it makes the treat more creamy and delicious.
- Frozen yogurt is made primarily with pasteurized milk and live yogurt cultures, making it lower in fat. Watch out though – it may actually have more sugar.
- Gelato is made with milk, but is churned more slowly than ice cream, giving it a denser texture. It’s also lower in fat than ice cream.
- Sorbet is the only non-dairy choice, as it’s made with a simple sugar syrup, infused with fruit puree or other flavors. It’ss naturally low- or no-fat.
- Low-fat or non-fat ice cream options are usually made with skim milk. Allers cautions that there are often additives in these products designed to make up for the lack of creamy texture.
Oh and here’s a fun fact: When you lick an ice cream cone, your tongue’s taste receptors absorb flavor at a higher level than normal. That means ice cream tastes better in a cone.
> Related: Nutrition Smack Down: Which Chocolate Is the Healthiest?
Lower fat doesn’t always mean healthier
All of these options contain sugar, Allers says, which can be as bad for your health as too much fat. And they all contain calories, which means even if they are low in fat or sugar, they still might mean you could pack on a few pounds.
“Perhaps even more misleading,” she says, “is the big marketing ploy that you can eat a large portion of these low-fat or no-fat products for a small amount of calories. So portion size becomes very important. Read the label to see what the portion size is. Anything in your dish that’s more than that multiplies the calories.”
It’s all about moderation
Allers advises her ice cream-loving patients to enjoy their favorite flavor – in moderation.
“My recommendation is, go to your favorite ice cream place and enjoy whatever you like rather than bringing it home to your freezer where you may indulge more often. Go and have it, just less frequently.”
