The Scoop on Healthy Frozen Scoops!
You're watching your weight, so there's no way you can eat ice cream this summer, right? Wrong!
You'd be surprised at the great strides makers of ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet have made in the last few years at making their products healthy.
A lot of frozen treats "say" they're healthy, but what does that really mean? What's the calorie count? The fat content? Most importantly, how does it taste?
Health magazine put together a frozen treats taste test. And on "The Early Show" Thursday, Frances Largeman-Roth, the magazine's senior editor of food and nutrition, talked about its search for the best healthy ice creams.
And she didn't leave out cones. Want a cake cone? That's 17 more calories, but more fat. You want a sugar cone? That's 40 more calories and 0.5 more grams of fat. And a waffle cone, she said, is by far the worst for you -- 121 more calories and two grams more fat.
The scoops in the Health magazine taste test results below were about a half cup, or 3 to 3.5 ounces:
HEALTHY SCOOP WINNER #1
Häagen-Dazs
Mango Fat Free Sorbet
120 calories, 0 grams of fat
20% Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) Vitamin A, 10% RDA Vitamin C
A blend of juicy tropical mangoes
"If you love mangoes, you'll enjoy this sorbet. It's very satisfying-you only need a little to feel content, and it's very refreshing on a hot summer day," said judge Christine Palumbo, a registered dietician.
And judge Kara Nielson, a former pastry chef who now follows food trends, said, "It's shocking that there is no fat. This sorbet is so creamy and totally indulgent."
HEALTHY SCOOP WINNER #2
Ben & Jerry's
Black Raspberry Swirl Low Fat Frozen Yogurt
140 calories, 1.5 grams of fat
15% RDA Calcium
Black Raspberry Yogurt with Thick Black Raspberry swirls made with real black and red raspberries
"This has a raspberry and a beautiful creaminess. It feels like you're eating a full fat ice cream, not a healthy frozen yogurt," Palumbo said.
She and the other judges also like the ingredients, including hormone free milk and fair trade flavors. Nutrition pamphlets are available at Ben & Jerry's counters, and there are lots of healthy choices-sorbets, frozen yogurts, and even full fat ice creams like the next winner. The vanilla, chocolate, and coffee flavors have 200 fewer calories, too.
HEALTHY SCOOP WINNER #3
Ben & Jerry's
Strawberry Ice Cream
170 Calories, 9 Grams of Fat
15% RDA Vitamin C, 10% RDA Calcium
Strawberry Ice Cream with Real Strawberry Pieces
"It is delicious in taste and in feel-very honest and fresh," said judge Gale Gand, a pastry chef and co-owner of Tru in Chicago.
Palumbo said she loves that it has only eight ingredients, and that they are all natural. Ask for a kid size cup, Largeman-Roth recommends, to cut calories even further.
HEALTHY SCOOP WINNER #4
Baskin-Robbins
Light Aloha Brownie Ice Cream
160 Calories, 5 Grams of Fat
10% RDA Calcium
Light Chocolate ice cream with ribbons of fudge and chunks of macadamia nut toffee
"Rich, fudgy, chocolaty, and delicious," Palumbo said. "If you need a chocolate fix, this will do the trick."
Baskin-Robbins BRight Choices flavors, such as Cappuccino Chip, Premium Churned Light Raspberry Chip, and various sorbets are healthy takes on their classics. Largeman-Roth said we did have one beef -- Baskin-Robbins products had more artificial ingredients than the other contenders.
HEALTHY SCOOP WINNER #5
Häagen-Dazs
Cranberry Blueberry Fat Free Sorbet
100 Calories, 0 Grams of Fat
8% RDA Vitamin C
"This has a nice flavor, is very refreshing and tart-but not too tart," Gand said.
Häagen-Dazs isn't overflowing with low-fat ice creams, according to Largeman-Roth, but they do have other amazing fat free sorbets besides our two winners. Our judges like that Häagen-Dazs offers smaller sizes for portion control, and that you can request nutrition information, which is kept behind the counter.