Popsicles, soft serve ice cream, ice cream:some ice creams are healthier than others. Which ice cream should you choose if you want to consume fewer calories?
If you want 'healthy ice cream', it is best to opt for water ice. Popsicles usually contain about 40 calories, while with a scoop of ice cream or soft ice cream you can easily reach 100 calories. With, for example, a Magnum or Cornetto you eat about 230 calories. However, the amount of calories is not the only thing to look for for healthy ice cream. Although popsicles contain few calories, they are often packed with sugar. And frozen yogurt contains less saturated fat than ice cream, but often also more sugar. The terms 'sugar-free' or 'less fat' do not necessarily mean a healthier product. This also applies to organic or plant-based ice creams. Vegetable means free from animal ingredients, but it says nothing about the amount of sugar and saturated fats it contains.
Also good to know:many healthier alternatives have replaced sugar with sweeteners such as stevia (on the packaging as steviol glycoside, E960), maltitol (E965) and lactitol (E966). Steviol glycoside is a vegetable sweetener, made from the leaves of the plant Stevia rebaudiana. This substance is about 250 times sweeter than sugar and contains no calories. Disadvantages of stevia are that it is very expensive and has a liquorice-like aftertaste. Sweetener maltitol is artificially made with sugar from cornstarch and lactitol is artificially made with sugar from milk. This last sweetener is therefore not suitable for vegans. Although sweeteners are seen as healthier variants, the same applies here:use in moderation. The acceptable daily intake of stevia is 4 mg per kg of body weight per day.
At the ice cream truck, opt for a bowl instead of a cone. A cone contains about 45 to 75 calories and quite a lot of sugar.
Actitol is an alternative to sugar and is made from milk.
Don't just look at the calories, but also at the amount of saturated fat and sugar.
Read also: '3 basic rules for healthy eating'
put some frozen fruit of your choice (such as strawberries, raspberries or mango) and a frozen banana in the blender and blend until smooth. Top with fresh fruit, coconut flakes or a little dark chocolate.
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