HG Heads-Up: Deceptive Attention-Getters!
* No Sugar Added!
* Frozen Yogurt!
* All Natural!
* Sorbet!
* Sherbet!
* Non-Dairy!
* Made with Real Fruit!
In the ice cream aisle, you’ll see claims and product names like these. If you’re watching your sugar, avoiding artificial ingredients, or are allergic to dairy, a few of these can be very helpful. But it’s important to realize that none of these implies a correlation with low calorie counts! Words like “light” and “reduced-fat” will lead you in the right direction, but you still need to read those labels to be sure.
Light and Fat-Free Ice Cream Cartons
Look for products that have around 130 calories and 4 grams of fat per 1/2-cup serving. The fat-free types have fewer calories, but your flavor options are usually limited and the light stuff is a lot richer in taste. There are some ice creams out there that pack a few grams of fiber. Added fiber is always nice, but don’t expect these fiber-infused dairy desserts to fill you up the same way a bowl of raspberry-topped bran cereal would. (They won’t.)
Supersize It! Since the serving size for ice cream in a tub is relatively small, plan to supersize your scoop with fun extras that are low in calories. Add a generous squirt of Fat Free Reddi-wip, or top off your treat with a serving of Cool Whip Free. Toss some mixed berries into your dessert bowl. Add a few mini marshmallows. Put that scoop of ice cream in a blender with light vanilla soymilk and crushed ice—then blend away for a freezy-good shake!
HG Standout: Dreyer’s/Edy’s Slow Churned Light. The D/E peeps know their stuff. This ever-expanding line of light ice cream contains half the fat of regular ice cream, plus 1/3rd fewer calories. But all that would mean nothing if it weren’t for the fact that this is some of the richest, creamiest stuff in the frozen desserts aisle. It’s delicious and comes in amazing flavors, each with 100 to 130 calories and 3 to 6 grams of fat per serving. BTW, other ice cream containers that call out “half churned” or “double churned” typically contain half the fat of regular ice cream as well!
PORTION DISTORTION! HALF-CUP SERVING?!
Possibly the most unrealistic of serving sizes, a portion of ice cream is only 1/2 cup. It’s not a lot. Try measuring it out and see—it’s MUCH less than anything you’d get at an ice cream shop. Think you’re serving-size savvy? We put HG staffers, friends, and family members to the test to see how closely they could estimate a serving size. Here’s what we found …
* The average estimation among participants was 20 percent more than 1/2 cup!
* The more the ice cream softened, the more people overestimated their portions. That 1/2-cup serving is based on lightly packed ice cream, people, so keep that in mind!
* Those portioning out plain vanilla ice cream over-scooped by MORE than those working with chunky cookie dough ice cream. Perhaps we’re more cautious with decadent stuff?
Bottom Line: If you know you’re likely to eat a full cup each time you enjoy it, double those stats while you’re still in the freezer aisle to make sure they work for you … And if you don’t want to spend 200+ calories for an ice cream fix, stick with portion-controlled treats.
Portion-Controlled Cups of Light Ice Cream
Since it’s so easy to go overboard with ice cream, single-serving cups are a great thing. Sure, these individual containers may cost more than the cartons, but they’ll likely stop you from consuming way too much ice cream. Look for cups that are about 4 ounces in size with around 150 calories and 3 grams of fat each.
HG Heads-Up:
Not Everything Small in Size Is Low in Calories! The brands that make super-fattening gourmet ice cream have mini cups too, and those can pack quite a fat ’n calorie punch—as much as 250 calories and 15 grams of fat for a measly 31/2 ounces of ice cream!
Another HG Heads-Up: Beware of 2-Serving Containers!
There are a few dual-serving tubs in the aisles whose labels might lead you to believe there’s only 100 calories or so inside. Check the servings per container, people! Don’t assume …
HG Standouts: Skinny Cow, Weight Watchers, and Dreyer’s/Edy’s.
HG Trick!
For a fruity syrup that isn’t loaded with calories and sugar, just place a spoonful of low-sugar or sugar-free fruit preserves in a microwave-safe bowl along with a teaspoon of water. Microwave just until warm (a few seconds), and stir until a syrup-like consistency is reached. Yay!
ICE CREAM SWAPARAMA!
Frozen Cool Whip Free!
This is a fantastic stand-in for vanilla ice cream. While we wouldn’t fill a dessert bowl with it and grab a spoon, we recommend adding a frozen scoop to diet soda for a low-cal float and making faux ice cream sandwiches with rice cakes or low-fat graham cracker squares—just use thawed whipped topping and then freeze the whole “sandwich!” Fun, fun, fun …
Frozen Fruit in the Blender!
For smoothies and shakes, the creamy texture of frozen banana is amazing. Berries, peaches, and mangos work in blended drinks too. Another cool trick? Blend up partially thawed super-sweet fruit—like the three just mentioned—on its own, or with a very small amount of a light juice drink, for a sorbet-like treat!
Fat-Free Yogurt, Frozen!
No, we don’t mean standard fro yo bought by the tub. We mean refrigerated fat-free yogurt—like Yoplait Light—that’s been frozen for a chilly and super-creamy treat! For best results, don’t let it freeze entirely. (You might break a spoon that way.) Or let it thaw for five to ten minutes if it’s been fully frozen. Another fun idea? Mix some thawed Cool Whip Free with the yogurt before freezing. It’ll taste even more like ice cream that way!
Don’t miss the frozen fruit fun!
Light and Low-Fat Ice Cream Bars
As if ice cream couldn’t get any better, someone went and put it on a stick. (We all know food on a stick is fun!) These are often more decadent than a single scoop, with chocolatey coatings and cookie crumbles, and they’ve got the whole portion-control thing working for them! Look for bars with 150 calories and 5 grams of fat or less.
HG Standouts: Skinny Cow (especially Truffle Bars!) and Breyers Smooth & Dreamy.
Low-Fat Ice Cream Sandwiches
Another super selection in the portion-controlled arena: light ice cream surrounded by a pair of soft cookie-like wafers. These are sometimes round, sometimes rectangular, and come in a bunch of great flavor combos, like chocolate wafers with peanut butter ice cream. Mmmm! Look for options with about 150 calories and 3 grams of fat.
HG Standouts: Skinny Cow and Weight Watchers.
Light and Low-Fat Ice Cream Cones
Look for sugar cones filled with light ice cream and other goodies, like fudge swirls or caramel. Seek out options with 150 calories or so and 5 grams of fat or less.
HG Trick! Can’t find ’em and feeling super-sad about it? Don’t panic; they couldn’t be easier to make. Just let some light ice cream soften, stuff it inside a 50-calorie sugar cone along with a few mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, and freeze … Tada!
HG Heads-Up
The full-fat versions of these look very similar, and they are full of fat! There’s no better way to tell than to just flip that box around and check the stats. And stick with brands known for diet-friendly stats.
HG Standouts: Weight Watchers and Skinny Cow.
Low-Fat Fudge Bars
These aren’t quite as rich as full-on ice cream bars, but they tend to be lower in calories. There are small pops with about 50 calories each as well as larger 100-calorie bars.
HG Standouts: Weight Watchers Giant, Skinny Cow, Healthy Choice Premium, and No Sugar Added Fudgsicles.
HG Tip: Slide one off the stick and use it in chocolate-infused blended beverages … even COCKTAILS (if you’re of the legal drinking age, of course)!
Fruit Bars
Fruit bars consist mostly of fruit with some added sugar. (Some have more sugar than others, so check stats if that’s a concern.) They are typically fat-free with chunks of real fruit and come in flavors like lime and strawberry. Sweet and refreshing, these are a fun middle ground between snacking on apple slices and diving into a pint of ice cream. Look for bars with 130 calories or less. A summertime staple!
HG Heads-Up
Watch out for flavor names that include the word “cream.” Those tend to contain fat—sometimes a LOT—and have higher calorie counts.
HG Standouts: Blue Bunny FrozFruit, Fruitfull, and Dreyer’s/Edy’s Fruit Bars.
Sorbet & Light Ice Cream Bars
These are the modern-day, grown-up version of Creamsicles—swirls of fruity sorbet and light vanilla ice cream, all situated on a stick for simple portion control. One of these has 100 calories or so and a gram or less of fat. And they come in berry varieties as well as classic orange. Score!
HG Standouts: Weight Watchers Giant Sorbet & Ice Cream Bars, Healthy Choice Premium Sorbet & Cream Bars, and No Sugar Added Creamsicles.
Sugar-Free Fruit-Flavored Ice Pops
How are these different from full-on fruit bars? They’re not as substantial; they’re usually half the size and much lower in calories. They’re often made with artificial sweetener, while the bars are typically sweetened with sugar. Think of these as an incredibly low-calorie treat when you’re craving something sweet and fruity. Look for skinny pops with about 15 calories each and larger ones with about 40 calories each—both should be fat-free.
HG Standout: Sugar Free Popsicles.
Mini Fillo Shells
No need to fuss with sheets of flaky fillo. These tiny shells are assembled and ready to go, and they have just about 15 calories each. Turn almost any food into hors d’oeuvres or mini desserts in a flash. Bake these shells according to the package instructions, and fill them with ANYTHING. Some dip or a bit of light cheese works like a charm for savory bites. Dollops of sugar-free pudding topped with fruit make for the easiest desserts around.
HG Standout: Athens all the way …
Cool Whip Free
This frozen fat-free whipped topping in a tub is one amazing multi-tasker! It’s a fantastic ingredient for recipes. To make pie-like fillings, custards, and mousse mixtures, just stir some CWF with equal parts sugar-free pudding. Or use it on its own as a creamy layer in desserts. It’s also great frozen, as a straight ice cream swap. (See the Ice Cream Swaparama for proof!) Cool Whip Free has 15 calories per 2-tablespoon serving. Wondering how it measures up against its refrigerated, in-a-can competitor, Fat Free Reddi-wip? Just see “Which One When?” to find out!
HG All-Star! Vitalicious VitaTops
Everyone knows the best part of the muffin is the TOP. And VitaTops are, hands down, the BEST 100-calorie swap for cake, brownies, muffins, and more. Look for chocolate, corn, and fruity versions (or head online to vitalicious.com for the full lineup). These are all natural, high in fiber, and contain a few grams of protein. Yeah, WOW. There are so many ways to enjoy these, we could write an entire book on them alone. But for now, here are five fun ways …
* Toasted and topped with low-sugar jam. This method is perfect with the more breakfast-y flavors, like Golden Corn and BlueBran. So good! Slightly thaw before toasting for optimal results.
* Broken or processed into crumbs, and used in layered desserts. Whether in multi-serving trifles or single-serve parfaits, a layer of fluffy chocolate crumbles is amazing! Try this with fat-free yogurt, light ice cream, slightly sweetened fat-free cottage cheese, sugar-free pudding, and fruit. Just not all at once …
* Freezy-Cool Whoopie Pies! Carefully slice a frozen VitaTop into two round, thin pieces. Spoon a slightly softened serving of Cool Whip Free (or ¼ cup light vanilla ice cream) on top of one piece, and use the back of a spoon to spread it out evenly. Top it with the other Vita half, wrap it in plastic, and re-freeze ’til solid. Unreal!
* With fruit. Sounds simple but it’s one of the best pairings EVER. A banana, a Fuji apple, or a bowl of berries alongside a VitaTop is probably the most satisfying way to spend around 200 calories.
* With reduced-fat peanut butter and marshmallow creme. Add either or both of these items to a chocolate Top for a Fluffernutter-like treat! Smear ’em on top or slice your Vita à la those Freezy-Cool Whoopie Pies.
Cake Cones and Sugar Cones
A small cake cone (that flat-bottomed one) has only 20 to 25 calories and less than a half-gram of fat. A small sugar one (pointy bottom) typically has 45 to 60 calories and a half-gram of fat or less—not bad either! Find these in the snack aisle, the baking section, or just outside the ice cream aisle.
HG Snack Ideas: You can fill these with other items besides ice cream. Spoon a pudding snack inside one and top with Fat Free Reddi-wip. Swirl some mini semi-sweet chocolate chips into light vanilla yogurt inside a cone. Or drizzle light chocolate syrup inside and freeze before filling. You can even bake lightened-up cupcakes inside the flat-bottomed cones.
HG Heads-Up
Beware of giant waffle and sugar cones. The larger the cone, the more calories and likelihood you’ll fill it with several scoops of ice cream instead of just one!
