It’s Summer and many of us will be reaching for frozen desserts. to cool down.. The pre-diabetic and insulin resistant kids in my practice are always asking me what to choose. This is a review of cool desserts for the hot weather. The most popular- Ice cream, would have the highest fat varieties. If you want this cool treat a few times each week, there are other less guilty options to choose from.
Ice Cream
Ice cream is made from heavy cream and sugar. Fair to say, if you love ice cream and it’s your occasional treat- then let go and enjoy. Overall, try decreasing your fat intake elsewhere in your diet to make up for the higher fat and saturated fat content of ice cream. You also have lower fat and sugar varieties on the market to satisfy your taste as well.
Fro-Yo/frozen yogurt
That’s hands down my favorite cool treat because I can’t tolerate the cream of ice cream. Frozen yogurt come soft serve and hard packed. It is not made with cream but instead with cultured milk such as yogurt -though probiotics may not survive the freezing temperatures. If you choose to eat frozen yogurt, remember to manage portion sizes and choose the healthy toppings. Add toppings such as fresh fruit, granola and nuts to get the antioxidants, protein and fiber. A cup of fro-yo contain 0-3 grams of fat and 38 grams of sugar with popular toppings adding those numbers higher.
Greek Yogurt Popsicle
Delish, is the word for these popsicle with similar creaminess of an ice cream bar. They are easy to make at home by combining Greek type yogurt, a sweetener with fruit and freezing. If you prefer convenience there are plenty of healthy high quality varieties such as Outshine and Yasso. With a bonus of 5-10 grams of protein in a pop and 100-120 calories, this dessert offer satisfaction, less sugar and fiber. This is in general how to make them.
Green Kiwi Yogurt Popsicle
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
Milk, to thin the mixture
Honey, to taste
3/4 cup mashed green kiwi mixed with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Blend 2 cups yogurt and milk (add about a tablespoon at a time) until you get the consistency you want (not too thick, not too thin - must be creamy and smooth). Taste the mixture and add honey, to taste. Blend some more to incorporate. Put about a tablespoon of kiwi into each Popsicle mold. Top with your yogurt mixture. Freeze overnight or until frozen solid.
Sorbet
Sorbet is made up of pureed fruit, syrup and water. One cup of an all-fruit sorbet has 34 grams of sugar, and no fat. While no fat is good, sorbet is high in sugar and doesn’t have any calcium and protein, like milk-based frozen treats do. You would have to be mindful of the portion size to control and check the sugar.
Gelato
Gelato is made of milk, egg yolks and sugar. Without the cream that is in ice cream, gelato can have less bad fats. However, what it lacks in fats, it makes up for in added sugar. A cup of contains 400 calories, 18 grams of fat, and 50 grams of sugar.
Sherbet
This one is harder to explain because there are many additives in Sherbet. In general sherbets contain milk or another fat making it like ice cream but often lower in fat. Like in other desserts, be mindful of the sugar content.
Well…which scoop will you have? I imagine it just depends on your health challenges and personal preference. No matter your choice, enjoy in moderation! If your household is finding it hard to control portions sizes with any of these, best to eat and enjoy outside the home and not keep stashes in the freezer at home.