Do Fat Grams Matter?
Some of the well-known premium
(that is, higher-fat) ice cream brands, like Haagen-Dazs and Ben &
Jerry’s, are now making "light" ice creams, too. Of course, their light
ice creams can be nearly as high in fat and calories as other brands'
regular ice creams.
Do these richer light ice creams,
which have around 8 grams of fat per serving, really taste much better?
Well, I’ve got to say, there are some awesome flavors out there with only
around 4 grams of fat. It depends partly on the flavor and the brand, but
overall, I don't think you get that much more satisfaction by taking the
calories and the fat up a notch.
Some might really enjoy the Slow
Churned yogurt blends like Dreyer's/Edy's Cappuccino Chip (with 110
calories and 3.5 grams of fat per serving). Others might be drawn to the
Dreyer’s/Edy's Loaded Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup (140 calories and 6
grams fat per serving). Both of these taste so good, that I can’t imagine
that it would that much more enjoyable to eat one of the premium ice
creams, with 15 or more grams of fat per serving.
Reading the Label
There are five main things to
look for on the label of an ice cream treat. It's not all about fat grams!
Per half-cup serving (the standard serving for scoop ice cream), your best
bets will have:
- 4 grams of fat or less
- Around 120 calories
- 3 grams or less of saturated fat
- No more than 10 milligrams
cholesterol per serving
15 grams of sugar or less per
serving. Many ice creams have almost double this amount.
More Fiber Than Whole-Wheat
Crackers?
You might be surprised to learn
that some ice cream bars actually have more fiber than a serving of
whole-wheat crackers. It seems that 3 to 4 grams of fiber per serving is
becoming the nutritional norm in this dessert category. It might help make
your serving seem more filling.
There are also a few types of ice
cream that have 2 grams of fiber per serving. They include Starbucks Low
fat Ice Cream, Ben & Jerry’s Low fat Frozen Yogurt Strawberries & Cream,
and Dreyer’s/Edy's Loaded Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup.
Best of the Light Ice Creams
The light ice creams and light
ice cream bars in the table below are "best bites" because they had most
of what you should be looking for nutritionally. (Those that also were
lower in added sugar -- 15 grams or less per serving -- have an asterisk
before their names.)
| 1/2 cup |
Calories |
Fat
(g) |
Saturated Fat
(g) |
Cholesterol
(mg) |
Sugars
(g) |
| Dreyer’s/Edy’s
Slow Churned Yogurt Blends with Live and Active Cultures
|
| *Vanilla |
100 |
3 |
1.5 |
10 |
13 |
| *Cappuccino Chip |
110 |
3.5 |
2.5 |
10 |
14 |
| Dreyer’s/Edy’s
Slow Churned |
| *Raspberry Chip Royale |
120 |
4 |
3 |
20 |
13 |
| *Cookie Dough |
130 |
4.5 |
3 |
20 |
14 |
| Breyers Light
|
| *Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry |
100 |
3.5 |
2 |
10 |
13 |
| *Vanilla Bean |
100 |
3.5 |
2 |
10 |
14 |
| *Rocky Road |
140 |
4.5 |
2.5 |
10 |
16 |
| Ben & Jerry’s
Lowfat Frozen Yogurt |
| Strawberries & Cream |
150 |
3.5 |
2.5 |
25 |
24 |
| Half Baked |
180 |
3 |
1.5 |
20 |
23 |
| Haagen-Dazs
Lowfat Frozen Yogurt |
| Vanilla |
180 |
2.5 |
1 |
50 |
22 |
| Vanilla Raspberry Swirl |
160 |
1.5 |
0.5 |
25 |
25 |
| Starbucks
Lowfat Ice Cream |
| Latte |
170 |
3 |
1.5 |
10 |
23 |
| *also lower in added
sugars |
BEST BITES: BARS
| 1 bar |
Calories |
Fat
(g) |
Saturated Fat
(g) |
Cholesterol
(mg) |
Sugars
(g) |
| Breyers 100
Calorie Cups |
| Vanilla Fudge Swirl |
100 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
14 |
| Starbucks Bars
|
| Frappuccino Mocha Bar |
120 |
1.5 |
1 |
5 |
16 |
| Skinny Cow
|
| Lowfat Fudge Bar |
100 |
1 |
0.5 |
1 |
13 |
| Ice Cream Sandwiches (in assorted
flavors, such as mint) |
140 |
1.5 |
0.5 |
1 |
13 |
| Cone: Vanilla with Caramel |
150 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
19 |
| Cone: Mint with fudge |
150 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
18 |
| Weight
Watchers |
| Giant Cookies & Cream Bar |
140 |
5 |
1.5 |
<5 |
15.5 |
More Light Ice Cream Choices
Didn't find your favorite on the
"Best Bite" chart? Here are some other ice creams that didn't score quite
as high nutritionally, but are still pretty healthy for treats. Below that
are some less-sugar options you might want to try.
'ALMOST BEST' BITES (ICE
CREAMS)
| 1/2 cup |
Calories |
Fat
(g) |
Saturated Fat
(g) |
Cholesterol
(mg) |
Sugars
(g) |
| |
| Dreyer’s
Loaded |
| *Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup |
140 |
6 |
3 |
10 |
12 |
| Ben & Jerry’s
Lighten Up! |
| Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough |
200 |
6 |
3.5 |
35 |
24 |
| Breyers
|
| *Homemade Vanilla |
140 |
7 |
4.5 |
35 |
13 |
| Haagen-Dazs
Extra Rich Light |
| Rocky Road |
240 |
7 |
2.5 |
35 |
20 |
| Vanilla Bean |
200 |
7 |
4 |
60 |
25 |
| Blueberry Cheesecake |
230 |
7 |
4.5 |
60 |
28 |
| Cookie Dough |
260 |
5 |
5 |
60 |
28 |
| *also lower in added
sugars |
LOW-SUGAR BITES
| 1/2 cup |
Calories |
Fat
(g) |
Saturated Fat
(g) |
Cholesterol
(mg) |
Sugars
(g) |
| Dreyer’s/Edy’s Slow
Churned No Sugar Added |
| French Vanilla |
100 |
3 |
1.5 |
5 |
2 |
| Dreyer’s/Edy's Slow
Churned |
| Vanilla with Crunch Bar |
150 |
8 |
6 |
6 |
<1 |
| Breyers
|
| No Sugar Added Krunch Bar |
150 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
3 |
| Breyers Carb Smart (with Splenda
and sugar alcohols) Rocky Road |
130 |
10 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
| Almond Bar |
180 |
15 |
10 |
2 |
2 |
|
