Healthy Ice Cream Options

Overview

Anyone ever tell you that you shouldn’t eat ice cream? We think that’s lame.

Our philosophy: You can eat whatever you want, as long as you either 1) use portion control—and limit yourself to say, 200 calories per sitting—or 2) make overindulging the exception, not the rule.

But what if you want to indulge often? You might try a lower calorie ice cream. It’s not a green light to go gluttonous, but it’ll allow you to enjoy a few more spoonfuls for the same number of calories.

There’s just one problem: In order to achieve a satisfying quantity-to-calories ratio, you'll need to go low on the butterfat and sugar. Alas, these two ingredients give ice cream the rich flavor and velvety thickness that you love in the normal varieties, says Edgar Chambers IV, Ph.D., a professor of sensory analysis at Kansas State University. "To mimic that combination at lower calorie counts, manufacturers cut the cream, add thickeners, and use artificial sweeteners."

The result: usually wretched. But we found these seven options that hit the frozen-treat trifecta of great flavor, low calories, and even a smidgen of nutrition. (All nutritional data is based on a 1/2-cup serving.)

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GOAT'S MILK ICE CREAM

Laloo's Deep Chocolate
160 calories, 5 grams (g) protein, 6 g fat, 17 g sugars

Smooth, flavorful, and low in calories, this ice cream is made with goat milk and rich, 77 percent cacao Scharffen Berger chocolate. Goat milk's fat content is similar to cow milk's, but it has smaller fat molecules (so there's no need to add cream).

 

1/2 FAT ICE CREAM

Breyers Cookies & Cream
120 calories, 2 g protein, 4 g fat, 15 g sugars

To slash calories while maintaining flavor, Breyers folds in more air during the final mixing and limits its number of ingredients, most of which are natural.

 

PURE ICE CREAM

Haagen Dazs Five Vanilla Bean
210 calories, 5 g protein, 11 g fat, 22 g sugars

The additive-free Haagen Dazs Five line has less cream and more milk than regular HD, saving you 40 calories and 6 grams of fat in an ice cream that's still rich and smooth.

 

FROZEN YOGURT

Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia 
200 calories, 8 g protein, 3 g fat, 27 g sugars

By combining a splash of cream with low-calorie yogurt, Ben & Jerry's delivers a fro-yo that tastes like real Cherry Garcia, but with 40 fewer calories and 10 fewer grams of fat.

 

SORBET

Julie's Organic Mango Passion 
100 calories, 0 g protein, 0 g fat, 24 g sugars

Zero-fat, zero-dairy sorbets can taste like cheap flavored ice, which is why Julie's stands out: It's a full-bodied blend that receives a luscious lift from a generous infusion of mango.

 

FROZEN KEFIR

Lifeway Pomegranate 
90 calories, 4 g protein, 1 g fat, 16 g sugars

Fans of frozen yogurt will appreciate this new kefir creation: It's refreshing, tart, and higher in calcium than ice cream, and serves up 10 different probiotics.

 

Muscle Ice Cream!

248 calories, 29 g protein, 12 g fat, 5 g sugars

Alan Aragon, M.S., Men’s Health’s nutrition advisor, whips up this chocolate-almond treat to eat after workouts. The almond butter provides thickness and accents the chocolate flavor.

Mix in a bowl and freeze for 3 hours . . .
1 Tbsp unsalted almond butter, 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder, 1/4 cup 2% milk, 1/4 cup water.

 

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