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Ice Cream Frenzy!

Remember when you were a kid and one of the biggest treats on a hot summer evening was to get an ice cream cone? No one worried about the fat or sugar, because it was an occasional treat. Furthermore, the choice was fairly limited. At grandma's house on Sundays, there was always the same kind: Neopolitan, with equal amounts of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. My grandmother always cut it like a cake, so you got a slice with equal amounts of each flavor. (It was near impossible to just get the chocolate alone unless you could barter with a cousin.) Then along came popsicles. What a special event! There was basically one kind, double-sticked in 5 or 6 flavors. The real excitement came when fudgesicles and creamsicles were introduced. (Of course, they cost twice as much as a popsicle.)

In today's marketplace, there are an overwhelming number of choices of frozen treats. In fact, there is a whole grocery aisle dedicated to ice cream and popsicle-like items. And the flavors have become very elaborate with all kinds of "stuff" (fudge chunks, brownies, marshmallows, nuts, caramel) thrown in. Consequently, these frozen desserts have a very wide range of saturated fat content and caloric values. Further more, most of the nutrition labeling on these products are based on half cup servings. Be honest…is that your typical serving size?

There are also stores that specialize in ice cream. Cold Stone Creamery hit Connecticut last year, and the lines were out the door! You can create the most amazing concoctions at Cold Stone. But did you ever stop to think about the caloric content? It is probably much higher than you would expect. (For example, Founder's Favorite, like it size, 840 calories and 20 grams of saturated and/or trans fat!)

The action of selecting a frozen dessert product is not as simple as it used to be. The marketing of these products has become big business and uses words to tug at our nutrition conscience. Ice cream comes in many forms and styles: traditional, lite, light, double-churned, reduced fat, fat-free, no sugar added, and sugar-free are among the terms you will see on the label. In addition to ice cream, there are gelatos, glaces, sorbets, sherberts, popsicles, ices, soy and other non-dairy desserts and frozen yogurts. In fact, frozen yogurt marketing strategies cause one to believe that frozen yogurt is always a better choice than ice cream which may or may not be true.

To determine the nutritional content of any of these products, you have to read the nutrition label. You must also evaluate the serving size as many of the products are based on a small serving size, and probably about ½ of what you would normally eat. Last, you need to look at the list of ingredients.

Government standards provide guidelines for definitions for several terms used on frozen dessert products: "Reduced fat" (applies only to ice cream) must have 25% less fat than a typical ice cream; "Light" (also applies only to ice cream) much have at least 50% less fat or ½ less calories that a typical product; "Low fat" (applies to both yogurt and ice cream) indicates 3 grams of fat or less per serving of ice cream or 0.5-2% milk fat for yogurt; and "Non-fat or fat-free" means ice cream with a maximum of 0.5 grams of fat per serving and for yogurt less than 0.5% grams of fat per serving. "No sugar added" means there is no additional sugar added. It does not mean no sugar at all. (That would be "sugar-free.") Whatever sugar exists in the ingredients used to make the ice cream (like the milk) will be present in the product. Artificial sweeteners may be added to make up the difference in flavor.

In today's marketplace, you can eat a totally fat free hot fudge sundae. However, this does not mean that this sundae is calorie-free. Excess calories contribute to excess weight which is not healthy. Don't let marketing terms trick you into thinking that eating a fat free hot fudge sundae is good for your health! Reducing fat is important, but as with all else, the best diets are those that are well-balanced and choose a variety of foods, especially fruit, vegetables and grains.

You can bring a notebook to the store and make your own nutritional analysis of your favorite products. (On a hot summer afternoon, it might be a "cool" family project!)

For free reprints of articles about frozen desserts, that list the nutritional content of many frozen desserts, District residents (Hamden, North Haven and Woodbridge) can call QVHD, 203.248.4528. Or you can request information online or through email, dculligan@qvhd.org

Quinnipiack Valley Health District
1151 Hartford Turnpike
North Haven, CT 06473

Phone. (203)248-4528
Fax. (203)248-6671
E-Mail. info@qvhd.org