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Healthy Ice Cream?

By Ally Hochman

July is National Ice Cream Month! And we LOVE ice cream. It’s the perfect dessert and with so many flavors and toppings there is something for everyone. Being health-conscious, we’ve heard the buzz about “healthy ice creams” or “fit frozen desserts”. Is there really such a thing? And more importantly, can we tell the different between these healthier alternatives and the real deal? We decided it was time to find out. What better way than have our personal trainers participate in a blind taste test?

Step 1: Find the ice cream

We found 2 brands marketed as healthy, Arctic Zero and Halo Top. We also picked up one pint of Häagen-Dazs (for comparison of course).

Arctic Zeroaz pretty
Arctic Zero is defined as “the pioneer of Fit Frozen Desserts™ without all the fat and calories. It’s the perfect zero-guilt pleasure whenever your sweet tooth strikes”. – Arctic Zero’s website

Halo Top
Halo Top’s slogan is “finally, healthy ice cream that actually tastes like ice cream”. It is “low-calorie, high-protein, and low-sugar”.  – Halo Top’s websitehalo top

Step 2: Eat the ice cream

We brought all 3 pints (all chocolate) to the monthly personal training meeting. Without telling the trainers which ones were the “healthy ice creams” and which one was classic ice cream we had them taste each one.

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Step 3: Consult the trainers

Which one was the real ice cream?
Without a doubt, every trainer knew which one was Häagen-Dazs. Apparently, there really is nothing like the taste of rich, creamy, and completely indulgent chocolate ice cream.haagen dazs

Okay, you know it’s not real ice cream but does it taste good? Would you eat it? Which one did you like more?
Once again, the trainers all agreed. And the clear winner…Halo Top! Comments included “pretty good”, “tastes like gelato”, and “I would eat that”.

So, what about Arctic Zero?
Directly from your trainers, “it tastes like chocolate flavored ice”, “it’s flavored water”, and “I’d prefer no ice cream”.

The results on taste alone were clear. Yes to Häagen-Dazs and Halo Top, no thanks to Arctic Zero.

BUT…what about the nutritional content? Click below for the nutrition facts and ingredients in each brand’s chocolate ice cream.

               Arctic Zero                      Halo Top                     Häagen-Dazs

 arctic halohaagen

Conclusion

If you’re the kind of person that can have an actual serving of ice cream every once in a while, Häagen-Dazs may be worth the splurge. It’s filled with simple ingredients and you can’t beat the taste. However, if you’re like most of us and the whole pint magically disappears in one sitting, Halo Top could be a great alternative. There are only a few more ingredients than Häagen-Dazs, and it is much lower in calories (240 per pint compared to 1,040 in a pint of Häagen-Dazs). Yes, 240 in the entire pint!  It is also lower in fat and higher in protein. Whichever you choose we hope you enjoy! There’s always room for a little ice cream in a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle!

 

Photos of ice cream brands from Instagram.

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