Home › Latest News
It’s Your Health: Frozen novelties: Be careful what you eat
More Latest News 
Share and Enjoy 
What a dilemma. You’re pondering the selection of ice cream and frozen fruit bars. You’ve got to have something cold and refreshing to get you through the afternoon. You scan labels — reduced fat, light, no sugar added, real fruit. Which is the healthiest?
“Light” or “Reduced Fat” chocolate-coated ice cream bars will shave some calories and bad fat, but beware. Some brands such as Edy’s and Blue Bunny substitute sugar not only with the safe Splenda, but also with the possibly unsafe acesulfame potassium, according to a recent article in Nutrition Action, published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. It’s necessary to read the fine print.
Tasty but not worth the calories and artery clogging fat (unless you have a standing appointment with your cardiologist), are a couple of ice cream sandwiches: Mrs. Fields’ Cookie Sandwich packs 460 calories and 11 grams of bad fat while the Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich tops out at 500 calories and 13 grams of bad fat. Instead, try the Klondike Slim a Bear — 100 calorie sandwich version with only 1 bad fat gram.
Portion control in a single-serve container sounds like a good bet unless it’s Ben & Jerry’s half cup Cherry Garcia, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, or even just the vanilla flavor. Eight grams of nasty fat and 200 calories for a measly half-cup. Visualize the palate tempting former, but buy Breyers Double Churned Cookies & Cream or Vanilla Fudge Swirl — 100 calories for a full cup with just 1 gram of bad fat.
What a concept. Smaller yet lethal are bite-size chocolate coated Breyers Ice Cream Poppers and Edy’s Dibs — about 26 pieces per container. Since they’re all tossed into the package sticking together, why stop at the suggested serving? If you down the entirety, it’s only 400 plus calories and your entire day’s amount of bad fat!
If you are a fudgsicle devotee, lick your lips and indulge in the Fat-Free Fudgsicle and fudge bars made by Slim a Bear, Healthy Choice, So Delicious (soy, not dairy), Weight Watchers and The Skinny Cow — all with only 90 to 120 calories and 0 to 1 grams of bad fat. Perhaps autopilot takes you to Starbucks. One gram of bad fat and about 125 calories satiates your caffeine and status need with the Mocha Frappuccino and Java Fudge Frappuccino (gooey fudge in the middle).
How about a healthy fruit bar instead? Don’t you feel slimmer already? Again, all fruit bars are not created equal. Nutrition Action health letter purports that more sugar than fruit makes up almost all Breyers, while most Tropicana bars contain more fruit (or juice) than sugar. Edy’s is fickle. It depends on the flavor: Wildberry, Lime, Tangerine, and Lemonade have more sugar than juice or fruit, but Grape, Strawberry and Cherry contain more fruit than sugar. Isn’t that strange.
Subtract 30 to 50 calories with the Tropicana Real Fruit No Sugar Added line, which has no acesulfame potassium, the flunking artificial sweetener. A winner at 20 calories per bar.
Think of a frozen mango on a stick and you have Palapa Azul Mango Fruit Bar at a mere 70 calories and oh, so yummy.
You’re probably salivating by now. Check your freezer and read the label of your favorite frozen treat. If it’s high bad fat and calories, consider a healthier tasty option the next time you get the urge for something cold and delicious on a stick.
---
Kay Sager is a certified fitness and aquatic specialist living at Port of the Islands. She is a personal trainer using land and water fitness and teaches swimming. She also has written articles for Physician and Sports Medicine among other publications. Kay can be reached by e-mail: kswimfit@aol.com.
Comments
This site does not necessarily agree with comments posted below — responsibility lies with the relevant reader alone. Read our privacy policy & user agreement.
Post your comment
(Requires free registration.)