A Healthier Summer Treat!

As the peak of summer approaches, we’re all looking for ways to cool off. Ice cream sales skyrocket this time of year as few things compare to the taste, texture and experience of consuming this decadent dessert on a hot summer day. If you’re like me, ice cream is one of your favorite foods and you probably have a favorite flavor and brand. If you have interest in health or nutrition, you may also have come across some different ice cream brands or substitutes in our HealthMarket or frozen department and wondered how they compared to the real stuff. I want to highlight one brand in particular for this blog post. Brace yourself. You’re about to be introduced to a healthy and tasty dietitian-approved ice cream. 

Meet Halo Top.

Halo Top ice cream is high in protein and fiber. It’s also lower in sugar, fat and calories compared to traditional ice cream. Most importantly, it’s still delicious!   

As you’re likely aware, ice cream is not only known for its favorable taste and texture, but also for its not-so-healthful nutrition facts label. The picture below compares the nutritional profile of Halo Top with some popular ice cream brands- Haagen Dazs, Ben & Jerry’s and Dreyer’s. These numbers speak for themselves.   

The first thing that came to my mind when I read the back of a Halo Top nutrition facts label was that it was too good to be true.  An ice cream that meets the standard claims for a “good source of protein," “excellent source of fiber” and has only 60-70 calories per serving with no more than 5 grams of sugar is unheard of! It sounds like a good choice from a nutritional standpoint, but could it really taste great too? The answer is yes. 

So what ingredients are responsible for giving this product such a favorable nutritional profile?

 

Protein: The protein content in halo top comes from milk, milk protein concentrate and eggs.

Fiber: The fiber content in Halo Top comes from a prebiotic fiber.  Prebiotic fibers support digestive health.

Sugar: Each Halo Top ice cream variety has 5 grams or less of organic cane sugar. Your standard ice cream can have up to 25g per half cup serving. So where does Halo Top get its extra sweetness? The answer is organic stevia and erythritol. Stevia is a plant-based zero-calorie sweetener.  Erythritol is a sugar alcohol. If you’re leery of sugar alcohols because you’ve heard of or experienced their not-so-flattering digestive effects, know that erythritol has a slightly different chemical structure than many of the common sugar alcohols, including maltitol and sorbitol. Erythritol passes through our body unchanged and is not absorbed, while other sugar alcohols can ferment in our large intestine, resulting in some of those unpleasant digestive side effects. 

Calories: If the standard half cup serving of ice cream ranges anywhere from 150-300 calories, how does Halo Top pull off a 60-calorie serving? By using the non-to-low-calorie sweeteners mentioned above, the total calorie content of Halo Top is lowered significantly. Halo Top’s lower fat content also brings down the total calories as fat is a calorie-dense macronutrient. 

  

Halo Top comes in a variety of flavors including vanilla bean, chocolate, lemon cake, strawberry, mint chip, chocolate mocha chip and my personal favorite, birthday cake. There is one caveat I need to mention about this product. This product does freeze harder than typical ice cream. Halo Top doesn’t reach that desirable creamy ice cream texture until it has sat out on the counter for about 10 minutes once removed from the freezer. The company attributes this harder freeze to the fact that it is made without a lot of the softening agents found in traditional ice cream as well as its lower fat content.  

So, bottom line: A serving (or two) of Halo Top ice cream will provide you with fiber, protein and better peace of mind in regards to your blood sugar levels. :)   

Give it a try!

-Dietitian Natalie