News Taffy

Last week I reviewed several great restaurants in St. Louis, including an ice cream shop. I usually don’t promote desserts as I’d rather focus on healthy eating but I am realistic. People are not going to give up their sweets no matter how it affects their health. My family is certainly no exception though we do try to limit how often we eat sweets and watch our portions.

I say all that so you won’t be surprised when you learn that today I’m reviewing a couple of new ice cream brands on the market that are promising to be lower in calories, sugar and fat and even be somewhat healthy! I wanted to see for myself if these products are worth the money.

Halo Top ice cream is made from all natural ingredients like milk and eggs but uses stevia to replace most of the sugar. Stevia is a sugar substitute that is plant based but has no calories. A one half cup serving size has around 60 to 90 calories depending on the flavor. Halo Top also adds probiotic fiber and concentrated milk protein to boost the total protein content.

Compare nutrition facts for Halo Top vanilla ice cream to Ben & Jerry’s vanilla for example, one half cup serving size. There is a significant nutritional difference in Halo Top and regular ice creams.

Halo Top Ben & Jerry’s
Calories 60 230
Fat 2 grams 14 grams
Sugar 4 grams 20 grams
Protein 6 grams 4 grams
Fiber 5 grams 0 grams

Now for the taste test. Three of my family members tried the peanut butter and the birthday cake flavors. We were all pleasantly surprised at how good it is. There is no weird aftertaste and it has a mouth feel similar to regular ice cream though I did think it wasn’t quite as creamy. We all agreed that it is an acceptable alternative if you are watching your calories and sugar intake but fighting cravings. For myself personally, I would rather have the occasional treat of quality ice cream rather than eat Halo Top on a regular basis.

The real down side is the cost. Kroger does carry Halo Top but it is $5.19 a pint! I guess that is comparable to getting a scoop or two at an ice cream shop but way more expensive than the average carton of regular ice cream.

We also tested another brand, Arctic Zero, with similar claims of all natural, good for you ingredients, low calories, sugar and fat. However, I’m just going to stop right here. It was so awful that we couldn’t eat more than a couple of spoonfuls. I think you should just give up ice cream because this really isn’t going to satisfy your craving. If you are still interested, it is cheaper at $4.50 a pint. I applaud their idea and effort but I don’t think this product will make it long.

My best advice is to eat a diet filled with good nutrition and to exercise several days a week. Drink plenty of water and never, ever smoke. Indulge once in a while but be choosy when it comes to picking a sweet treat - go for quality and limit your portions.