Anyone who follows me knows that I am addicted to ice cream. Growing up, we never had much junk food in the house, but we always had ice cream and it was my nightly treat. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize that eating bowls and bowls of ice cream every night before bed is probably not the healthiest habit. Which would explain why I would wake up in the middle of the night with my heart racing – jolts of sugar were going through my system. So over the years, I’ve come up with many homemade healthy ice cream recipes that I can eat late at night that will not send my blood sugar all over the place, and I’ve shared many of these recipes with you (ICYM them, the links to them are at the end of this post).
Even though the recipes are simple, I know not everyone likes to cook as much as I do and you probably don’t feel like pulling out your food processor at 10 o’clock at night after a long day. You are in luck though! Throughout my years of ice cream eating, I’ve found healthy options sold in grocery stores, just pop the lid and dive in! As much as I love getting creative in the kitchen and cooking, even I burn out at times and need the ease (and cool comfort) of ready-to-go ice cream.
So, I’ve tried all the healthy options and have even gotten some clients hooked on them. There are so many healthy options these days, compared to only knowing one option a few years ago. To save you all from a novel, I’ve narrowed it down to my top three choices: Halo Top, Arctic Zero, and Enlightened. I love these brands because you can eat a whole pint for the same number of calories as a half cup of Ben & Jerry’s. Not to mention, these healthier options are high in protein and fiber – some people eat them as a post-workout snack!
Now, I have to admit, it’s pretty easy for me to satisfy my ice cream cravings. My family, on the other hand, thinks I’m cuckoo for eating anything other than the “real thing”. Therefore, I decided to have my family members do a blind taste test of each brand, and get their feedback. I also have some feedback from a client who I know I have hooked!
For starters, here are the main stats of each brand. To keep this a true comparison, I stuck with traditional/standard vanilla with all three brands, and used a 1/2 cup serving size.
Halo Top
- 60 calories
- 2 g fat
- 13 carbs
- 3 fiber
- 5 sugar
- 5 protein
- Gluten free
- Whole pint: 240 calories
Enlightened
- 60 calories
- 1.5 g fat
- 14 carbs
- 5 fiber
- 5 g Erythritol (Erythritol has no calories or effect on blood sugar)
- 3 sugar
- 6 protein
- Gluten free
- Only 4 net carbs per serving
- Whole pint: 240 calories
https://www.eatenlightened.com/collections/ice-cream-pints
Artic Zero
- 35 calories
- 0 g fat
- 7 carbs
- 2 fiber
- 5 sugar
- 3 protein
- Gluten free, Lactose free, Fat free
- Whole pint: 140 calories
Here’s the “scoop”:
The “fat” lover (as she calls herself) Nancy…my Mom:
She loved Halo Top, but when I told her the stats of Enlightened she said she could easily be persuaded to have Enlightened as her #1 choice, since she has low blood sugar and it has less sugar and net carbs, and is still “creamy”. Nancy could not finish the spoonful of Artic Zero and said it is “not ice cream at all.”
The Human Garbage Disposal (as I like to call him) Jim…my Dad:
In contrast to Nancy, his least fav was Halo Top, he said it had a weird taste to it, he said it was a total tie between Artic Zero and Enlightened.
The panel member who was forced to be a panel member – Jimmy…my brother:
Jimmy was a good sport and played along; I was certain that he would be the toughest critic since he is not a huge fan of healthy eating lol. But, I was wrong, he actually loved every sample he tasted and said it was hard to choose one. He was tied between Artic Zero and Halo Top; when pressed, he chose the Halo Top!
My client Jeff G. (who I shared all my ice cream knowledge with since he really wanted to kick his nightly bowl of Ben and Jerry’s):
And I quote: “really really good!! Good call by you!!! I tried the Halo Top in vanilla and the Cookie Dough for the Arctic Zero. I think I liked the Arctic better. It’s definitely eatable, and I can eat the whole pint like you said. “
And in case anyone cares, my opinion lol:
My fav will always go back to my first find/love – Artic Zero. I mean let’s be honest who is going to eat only a ½ cup serving of any ice cream, regardless of the brand?! So for me, who likes to eat ice cream extremely late at night while creating client menus, eating a whole pint of Artic will not load my body with tons of sugar right before bed, and for under 150 calories for the whole thing (and some protein and fiber too!) I can feel good about eating the entire container! Top it with some of my fav calorie and sugar free chocolate or caramel syrups (https://www.waldenfarms.com/products/syrup_chocolate.html) and I am in heaven….actually maybe my clients should credit their tasty menus to the ice cream high I am on while creating them! 🙂
Annnnd the winner is: ….I don’t know! Ha! I guess it is a tie between Enlightened and Artic Zero, but then again my client didn’t try Enlightened. Oh well, at least you are an informed ice cream eater now. 🙂
One more thing – during the time I was writing this post I came across this article from an R.D. and she shares which ice creams she finds to be healthiest! https://www.self.com/gallery/healthy-ice-creams-according-to-rds?mbid=nl_0
So whether you choose one of the brands I listed above or you have your own healthy brand that you enjoy, the bottom line here is, that no matter what you like, eating the entire pint of any of the options that I shared is fewer calories than 1 serving (1/2 cup) of any Ben and Jerry’s Flavor! Crazy right?!
Now I know that not everyone is trying to maintain, or lose weight, and sometimes the full-fat stuff is just what may be needed, so to each their own… but no one needs the amount of sugar under any circumstances! And don’t get me wrong, I still like to go out and splurge for the real deal from time to time. In fact, you will be getting a review of local ice cream parlors in September (I know, poor me. I have to go out and eat ice cream at all these places).
I hope you enjoyed this article. Now YOU tell me, what’s your favorite brand of ice cream and why?! I’d love to hear from you!
Links to my ice cream recipes:
