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Dear World’s Fittest,

I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but ice cream is one of those foods I really can’t seem to live without. No matter what season, I can eat ice cream anytime of the day: breakfast, lunch or dinner. Are some types of ice cream healthier than others? Should I be more concerned with cutting calories or cutting fat? Is it better to eat ice cream in the morning rather than right before I go to bed as dessert?

I Scream for Ice Cream

Dear I Scream for Ice Cream,

Believe it or not, there is some good news about ice cream before you clean out your freezer and throw away the scoop. Some new research shows that calcium (and ice cream is a good source of calcium) can help your body’s fat burning ability. Now that doesn’t mean you necessarily have to eat ice cream to get calcium. Most dairy products or a calcium supplement can provide the calcium you need too.

But just because ice cream has calcium doesn’t mean you should eat as much of it was you want. If you’re going to indulge, I suggest you try a low-fat version or even frozen yogurt. With low-fat you do get less saturated or “bad” fat but watch out, you still get calories. So read the label! A perfect serving is one scoop or cup, the size of a tennis ball.

Now onto the bad news about ice cream. The nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) just published some startling news about ice cream that even surprised me:

  • A scoop of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey Ice Cream with a Waffle Cone Dipped in Chocolate has 830 calories and 30 grams of fat, that’s more fat than a one-pound rack of ribs.
  • Haagen Dazs’ Mint Chip Dazzler sundae has 1,270 calories and 38 grams of saturated fat, like eating a T-bone steak, Ceasar salad, and a baked potato with sour cream.
  • Basin Robbins’ Vanilla Milkshake has 1070 calories and 32 grams of saturated fat, like eating three McDonald’s Quarter Pounders.
  • Friendly’s 5-scoop Candy Shop Reece’s Pieces Sundae has 1310 calories and a whole day’s worth of fat, and two day’s worth of saturated fat.
  • TCBY Toffee Coffee Cappuccino Chiller has 1200 calories, a day and a half’s worth of saturated fat and as many calories as two pork chops, a Caesar salad and a buttered baked potato.

Here are some tips for healthy ice cream eating:

  • Choose “simple” ice cream flavors like vanilla and chocolate. Add-ins like candy and nuts can sometimes double the calories.
  • Choose a low-fat version. You may be getting the same number of calories but there’s less saturated fat.
  • Choose sherbets or sorbets. With only 100 to 200 calories per scoop, there’s no saturated fat. CSPI found that a scoop of Haagen Daz sorbet has 120 calories -- the lowest calorie item they found.
  • Eat your ice cream at home. If you go to ice cream shops you’ll be tempted by sundaes and milkshakes.

As for when to eat ice cream -- for breakfast or desesrt right before you go to sleep – a calorie is a calorie no matter what time of day you eat it.

For more information about the Center for Science in the Public Interest visit their website www.cspinet.org

© Joe Decker 2003

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