There are lots of frozen treats that are worth a try. We guide you through the frozen dessert aisle.
Today it seems most children learn to recognise the golden arches of McDonald's from about age zero, but when I was growing up it was the Tip Top ice cream logo that I could spot from great distances; Hokey Pokey ice cream was the symbol of summer outings and family treats. Most Kiwis still love that iconic flavour and new New Zealanders learn pretty quickly what it is, even if they don't understand our passion for it. We're also learning there are lots of other frozen treats that are worth a try.
- Ice cream is made using cream or milk products and is generally aerated to give it lightness.
- Gelato is an Italian-style ice cream also made with dairy products and less aerated; it's usually more dense than our traditional ice cream, so a smaller serve might be just as satisfying. (Because of its name, some people think gelato contains gelatin – it does not.)
- Sorbet, also of Italian origin, is made in a similar way to gelato but water is used instead of milk or cream. The French introduced the practice of serving a small amount of sorbet between an entrée and main course to cleanse the palate. Sorbet is a good option for anyone who needs to avoid dairy and there are several soy-based products available too.
Fat and sweeteners
Dairy products, as most of us know, contain saturated fats, so we're encouraged to always choose the low-fat options. Fortunately there are now many low-fat ice creams available and that can make quite a difference to your fat and energy intake. Although they'll vary a lot, a 1/2 cup serve of a typical low-fat vanilla ice cream might provide 390kJ (2.1g fat, 1.4g saturated) compared to a standard ice cream at 570kJ (7.7g fat, 5.1g saturated) or a more premium ice cream at 635kJ (10.3g fat, 6.4g saturated).
The low-fat ice creams can still use sugars as the sweetener but there are now many products using other sweeteners that contain very little energy. (See article Alternative sweeteners for more information.) Remember that milk naturally contains the sugar lactose. Although sorbets use sugar, they're also very low in kilojoules; as being water-based rather than dairy-based they are virtually fat-free.
Although frozen yoghurt sounds healthy, be aware that these tend to be a lot higher in sugar than a fresh yoghurt (and they won't contain any live cultures). Both frozen yoghurts we tried contained around 26% sugars: that compares to 3-4% for unsweetened yoghurt or 10-15% for one sweetened with added sugar.
What's in a serve?
Normally to compare the kilojoules in different products we would recommend you look at the 100g column on the nutrition information and make comparisons. It's a bit trickier with frozen desserts as many of these products are whipped to add air and the amount in different products will vary. The amount of air changes the texture of the finished product: some are more light and 'fluffy' in texture, some are denser, so 100g can be quite different in volume.
In the table we've compared products using a 125ml serve – that's 1/2 a cup. We're assuming you look at volume when you serve these, rather than weighing them! The frozen yoghurts and ice creams, which are more aerated, have less weight in the 1/2 cup serve (70-75g) than the gelatos and sorbets which are denser (85-90g).
It would be easy to compare the products if they were all required to give nutrition information for a 100ml or 125ml serve, but as they are not, when you are comparing products just keep in mind that your serve for a gelato or sorbet is likely to be heavier (more grams) than your serve for a frozen yoghurt or ice cream. And where they do have information in mls, try to use that for comparison.
Nutrients
The dairy- and soy-based products will provide some calcium although not all of them tell you on the label. Using our 1/2 cup serve, of the ones listing calcium: Lite Licks provides 270mg; Fresh 'n Fruity frozen yoghurt 250mg; Zilch ice cream 160mg; and Tip Top's low-fat ice cream 115mg. Most of us need to aim for 1000mg of calcium each day (1300mg for women over 50 and men over 70 years) which is quite a lot, so every bit counts!
For those products that are high in fruit (22% is the highest we saw) you can also assume they are providing a small amount of some vitamins and phytonutrients. But don't pretend it's like eating a piece of fruit: these all have other ingredients and they are treats.
How to choose?
How do you choose from low-fat, low-sugar (the lactose in milk is a sugar) or low-fat and low-sugar ice creams and frozen desserts?
It comes down to which taste and texture you prefer, how much energy (kilojoules) you want to consume and whether you need to avoid dairy.
We recommend:
- If you choose ice cream, go for a low-fat variety.
- Remember these are not everyday foods, they're treats.
- Watch the serving size (it's easy to have a second helping with some of the lighter desserts).