Good and healthy ice cream, with measure

Yes, replacing the midday meal or snack with an ice cream you can, even if you are on a diet. And this is not a sin of gluttony, but a healthy food choice. Provided, though…

Ice cream as a meal replacement is allowed, provided that it is considered an exception and not the rule, not to exceed the quantities, to address the “right” tastes and to insert ice cream in the context of an overall balanced diet.

For all tastes

Ice cream is often considered a high-calorie food and, for this reason, avoided or consumed with a certain sense of guilt, not only by those who want to lose weight. In fact, this is only partly true.

The flavors of creams, from fiordilatte to extra noir chocolate, especially if enriched with additional ingredients such as dried fruit, crumbled biscuits, meringues, syrups or toppings of various kinds, are unquestionably off limits for those who want to keep the balance at bay, but above all for those who can not take too much sugar, fat and cholesterol for health reasons.

The basic ingredients of these formulations are, in fact, milk, eggs, sugar or honey, cream or other fats of animal origin: all highly energetic components, which should be consumed sparingly even by those who do not have weight problems.

Fruit ice creams, on the other hand, can be much lighter, especially when they take the form of sorbet, devoid of milk.

In this case, the greatest contribution in terms of calories is given by simple sugars, while fats and cholesterol are practically absent.

This means that, for example, 100 grams of strawberry ice cream provide on average 150-170 Kcal, against 250-300 Kcal of a cream or kiss taste.

Let’s see what is the calorie intake of other types of ice cream.

Between lunch and dinner

Of course, the nutritional profile of various tastes is also different in other respects. So, if a cream ice cream, rich not only in calories, but also in important principles such as proteins, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins A and group B, can be considered a real substitute for lunch (especially if combined with a fruit salad or a salad), the fruit one is more suitable as a snack or to complete a meal based on proteins and vegetables.

If you decide to have lunch “only” with an ice cream, however, you should not feel entitled to exceed the quantity: 80-120 grams, equal to a medium or large cup, are a limit that should not be exceeded, regardless of the taste chosen.

To ensure a balanced nutrient intake throughout the day, the composition of the dinner must also be identified in a complementary way.

So, for example, after a fruit salad with 100 g of cream ice cream at noon, a grilled chicken breast with salad and a little rice or bread are indicated, but not spaghetti carbonara or pizza with four cheeses.

Artisanal is better?

In terms of consistency, creaminess and nuances of flavor there is no doubt: homemade ice cream, prepared as it should and starting from quality raw materials, has no equal. And, with the same premises, the same can be said on the nutritional front.

The problem is that not all ice cream parlors are “purists” of the product and technique, sometimes offering extremely inviting ice creams, but prepared from freeze-dried mixtures (rich in calories, but nutritionally poor), or products not 100% guaranteed from a hygienic point of view.

To be sure to consume a quality, safe and healthy ice cream, it is better to rely on certified artisan ice cream parlors, perhaps “organic”, which clearly declare the origin of the ingredients and the preparation techniques used.

Decidedly more standardized in terms of production, but also much less exciting from an organoleptic point of view, the varied universe of packaged ice creams.

In nutritional terms, these preparations have the relative advantage of having a slightly lower fat (and calorie) content, with the same type.

But the important thing is to check that it contains mainly hydrogenated trans-type vegetable fats, which are particularly harmful to cardiovascular health; as well as thickeners, dyes, preservatives and various additives which, if possible, it would be preferable to do without.