With summer officially underway, ice cream shops across the country are serving up a variety of cool and delicious flavors of ice cream to customers of all ages.
But can ice cream be part of a healthy diet, and do specific ice cream flavours have a significant impact on the nutritional value of the food?
Fox News Digital spoke with two experts to get to the bottom of these questions, just in time for National Ice Cream Day on Sunday, July 21.
Ice cream “can definitely be part of a healthy diet,” Dr. Chris Moore, a fitness and nutrition advisor for Louisville, Kentucky-based Fortune Recommended Health, told Fox News Digital in an email.
“food is [about] “There’s a lot more to it than calories, sugar and fat,” he says.
“Moderation and balance are key,” he says. “Enjoying a scoop every now and then may help curb sweet cravings and make it easier to stick to your healthy eating goals.”
Kelly Glassman, a New York-based nutritionist and founder of the platform Nutritious Life, told Fox News Digital that ice cream should be a “conscious indulgence.”
“Ice cream is high in fat, so it’s a very satisfying, indulgent food,” she says.
“That means you can have a cone and be done with it – just be careful not to dive into your pint with your spoon.”
Glassman also told Fox News Digital that ice cream contains a substance called C15:0, which is an essential fatty acid.
“C15:0 has been linked to slowing biological aging at the cellular level, targeting multiple longevity pathways, strengthening cells against age-related decline and supporting long-term cardiac, metabolic and liver health,” she said.
Does the flavor of the ice cream matter?
So, taking all this into account, how important is the base flavour of your ice cream?
Mohr and Glassman said it was no big deal.
“Nutrition-wise, chocolate ice cream and vanilla ice cream are relatively similar,” Moir says. “The key factors to look at are the quality and ingredients used, as well as ingredients such as candy or caramel that are included in the ice cream, which typically add more calories, added sugars, and saturated fat.”
Glassman agreed, saying that rather than things like “chocolate versus vanilla,” what’s really important to look at is “the type and quality of ice cream.”
“Check the ingredients label carefully. Look for products that are made with real ingredients like cream, milk, cocoa and vanilla bean,” she says.
“Many ice cream products contain a variety of unhealthy additives, such as colorings and gums.”
One way to ensure your ice cream is as healthy as possible is to seek out the “highest quality ingredients,” Glassman said.
Plus, “add a little nutritious toppings like dark chocolate, chopped nuts or fresh fruit to have more fun than anything,” she said.
Moore suggested another technique for making the ice cream-eating experience as healthy as possible.
“To make ice cream a bit healthier, try adding fresh fruit or nuts on top or underneath, using the ice cream as a topping rather than a base,” he says.
“It’s a great way to add nutritional value while still preserving the flavor of the ice cream.”
Alternatively, those looking to cut down on calories can try soft serve ice cream instead of the traditional hard ice cream.
“Soft serve ice cream often contains more air and has additives added to give it texture, making it less calorie dense per unit volume,” he says. “Hard serve ice cream is usually more calorie dense.”
But Moore adds: “When consumed in moderation, both types can be part of a balanced diet, but it’s wise to check the nutritional information on the packaging if you’re concerned. What you do most of the time is always more important than what you do sometimes, so you can include both.”
While both ice cream flavors are nutritionally similar, experts told Fox News Digital that they have a personal preference for one or the other.
“I’ve always been a vanilla person, but lately I’ve become a fan of chocolate-based stuff,” Moore said.
“However, extensive research has shown that vanilla is more popular.”
Glassman, on the other hand, described herself as a “lover of all things chocolate,” but said she doesn’t like ice cream.
“When it comes to ice cream, real, high-quality vanilla beans are my favorite,” she said.
