Ice cream or ice-cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners. In some cases, artificial flavourings and colourings are used in addition to the natural ingredients. This mixture is stirred slowly while cooling to prevent large ice crystals from forming; the result is a smoothly textured ice cream.

The meaning of the term ice cream varies from one country to another. Terms like frozen custard, frozen yogurt, sorbet, gelato and others are used to distinguish different varieties and styles.

With all the varieties offered nowadays, it is easy to be snowed under by the terms you always encounter in ice cream parlors — “premium”, “low-fat”, “fat-free”, “sugar-free”, “non-dairy.” So what exactly do these words mean and how should they affect our choice in ice cream? Read on this article to know about healthier options for you to enjoy a daily serving of this creamy goodness.

Traditionally, ice cream is made with heavy cream loaded with saturated fat. Some premium brands shockingly contain more than 10 grams of saturated fat and 300 kcal per half cup, If a frozen dessert treat is something you eat every day, it may be time to try the lower-fat versions.

Try these low-fat versions:

* Breyers’ Double Churn Light and Double Churn Fat Free.
* Skinny Cow Low Fat Fudge Barn with only 100 calories and 0.5 g of saturated fat.

As a general rule, choose an ice cream product with less than 120 calories and 2 g of bad fats per serving.

Remember the following when choosing your ice cream amenities:

* Added cookies or chocolate chips add extra calories and bad fat - specifically, trans fat. If you would like to add some zest to your frozen dessert, try adding cut-up fruits such as berries or melons.
* The rich, crunchy chocolate adds texture, but may also add a ton of fat. That’s because the shiny coating is mostly oil. A Haagen Dazs bar, for instance, serves up a whopping 21 g of fat.
* Artificially-sweetened ice cream may not be an ideal choice for healthy kids without diabetes.

Let’s say you really have the sweet tooth and you crave almost all of the time for an ice cream, you cannot afford to always eat a regular ice cream treat since it contains all the unwanted fats. We suggest that you try the items listed below.

1. Go for Frozen Yogurt. Frozen yogurt tastes more like ice cream than yogurt. If you feel the lower-fat ice cream is not creamy enough, you will be delighted with frozen yogurt. Half a cup of frozen yogurt usually contains 100 kcal and less than 2 grams of saturated fat. It claims to be the only frozen yogurt that contains beneficial active bacterial culture. However, not all frozen yogurts are low in calories. So always read the labels.
2. Non-dairy frozen desserts. There are options for non-dairy fans. Mostly sugar and fruit, sorbet is a fat-free frozen dessert alternative. Soy or rice ice cream is low in saturated fat. It is important to note, though that not all non-dairy desserts are low in calories. The terms “fat-free” and “non-dairy” do not necessarily mean low in calories. Therefore, always use the Nutrition Facts label when comparing products.
3. Popsicles. Popsicles are available in various versions from regular to fat-free to sugar-free. Some contain dairy; some are only made with sugar and ice. It pays to always read the Nutrition Facts label and ingredient list. Look for real fruit juice on the ingredient list. For a healthier popsicle version, make home-made popsicles by freezing real fruit juice or yogurt in popsicle molds.