4 sweet, lower-cal alternatives to ice cream

by Brittany Anas · May 21, 2014

(Gelato, fro-yo and popsicles are just a few sweet treats that have fewer calories and fat grams than ice cream).

By Brittany Anas

I scream, you scream, we all scream when we see the fat grams in a serving of ice cream. Thankfully, there are plenty of sweet (and creamy!) treats for summer that have fewer calories than ice cream — and will satisfy that sweet tooth that seems to come around every night after dinner on hot, summer nights.

Of course, ice cream is a summer staple worthy of enjoying! A few tips for portion control: Order a kid cone or eat your bowl with a small, plastic spoon (the kind that are often served with gelato) so that you can savor the treat. You can also shop for lower-fat or reduced fat ice creams.

Here are some of our fave summertime sweets, all of which have fewer calories and fat grams than ice cream. Generally, 1 cup of ice cream has 285 calories and 14 grams of fat. (Of course, added sweets and chocolate ribbons will up those numbers).

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Sorbet is still high in sugar, but you’ll save yourself about 100 calories. Sorbet is made without dairy — and rather has frozen fruit purees or juices. It’s typically a non-fat treat. Tip: Save on some of the added sugar by indulging in a half cup of sorbet and add some mixed berries on top. Know the difference between sorbet and gelato? Gelato has cream (less than ice cream), but is comparable to ice cream when it comes to fat calories.
Fudgsicles are our go-to snack in the summer! The creamy chocolate treat still tastes like an indulgent snack, but a typical fudgesicle has about 70 to 80 calories and 0 to 1.5 grams of fat! Keep them in mind the next time your family goes out for ice cream or swap out ice cream for fudgesicles in your fridge.
Dreyer’s Outshine Fruit Bars are grown-up popsicles and are a summertime, guilt-free pleasure. The nutrition label shows they are 80 calories, and fat free. The fruit bars come in delicious flavors like coconut, lemon, lime, pomegranate, grape, peach, pineapple and our personal fave, strawberry.
Frozen yogurt has made a fierce comeback (it was totally a rad treat in the 1990’s!) with shops in virtually every strip mall. You can easily find non-fat options fro-yo options. Just steer clear of the candy bar and chocolate toppings and opt instead for some fruit and nut garnishes.

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