Making Healthy Choices: Ice Cream

This week's nutrition theme is learning to make healthy choices, even if that choice is ice cream :) Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too? Before buying products in the grocery store, it is important to read labels and understand what the product is made of as well as the caloric and fat content of the product. By making mental notes like these before purchasing, you can control your calorie intake and stay on track. 

Take Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie for example...Ben & Jerry's makes Chocolate Fudge Brownie in both regular ice cream and in frozen yogurt. Let's compare nutrition labels: 

Chocolate Fudge Brownie (Regular)
Calories: 270
Total fat: 13g
Saturated fat: 8g
Carbs: 32g
Sugar: 28g
Protein: 5g

Chocolate Fudge Brownie (Froyo)
Calories: 180
Total fat: 2.5g
Saturated fat: 1.5g
Carb: 35g
Sugar: 25g
Protein: 5g

Focus on the difference in calories, total fat and saturated fat...BIG DIFFERENCE! For weight management it is important to choose foods lower in fat and calories. So the winner in this test is obviously the froyo version of Chocolate Fudge Brownie. 

Many of us may not want to sacrifice taste for fewer calories or less fat, but after tasting both flavors, I must say the froyo version is on par with the original flavor.