When it comes to the best low-calorie ice lollies or ice creams for your health, there's really no one right answer.
By nature, ice lollies and ice creams aren't really the best healthy snack or dessert, as they're often packed with sugar and calories to give us that sweet taste we're looking for when we buy ice cream. And while many of us indulge in these cold treats just once in a while, if you're watching your calorie intake or trying to beat that weight loss plateau, you might be interested in what the healthiest options are.
Registered nutritionist Aliza Marogy, founder of clinical supplement brand Inessa, told us, "Ice lollies and sorbet are generally a healthier choice, as they are low in fat. Though, like ice cream, they contain a significant amount of sugar, so should be enjoyed in moderation. When it comes to making healthy choices, homemade ice lollies made with blended fruit and frozen in trays will always come out as the preferred choice - they’re delicious and packed with vitamins and fibre. But that’s not always possible, especially when you’re out and about." With that in mind, we've broken down the best and the worst low-calorie ice lollies and ice creams you can buy this summer.
Aliza Marogy is the founder and CEO of D2C clinical supplements company Inessa, an award-winning supplement formulator. She is also a registered nutritional therapist, and regular contributor in the media. At 18 Aliza was living with an autoimmune condition which was unresponsive to medication. Facing a life-changing medical procedure, she pursued a combination of diet and nutraceuticals and managed her condition into remission, where she remains over two decades later. Retraining in order to help others with similar challenges, she went on to found a successful clinical practice, and create an award winning industry leading nutritional supplement company.
What is the best low-calorie ice lolly?
The healthiest ice lollies have low calorie, sugar and fat content. Aliza told us: "When choosing an ice lolly or ice cream, look for one with the fewest ingredients - one made with real dairy and other ingredients you’d find in your pantry cupboard, and avoid those containing lots of chemical ingredients and E-numbers."
She added, "Ingredients you really want to avoid are carboxymethylcellulose, polysorbate 80, and carrageenan. These are often used as emulsifiers in commercial ice cream products and have been linked with disturbance of the gut microbiome and increased inflammation in the bowel, even in small doses."
But as any nutritionist, personal trainer or coach will tell you, a standard serving of ice cream once in a while is hardly going to knock you back on your weight loss journey - if that's what your aim is. So while we've ranked these ice creams for you, if you fancy one ice cream over another - go right ahead and indulge in your favourite!
How we tested
We've ranked 17 different ice lollies and ice creams from best to worst in terms of calories, sugar content, fat and saturated fat, so you can make your own decision about which of these cold treats are best for you.
To make our findings fair we have analysed the fat, saturated fat, sugar and calorie content of each ice lolly per 100g, instead of the individual recommended serving size for adults or children.
Healthy ice lollies from best to worst, at a glance
- Healthiest ice cream overall: Mr Freeze Jubbly Strawberry
- Best ice cream for sugar content: Mr Freeze Jubbly Strawberry
- Best ice cream for fat content: R Whites Premium Lemonade Ice Lollies
- Worst ice cream overall: Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream
- Worst ice cream for sugar content: Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream
- Worst ice cream for saturated fat content: Feast
The healthiest ice cream and ice lollies ranked from best to worst:
Verdict: You can't argue that Mr Freeze Jubbly ice lollies are undoubtedly the best in terms of calories. It's essentially just ice with artificial flavouring so it has trace amounts of fat and saturated fats and there are few to no other ice lollies or ice creams out there that match up in terms of calories per serving or sugar content.
However, while Mr Freeze Jubbly Strawberry might be a winner for your diet, it's hardly going to quench that sweet craving that many people look for when they buy an ice cream. For an alternative that's delicious, you're better off going for one of the many other low-calorie ice cream options out there.
Verdict: You can enjoy one of these colourful ice lollies safe in the knowledge that it's pretty much fat-free and contains 25% real fruit juice! If only all lollies were like that... Beware though, they do contain an eye-wateringly sweet 17.3 grams of sugar. This is one of the reasons that you're often better off going for an ice cream that's a little higher in calories - especially if you're on a low sugar diet.
Verdict: With no fat content, R Whites lemonade lollies are a great choice. However, the 16g of sugar is more than 17% of your guideline daily amount. If you love a lemonade ice lolly but want to avoid the massive sugar crash that these ice lollies would inevitably create, make your own! You can even make them healthier by using diet tonic water with a splash of lemon juice and just a sprinkle of sugar instead of lemonade.
Verdict: Del Monte's ice lollies are full of goodness. Made of 100% fruit juice, one lolly is full of vitamin C and 1 of your 5 a day. Whilst the lollies are pretty sugary, this only comes from the sugars found naturally in orange juice, so enjoy to your heart's content.
Verdict: Fruity ice creams tend to contain fewer calories than chocolate as a rule, so if you're watching your calorie intake, always go for the fruit option such as Twisters, which are made from pineapple, lime and strawberry flavours. They've done pretty well on the calorie scale all things considered, even if they are quite high in sugar. The lolly contains ice cream as well as flavoured ice, and the mini version is great if you're watching your diet but still fancy a nice cold treat.
Verdict: We've got to admit we love a Calippo on a sunny day, especially when the juice collects in the bottom! They're a pretty healthy ice lolly option, but they still contain a hefty amount of sugar. Brownie points for the orange flavour though, as it contains 20% real orange juice.
Verdict: Fab's aren't as fab as you may have thought! They're pretty high on the sugar and calorie front, but they do contain real fruit juice and you get to enjoy a bit of chocolate and sprinkles for a relatively low amount of fat and calories.