I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream
“My love for ice cream emerged at an early age — and has never left!” —Ginger Rogers
I love summer! The sunshine, warm temperatures, and longer days … what’s not to love, right?
I don’t know where you live, but here in southern Utah it has been downright hot! And that leads me to shedding layers of clothing, drinking copious amounts of icy beverages, and craving — you guessed it — ice cream.
But being a health-conscious individual, I wonder about the disadvantages of eating ice cream. Are there any advantages? It’s something I was really looking for.
Let’s start with the good news. In general, ice cream is an excellent source of energy. Although the nutritional contents of ice cream vary among brands and types, one serving (that would be 1/2 cup) contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fat, and 2 grams of protein, making it an energy-dense food. And that’s great when you need an energy boost or if you are pursuing weight gain.
However, most of us are really not looking to gain weight. Not to mention that ice cream must contain greater than 10 percent milk fat to be designated ice cream with some products having a whopping 16 percent milk fat. So what does that mean? Milk fat is largely cholesterol and saturated fat. We know that high blood cholesterol can build up plaque and fatty deposits in your arteries that interfere with blood flow and raised you risk of heart disease and stroke. Not such good news.
Ice cream is also high in sugar. That’s where most of the carbs come from. And unless you’ve been living in a cave (or not reading my articles), you understand the impact of sugar. Diabetes, weight gain, cavities, and increased levels of blood triglycerides — another type of unhealthy fat — are all associated with the consumption of too much sugar. Yikes!
Lactose, milk sugar, is another component of ice cream that causes problems for some people. If you are deficient in lactase, the enzyme needed to digest lactose, you may experience an unsettled or very upset stomach, an increase in mucous, and in some cases sinus issues. Not a lot of good news there.
But that craving!
Is there anything better on a hot summer evening after a wonderful meal than enjoying a scoop or two of that frozen, flavorful, and wonderful treat, ice cream? What to do?
Make you own!
Leave out the processed stuff that’s on the label that you can barely read, much less pronounce. Cut out the dairy and get rid of the refined sugar. Great! How in the world would you do that?
With this amazing recipe!
Dairy Free Ice Cream
2 generous servings
Ingredients
—2 bananas, cut into 1 inch slices approximately 1 cup (frozen, for 2 hours or better overnight)
—1/2 cup frozen strawberries, sliced
—2 tablespoons coconut milk (carefully add more to make it more “soft serve” style)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
—Remove bananas and strawberries from freezer and place in food processor blend until the consistency of shaved ice.
—Add coconut milk (more or less for desired texture) and vanilla, blend until smooth and well mixed.
—Transfer ice cream to a freezer container and freeze until solid. Scoop with Ice cream scoop and serve.
You don’t need to wait until frozen solid, serve just like soft serve ice cream.
Note: Be imaginative! Use any combination of fresh fruit you like. I use 1 1/2 cups of frozen cherries, or strawberries only. Mango is amazing too!
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