By Harriet Mallinson | Published on July 20, 2017
Everyone loves summer but there’s no denying it’s a tricky season.
There’s the pressure to look good in swimwear and fit into last year’s denim cutoffs, but there are also barbeques in abundance, cocktail garden parties galore and of course the constant desire to cool down with an ice cream.
But when just one classic Magnum is 244 calories per portion it makes you think twice about giving in to indulgence. Thankfully, our increasing fascination with nutritious alternatives has brought a slew of healthy ice cream companies to the fore.
MACROS have rounded up five of the top low-cal, filled-with-goodness ice cream brands available this summer, so you can revel in the joy of the frozen treats without any of the guilt. You’re welcome.
The Coconut Collaborative
The Coconut Collaborative has reinforced the current power and popularity of coconut with its new range of creamy, coconutty frozen treats.
Their Snowconut delicacies are free-from dairy, refined sugar and gluten and are made from coconut milk, which contains essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that supply a host of benefits to the human body.
The company offers Snowconut tubs of frozen yogurts in four flavors: vanilla and coconut, raspberry, chocolate and mango, which range between 170-190 calories per 100ml. There are also Snowconut choc dipped sticks which use organic, Fairtrade, dark chocolate and mango dipped sticks which are just 68 calories per tropical lolly.
Needless to say, they don’t exactly taste like your average ice cream and the coconut flavor is, unsurprisingly, strong, but they’re highly refreshing and definitely a healthy alternative.
Frill
Frill ice creams rely entirely on fresh fruit and veg plus seeds, nuts and herbs. This ensures they are all free from dairy, egg, sugar, gluten, artificial sweeteners and additives.
Signature flavor ‘refreshing green’ is made from spinach, avocado, basil, celery, pineapple, mango and lemon, yet manages to taste wonderfully creamy and tasty – and not remotely like a plate of veg!
‘Bursting berries’ is packed full of sun-ripened blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries blended with banana and pineapple, while ‘intense chocolate’ is a combination of cocoa, dates and cinnamon with a hint of elderflower.
Nutrient rich, Frill ice cream has ten times the fiber and half the sugar content of standard ice cream, with the latter coming from the whole fruit only, instead of from refined sugar or concentrates.
It’s a versatile product, too, and can be blended into smoothies, breakfast bowls, dessert recipes as well as cocktails. Definitely one to impress health-conscious guests or fussy children.
MiiRO
These vegan ice cream pops from MiiRO may resemble a Magnum on the outside but they’re made with frozen coconut milk, nutritionally bolstered by nuts, sweetened with coconut sugar and Italian grapes, balanced by Himalayan pink salt and fortified with pea protein.
The chocolate is made from raw cacao and contains no refined sugar, no preservatives or artificial flavorings. They’re also gluten free and just 166 calories.
Miiro offers three flavors: salted caramel, peanut butter and chocolate hazelnut. While they undeniably taste ‘healthy,’ they’re still creamy and the salted caramel is certainly the best of the trio with its strong salty taste.
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NANABAR Nice Cream
A plant-based ice cream alternative, nice cream is made from frozen bananas, and at pop-up, made-to-order bar NANABAR in London, it comes with nutritious whole-food toppings.
The venture is the brainchild of Justin Martin. As a type one diabetic, Justin found a whole-food, plant-based diet had helped him tremendously, not just with controlling his condition, but also with improving his energy levels and overall attitude towards life.
“I want to get more people thinking about what they eat,†Justin says. “I’m grateful that diabetes provided me with a reason to start thinking about how to eat healthily, but I realise it’s not always easy in the fast-paced world that we live in. NANABAR will allow people to eat more healthily on-the-go, without having to sacrifice great taste, or enjoyment.â€
Oppo
Oppo ice cream is made with fresh milk, virgin coconut oil and stevia leaf and consequently has 60% less sugar and calories than regular ice cream.
There are four flavors: salted caramel, Madagascan vanilla, mint choc swirl and Colombian chocolate with hazelnut.
Salted caramel includes lucuma, which is known as ‘gold of the Incas’ in Peru and contains beta carotene, iron, zinc, vitamin B3, calcium, and protein. Meanwhile fruit from the African baobab infuses the Madagascan vanilla flavor with a slight tang. It’s a rich source of vitamin C, potassium, and contains more antioxidants than any other fruit.
The healthy addition to the mint chocolate flavor is spirulina – a vibrant green plant from the South-China sea. It’s very high in protein and contains lots of vitamins and iron.
All the flavors are no more than 43 calories per scoop and taste absolutely divine – there’s nothing to make you think they’re ‘healthy’ at all!
Harriet is Editor of MACROS and perfectly capable of eating an entire log of goat’s cheese in one sitting.
