Dear Peggy: It's ice cream season, but I'm trying to eat healthier. Can you tell me the differences among all of the frozen desserts out there and which is the healthiest? —D.R., St. Louis, Missouri
That's a very good question. My best advice is to compare nutrition labels and consider what's important to you. Are you willing to eat a smaller portion of a rich dessert, or would you rather eat more of a lighter product?
Here's an explanation of the types of frozen desserts.
- Ice cream > a sweetened combination of milk and/or cream. Sometimes eggs are added.
- Frozen yogurt > yogurt and sweetener, like sugar, churned together like ice cream.
- Custard > a rich, sweetened mixture of milk and eggs.
- Gelato > has less air than traditional ice cream, so it's dense, smooth and creamy.
- Sherbet > made from sweetened fruit juice; it may also contain nonfat milk.
- Sorbet > made from sweetened fruit juice but, unlike sherbet, it doesn't have milk, and its texture is softer.
Use the chart below to compare the frozen desserts nutritionally (based on 1/2-cup servings), keeping in mind that nutrition information varies among brands and flavors.
| Ice Cream |
Calories |
Fat (g) |
Carbohydrate (g) |
| Ice Cream |
140 |
7 |
15 |
| Light Ice Cream |
100 |
3 |
17 |
| Fat-Free Ice Cream |
90 |
0 |
21 |
| No-Sugar-Added Ice Cream |
80 |
4 |
14 |
| Frozen Yogurt |
Calories |
Fat (g) |
Carbohydrate (g) |
| Frozen Yogurt |
120 |
3 |
22 |
| Fat-Free Frozen Yogurt |
90 |
0 |
19 |
| No-Sugar-Added Fat-Free Frozen Yogurt |
70 |
0 |
18 |
| Frozen Desserts |
Calories |
Fat (g) |
Carbohydrate (g) |
| Gelato |
240 |
15 |
25 |
| Custard |
180 |
10 |
19 |
| Sherbet |
120 |
0 |
28 |
| Sorbet |
120 |
0 |
37 |