Which Ice Cream or Ice Lolly is the Healthier Option?
Ice creams vs. Ice lollies — it’s the eternal dispute at the heart of every lazy summer’s day. Sort of.
If you’re looking for a way to cool down in this summer’s scorching temperatures and seemingly eternal sunshine; is it better to go for the classic frozen-dairy delight, or for the frosty ice lolly?
Well, let’s take a quick look. Here’s what’s in some of our summertime favourites.
Lollies
Nestlé Fab Strawberry Ice Lollies
Values per 100g:
Calories: 142kcal
Fat: 5.1g
Total Carbohydrates: 23g
Sugar: 18.2g
Fibre: 0.3g
Protein: 0.6g
Salt: 0.10g
Rowntree’s Fruit Pastille Ice Lollies
Values per 100g:
Calories: 87kcal
Fat: 0.1g
Total Carbohydrates: 21g
Sugar: 19.2g
Fibre: 0.1g
Protein: 0.1g
Salt: 0.01g
Values per 100g:
Calories: 95kcal
Fat: <0.5g
Total Carbohydrates: 23g
Sugar: 19g
Protein: <0.5g
Salt: <0.013g
Sainsbury’s Rocket Ice Lollies
Values per 100g:
Calories: 75kcal
Fat: <0.5g
Total Carbohydrates: 17.6g
Sugar: 16.4g
Protein: <0.5g
Salt: <0.05g
Mr. Freeze Jubbly Orange Ice Lollies
Values per 100g:
Calories: 27kcal
Fat: <0.1g
Total Carbohydrates: 6.1g
Sugar: 6.1g
Protein: <0.1g
Salt: 0.03g
Wall’s Solero Exotic Ice Cream Lollies
Values per 100g:
Calories: 144kcal
Fat: 3.1g
Total Carbohydrates: 27g
Sugar: 25g
Protein: 1.7g
Salt: 0.08g
Ice Creams
Values per 100g:
Calories: 309kcal
Fat: 19g
Total Carbohydrates: 29g
Sugar: 27g
Protein: 3.6g
Salt: 0.13g
Values per 100g:
Calories: 311kcal
Fat: 17g
Total Carbohydrates: 35g
Sugar: 22g
Protein: 3.1g
Salt: 0.19g
Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream
Values per 100g:
Calories: 251kcal
Fat: 17g
Total Carbohydrates: 20g
Sugar: 18.8g
Protein: 4.3g
Salt: 0.18g
Häagen-Dazs Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Values per 100g:
Calories: 282kcal
Fat: 17.2g
Total Carbohydrates: 27.8g
Sugar: 23.5g
Protein: 4.1g
Salt: 0.6g
Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Values per 100g:
Calories: 270kcal
Fat: 15g
Total Carbohydrates: 30g
Sugar: 25g
Protein: 4g
Salt: 0.17g
Nutritional red flags
Additives
The number of additives found in each brand of ice cream and lollies differs significantly. Some, such as Häagen-Dazs Vanilla, boast few ingredients (fresh cream, condensed skimmed milk, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla extract), while others list dozens of mysterious additives.
As a rule of thumb, lollies and ice creams with fewer ingredients, and fewer processed additives, are likely to be better for your health overall. Simple tastes are usually best here. More intricate flavours usually contain more additives. Check the ingredients lists before purchasing.
Sugar Content
Mainstream ice cream and ice lolly brands all tend to be chock-full of sugar, by and large. Sugar has repeatedly been suggested as a common culprit in over-eating, and too much of the stuff may be linked to excess weight gain and obesity. Try not to over-indulge too regularly.
Dairy
Ice cream is, of course, made from dairy. Ice lollies typically don’t contain dairy, but sometimes do when the flavours are more nuanced and experimental. Keep this in mind if you have any pre-existing dairy allergies or intolerances.
Conclusion
Neither ice cream nor ice lollies are exactly health foods. Both treats contain a lot of sugar; both are likely to contain a lot of additives too.
Ice cream tends to be higher in calories by a clear margin, largely due to the higher fat content from the dairy used to make it. People who are “bulking” in the gym will likely prefer ice creams to ice lollies. Dieters will probably lean more towards the lower-calorie ice lollies.
People with dairy intolerances should generally limit or avoid ice cream.
Eating either snack in moderation isn’t likely to cause you any problems, and there’s no need to cut out these delightful seasonal treats altogether. Just be mindful of calorie intake, and wherever possible, go for the snacks which have the fewest additives.
