All About Ice Cream: Which Brand is the Healthiest Choice?

Just about everyone loves the creamy decadence of ice cream. It's sweet taste and creamy texture is a popular comfort food among hundreds of thousands, possibly even millions. If you're one of the many that love eating ice cream, chances are you are aware of how hefty it can be in the calorie department. What you may not know about ice cream is that aside from containing a massive amount of calories, it can also be very unhealthy and filled with additives, preservatives and even trans fats. So the question is, which brands of ice cream are the healthiest? Well, this is difficult to answer, because what is healthy for one person may not necessarily be healthy for another person, especially if a person has some type of allergy or is lactose intolerant. The five brands of ice creams below are some of the healthiest choices people can make when it comes to eating this sweet, creamy treat.

Rice Dream - my sister thought that ice cream made from rice was impossible, and she was almost certain that it wouldn't be very tasty. Although she hated to admit it, she absolutely loved eating the Rice Dream, just as I do. Rice Dream is perfect for people who are allergic to dairy or are simply lactose intolerant since it doesn't contain milk. Another wonderful thing about Rice Dream is that it's not sweetened with sugar. Instead, it's sweetened with milled rice that is naturally sweet and very delicious. You can purchase Rice Dream in a variety of delectable flavors in most fine grocery stores as well as health food stores in your neighborhood.

Soy Dream - even though I don't personally like soy milk, I must say that Soy Dream ice cream is quite delicious. Like Rice Dream, Soy Dream comes in various flavors, but the good thing about Soy Dream is that many flavors are gluten-free as well, making it a great choice for ice cream lovers with both gluten and dairy sensitivities. Soy Dream can be purchased at many local grocery stores as well as health food stores around the country.

Skinny Cow - this particular brand of ice cream isn't organic or even all-natural, but compared to Ben & Jerry's all natural but extremely high saturated fat ice cream, Skinny Cow is great. I like Skinny Cow because the ice cream comes in ample-sized individual serving containers and only contain 150 - 170 calories and 0.5 grams of fat. I initially thought Ben & Jerry's was healthier, but with a heart-stopping 50% saturated fat, I came to the conclusion that Skinny Cow was definitely the healthier choice despite the fact that it's not all-natural. Skinny Cow ice cream can be purchased in various flavors from local Walmart stores, in addition to other grocery stores as well.

Clemmy's All-natural Sugar free Ice Cream - when most people hear about a product that's sugar free, they almost always automatically assume that it contains some type of artificial sweetener to replace the sugar. This is not the case with this unique and great-tasting ice cream. Clemmy's is unique because it's sweetened with Xylitol, an all-natural food-based sweetener, not Splenda, Aspartame or some other artificial sweetener. Check out clemmysicecream.com to find a retailer near you.

Breyer's Smooth & Creamy Ice Cream Bars - if you're like me when it comes to ice cream then you probably enjoy eating ice cream bars in addition to other forms of ice cream as well. This brand of ice cream bars tastes great and only contain 130 calories and 6gs of fat per bar. Despite their low fat content, these bars make you feel as if you're cheating on your diet because they're absolutely scrumptious. Purchase them at most major grocery stores.

It's not difficult to make healthier choices in regards to ice cream. All you have to do is read labels and make a conscious decision to practice portion control, and chances are you'll be able to "have your ice cream and eat it too". With the various healthier ice cream choices available, enjoying ice cream while remaining healthy and fit has never been easier.