Cold, satisfyingly sweet ice creams are a hit summertime treat, but don’t get carried away, warns Suzy Weems, a professor of family and consumer sciences at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
You can probably guess it’s not the most nutritious option, and relatively high in calories. But you might be unaware that even frozen yogurt and flavoured snow cones fall under the same category, too.
A lot of people think ice cream is a good source of vitamin D and calcium due to its dairy content, but that simply isn’t the case either.
“It does have calcium along with vitamin D, vitamin A and some of the B vitamins to help with energy release, along with about 2.5 to 3 grams of protein — not much, but more than none,” she said in a university news release.
But at 145 calories for a half-cup of vanilla and 160 for chocolate chip, these frozen treats can wreak havoc on your diet, and quickly. You’re not much better off with a half-cup of vanilla frozen yogurt either, at about 117 calories, albeit more calcium and protein. For snow cones, Weems points out that each ounce of flavored syrup contains about 90 calories.
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In other words, you’re like that cockroach villain in the original Men in Black – just drinking sugar water.
“Sweetness doesn’t quench your thirst, but few people are going to drink water after a snow cone,” Weems said.
If you really crave a shaved ice treat, she suggests a pickle-juice cone (that’s right). The sourness will make you thirsty and activate your body’s natural cooling system.
“The more you drink, the more you sweat,” Weems said. “When sweat evaporates, you’re cooler.”
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