It’s summertime, and you know what that means: It’s time to eat lots and lots of ice cream. You eat it, your kids eat it, even your dog eats it. We love to eat ice cream, but what we don’t love is all of the unhealthy stuff that comes with it.
Store-bought ice cream has ingredients we don’t even know how to pronounce! Still, we buy ice cream and enjoy every bite of it—and sometimes regret it later.
Do you want to know a secret? There are many alternatives to regular ice cream—ones that you can indulge in guilt-free!
Some options mimic the look and feel of regular ice cream but don’t contain all of the calories and fat. Those include Halo Top, Enlightened, and Sweet Habit. Frozen yogurt is also a great alternative that gives you that frozen treat feel but with the same health benefits as yogurt.
Homemade ice cream is also a great alternative to store-bought. In addition to traditional flavors such as vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate, you can make fruity flavors. Adding fresh fruit to homemade ice cream creates a healthier frozen treat made with ingredients you can pronounce.
Now let’s talk about some fun treats that aren’t like ice cream but will satisfy those frozen cravings.
- Chocolate-dipped frozen bananas. Not only will this frozen treat cool you down on a hot day, but with fresh bananas, it’s good for you. To put a little crunch in the chocolate coating, add sprinkles, peanuts, pretzels, or other options
- Yogurt parfait popsicles. These simple yogurt popsicles can even be eaten for breakfast. With yogurt, fresh fruit, and granola the only ingredients needed, these popsicles are healthy and yummy enough to make you forget about regular ice cream
- Strawberry banana ice cream sandwiches. These tasty sandwiches are a great healthy alternative to regular ice cream sandwiches. With fresh, frozen bananas pureed and added strawberries between graham crackers instead of cookie, you can pronounce all of the ingredients and they’re a clean eat
- Fruit and yogurt cones. You can use refrigerated yogurt and your favorite fresh fruits. This healthy treat will trick your taste buds into thinking you’re eating ice cream
- Greek yogurt fudge pops. These pops are a re-creation of the traditional fudge pops but healthier. Instead of being made with traditional chocolate, they are made with chocolate Greek yogurt. You can use any kind of yogurt and dairy-free milk to make these pops even healthier.
No matter what your favorite frozen treat is, there is probably a healthier alternative. It’s time to stop feeling bad about eating frozen foods during the summer and start trying these fun and healthy options.
