Best Non-Diary Frozen Treats

The weather has been absolutely miserable the last few days in Maryland, hot and humid!  When the temperatures increase in the summer I always crave minimal prep meals and cool desserts. One of my favorite cool desserts is ice cream.As a registered dietitian, I'm always looking for better-for-you ways to indulge. It not only helps me, but also my clients who are often looking for product ideas that are lower in calories, sugar and fat. I'm a big believer in moderation and sometimes you just need to go for it and splurge on a premium product. I wrote about my favorite premium organic ice cream from Trickling Springs Creamery in a previous post which is definitely worth the extra calories.If you have a sweet-tooth like me however you might want to consider some better-for-you options that are lower in calories and added sugars, like my pineapple ice cream or two new products I've been loving Halo Top and Incredible perfectly-free non-dairy frozen bites. I spoke about these products as well as the importance of mindfulness when it comes to portion control this weekend on WBAL TV in Baltimore. If you missed my segment you can watch it below:[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtpBqyeW9uI[/embed]

Halo Top

Now, for a few reasons why I'm loving Halo Top:

•  Taste! It is actually really delicious! If it doesn't taste good than why eat it, right?
• Low Calorie. At 60-70 calories for 1/2 a cup it is one of the lowest calorie options on the market. It is sweetened with stevia and erythritol (a non-bloating sugar alcohol), which keeps the added sugars low (4g per serving) and total carbohydrates at about 14 grams per serving.
• It Contains Fiber. Interestingly, it also contains prebiotic fiber and you get 5 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup serving. The product does freeze harder than other ice cream products, so you will want to take it out of the freezer and let it soften for about 5-10 minutes before serving.

 

Incredible Perfectly-Free Non-Dairy Frozen Bites

Incredible Perfectly-Free Non-Dairy Frozen Bites are free from 8 of the big allergens (dairy, soy, wheat, peanut, egg-free, fish-free, shellfish-free, and tree-nut free). Here are a few of the reasons I really enjoy these bite-size treats.

• Delicious! Again, I really like the flavor of these treats. My favorite is the cocoa and vanilla which reminds me of the flavor of a fudgesicle.
• Perfect portions. These treats are packaged in trays that contain four bite-size  bites that are about 25-35 calories per bite.
• Low in carbohydrates per bite. At only 6 grams of carbohydrate per bite, these are a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth without 'breaking the budget' for those that count carbohydrates.