Are "Healthy" Ice Creams Really Healthy? with Julia Zumpano, RD

Podcast Transcript

John Horton:

Hey there, and welcome to another Health Essentials Podcast. I'm John Horton, your host.

The ice cream freezer at the grocery store feels different these days. Sure, there are still decadent, ooey gooey options to consider. There are also frozen treats that seem almost, well, healthy. The better-for-you ice cream market is booming with low-sugar, high-protein, and dairy-free varieties available. And if you're the DIY sort, social media is filled with people raving about the benefits of homemade cottage cheese ice cream.

But are any of these new ice creams actually good for you? To answer that question, we asked registered dietitian Julia Zumpano to come back and join us on the podcast. She is one of the many experts at Cleveland Clinic who pop in to demystify health trends and help us separate fact from fiction. So, with that, let's get this scoop on this so-called healthy ice cream.

Welcome back to the podcast, Julia. I always know we're in for a fascinating chat when you're with us.

Julia Zumpano:

Thanks for having me.

John Horton:

Well, today's topic is a really fun one because who doesn't love ice cream? But before we get into all the technical stuff, I've got to ask you, what's your favorite ice cream flavor?

Julia Zumpano:

Definitely chocolate or peanut butter chocolate are my two favorites.

John Horton:

It's definitely hard to argue with that.

Julia Zumpano:

Yeah.

John Horton:

I always fall for those seasonal offerings, kind of the apple pie ice cream in the fall or the Creamsicle™ in the summer. But then, I will always go for just the absolute plain, perfect vanilla ice cream. There's nothing like it.

Julia Zumpano:

That's always a good way to go.

John Horton:

Well, now, with all that, I'm craving a bowl of ice cream. So, let's jump right into the question we all have, which is: Can ice cream be healthy?

Julia Zumpano:

So, I wouldn't classify ice cream as healthy, but I wouldn't even classify it as unhealthy. So, I think that's an odd way to answer that question because there are so many different kinds of ice creams. So, if you look at the simplest ingredients in a laundry list of ingredients, it really depends on what kind of ice cream you're choosing. And whether it would be classified as somewhat healthy or not healthy at all, I think that we want to look at ice cream as a treat, an indulgence. So, we don't need to make it healthy. We can just accept it as what it is, and that's an indulgence and a treat, and enjoy it whether you choose a healthier ice cream or an unhealthier ice cream.

John Horton:

Well, I like the fact that you're leaving the door cracked open a little bit for those of us who want to consider it a little bit healthier food, so I feel like we're already off to a good start.

When we look at kind of the traditional or the premium ice cream that's known for being higher in sugar and in fat and in calories- all things that kind of make it so yummy - so when you switch course and kind of go to these low-fat or no-sugar ice creams, is it really making that big of a difference?

Julia Zumpano:

It makes a mild or moderate difference. It depends really on how much ice cream you're eating and how frequently. If you're having ice cream once every couple month, I don't think it makes that much of a difference. It's an insignificant number of calories or sugar that you may be saving. If you're having ice cream multiple times a week, then that sure will add up. So, it really just depends on the frequency and the volume of ice cream you're consuming.

John Horton:

OK. Now, does the calorie count go down that much? Because I know in some of the things I read, it made it seem like there isn't that big of a variance between those kind of premium ice creams and some of these low-fat sorts of options that they give you.

Julia Zumpano:

There is a small amount of caloric reduction. There's a good amount of sugar reduction in some cases. But like I said, it really depends on how much and how frequently you consume it. So, if you're consuming ice cream, it's important to be mindful of calories and how much you're eating throughout the day. But if you're making that choice, I would say just make it wholeheartedly, plan for it throughout your daily caloric intake, or plan to expend a little more calorie, so go on an extra walk, have an extra work out that week.

So just really plan around it versus getting so nitpicky on the caloric or fat grams because I think that can create more confusion and then, kind of put you at a state of distress in the ice cream aisle, looking at so many thousands of different options and not knowing which one to choose versus just kind of choosing with your heart and your gut as to what you feel like and what you will really enjoy, and then understand what that does to your body and how you can adjust your daily needs and expenditure to be able to consume that and consume it with joy and happiness and confidence that it's a good choice, whether it's healthy or not healthy.

John Horton:

Now, you mentioned portion control, too. And I know that's something I think we're all guilty of. You get that scoop out and you start loading up the bowl, and you really don't spend any time looking at the side of the container as to what a serving is. Or you get one of those little bitty containers, and it just looks like something you could eat in one sitting. I take it that's something we need to be mindful of when we start digging into ice cream.

Julia Zumpano:

Absolutely. Ice cream is just a high-calorie, high-sugar food, regardless of kind, of what it's stated as being, low-fat, low-sugar - whatever the case might be. It's still not whole food. It's still not something that we need to be consuming every day. So, it's just an indulgence, a dessert, so we want to really be mindful of portion.

A serving size is about a half of a cup, which is about an ice cream scoop. So, if that's something you are consuming on a regular basis, I would really get the ice cream scoop out, get the old little glass half-cup souffle dishes and utilize that, especially if you're going to have it on a regular basis. If it's going to be only on special occasions, you could probably do two scoops on that occasion. But I would really avoid really piling on the ice cream because that's kind of defeating the purpose of even looking at calories or fat or comparison when you're really not even paying attention to portion. So, I think portions are almost more important than what the nutrition label says.

John Horton:

Well, I've got to be honest, I can't remember the last time I kind of stopped after one scoop. So, I think I need to show a little more restraint when I'm pulling out the container from the freezer.

When we're looking at these no-sugar options, too, is there any concerns with some of the stuff in there causing GI distress? I saw that could be an issue at times.

Julia Zumpano:

Sure, yeah - so most artificial sweeteners have some negative impact on your gut. Some people are more sensitive, some people are not sensitive at all. But we all know that non-nutritive sweeteners have the ability to disrupt your gut and maybe give you some gurgly feelings, some gas, some bloating, some indigestion, maybe even diarrhea depending on how sensitive you are to those. So, you want to be aware of that. And it's going to be trial and error. I would certainly start again at that half cup; see how you're feeling before you increase. Again, the GI symptoms are cumulative, so the more of the non-nutritive sweetener that you have, if you're negatively reacting to it, the more symptom, symptomatic you'll be. So just keep that in mind. So, most people are fine at a half a cup, but if they're doing two, three cups, they're really paying for it.

John Horton:

All the more reason to have that portion control that we were talking about a little bit earlier.

Julia Zumpano:

Yeah, absolutely.

John Horton:

When we start looking at these new kinds of health trends that are coming with ice cream, one of the big things is they're branded as having added protein. Can you really expect to get much of a boost from that?

Julia Zumpano:

So, some of the reason, from my understanding, to add protein would be to stabilize blood sugar. So, protein and fat slow down the rate of glucose in your bloodstream. So, when you pair protein fat and then some sugar, you're going to better stabilize your blood sugar than having sugar alone or just even fat and sugar alone. So, I think that's going to help from a blood sugar stabilization standpoint.

Protein helps fill you up. It's very satisfying, as is fat. So, if you include some protein in the ice cream, the hope is also that you consume less and feel fuller. So, from a satiety, hunger cue standpoint, that can be helpful, certainly. If you're looking to use ice cream as a source of your protein needs, I wouldn't suggest. But if it is aiding and adding to your protein needs, if you're going to eat ice cream anyway, then why not choose one that has some protein in it? That's not a bad idea. But I don't think the intent is really to help you meet your protein needs, but more so to stabilize blood sugar and hopefully make you feel fuller or satisfied when you do consume it.

John Horton:

OK. What about this whole idea of adding probiotics to ice cream? I know that's a popular kind of buzz phrase right now. Everybody is into having probiotics. Are you really going to get much bang for your buck out of that with ice cream?

Julia Zumpano:

My initial thought would be that there wouldn't be a lot of probiotics in there, so it's probably more of a marketing and selling ploy to get you to buy the ice cream. I would prefer that people get their probiotics from foods that they can eat every day versus, again, something that we only should be having on occasion. So, getting it from fermented foods - yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut - things that actually naturally have some probiotics or prebiotics in them, too. If you are consuming one with probiotics, it could be helpful in the digestion of the ice cream, so those who may have some trouble digesting ice cream, that's where that may be helpful just for the immediate response after you consume the ice cream. And if in that case it does help minimize some of those gastrointestinal symptoms, then it could be mildly beneficial in an individualized setting.

John Horton:

There's also a big movement, I know, toward dairy-free ice creams, which we're seeing dairy-free milk, or I guess milk beverages out, like that. So, it seems like it's a natural bridge over, is that kind of a healthy direction for people to go?

Julia Zumpano:

So generally, dairy-free options have almost the same amount of fat and calories and sugar, unless they've been noted to be reduced in those means. But there's a good portion of the population that doesn't tolerate dairy products very well, so it would be a great option for those who don't tolerate dairy but do want to enjoy ice cream. So, for that category, I think it would be a great option, as well as those who abstain from dairy -maybe they're vegans or vegetarians, or do it maybe for religious purposes - again, that would be another great option for them.

John Horton:

It sounds like it just, yeah, it opens the ice cream door for more people. And I guess that's a good thing.

Julia Zumpano:

Right.

John Horton:

Now here's something that, this is a social media trend, which those are always kind of fun to talk about. But there is a thing now for cottage cheese ice cream, which I've got to be honest, I'm not looking to rush to try it. But have you heard - is it a healthy thing to do? Is it a legitimate sort of way to go?

Julia Zumpano:

So, cottage cheese ice cream is actually a lot healthier than any of the traditional ice creams you're going to buy in the freezer section. You're preparing it yourself. You're able to use low-fat or even whole-milk cottage cheese, depending on what you want. There's even lactose-free cottage cheese. A serving has over 20 grams of protein, and the only two ingredients in cottage cheese ice cream are cottage cheese and honey. So, you're also able to control the amount of honey you're using. So, if you're looking for a lower-sugar option, you certainly can add less honey. And it's very easy to make, so I actually love this idea, I love this option. I think it's by far the healthiest version of ice cream when compared to anything you're going to store buy or buy in an ice cream parlor.

John Horton:

Wow. So TikTok got one, right?

Julia Zumpano:

Yeah, I would say so. Definitely.

John Horton:

That doesn't happen a lot. I know we've talked over the years about a lot of these kinds of crazy trends that come, so it's nice to know they hit the mark every once in a while.

Julia Zumpano:

Yeah. Yeah - the two basic ingredients are cottage cheese and honey. Of course, you can add flavoring like vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter, chocolate chips, whatever. You're going to add more calories as you go along, but I do think it's really nice to be able to tailor your mix of perfect ice cream that you make, adding certain things. You could add a protein powder if you wanted to, and certainly indulge in that way, especially knowing that you've used a better-quality sweetener, you've controlled the amount. You're using a high-protein base. You're making it yourself - there's no artificial ingredients, no colors, no dyes, no hydrogenated oils. I think it's a great option, actually.

John Horton:

All right. So, if you don't want to go the cottage cheese ice cream route, which I know you gave a big thumbs up to, what's another way, what else can you do to make some healthy decisions when it comes to eating ice cream?

Julia Zumpano:

So, it kind of depends on where you're eating it, right? So, I like to recommend eating ice cream or dessert on a special occasion, so it happens occasionally, not on a regular basis. Especially if you have trouble controlling those sweets or desserts, I generally recommend not having them at home. So maybe you go get ice cream every Friday with your family or your best friend or neighbor, whoever you want to enjoy that special occasion with. And I would recommend if you went out, try to stick to a smaller cone or cup. And if you really want to indulge, you can still do so because you know you're controlling the portion.

If you're trying to be healthier, I would stick to very basic flavors, which don't have a lot of additives. So, you're going to get more calories in sugar when you're adding things like caramel or nougat or chocolate chips or cookie dough. Any of those extra additives may add a little more calorie. So, your basic strawberry, chocolate, vanilla are basic flavors, are going to be probably your lowest calorie option when we look at regular ice cream choices.

If you are going to purchase ice cream, again, portion control is key and keeping it pretty basic. You can also - if you wanted a little more volume - you could add maybe some healthy ingredients like some berries and some peanut butter or chopped nuts to it to add a little bit more volume. So that might be helpful, too, at home to be able to doctor it up a little bit. I would try to avoid those additional toppings like chocolate toppings or marshmallows or candy or sprinkles or any additional things.

John Horton:

The butterscotch sauces, all the stuff there.

Julia Zumpano:

Butterscotch sauce, yeah. So again, I would try to avoid those additional toppings as much as you can and try to stick to healthy toppings if possible.

John Horton:

And even when you're selecting ice cream, and I think you kind of alluded to this, should you take a peek at the ingredient list and really just try to go as simple as possible, just where you're seeing milk and sugar and just your basic things instead of the long, chemical words that are in there?

Julia Zumpano:

Absolutely. I think that's really important. Aside from just calories and fat, we know that processed foods create inflammation in our body, and inflammation leads to disease and not feeling well. So, we know that all of those artificial ingredients aren't good for our system. So, if we're going to be purchasing the ice cream, we're obviously going to be consuming it, our family members are going to be consuming it. I would really get as simple as possible, the simplest ingredients, very basic, and then, again, add some healthy toppings on top.

That's where I'm a big proponent of making your own ice cream, even trying the cottage cheese ice cream. That's a good option. There are lower-sugar and no-sugar-added options that may not have those artificial sweeteners, just kind of being naturally sweetened with maybe a honey or just fruit juice or something, another natural sweetener. Those are another good route to look at. So, I want to look at more ingredients versus nutrition facts label. Really taking a look at what's in the ice cream is really important.

John Horton:

Well, we've gone up and down the ice cream section in this discussion, Julia. So, is there anything that we missed when it comes to this frozen treat?

Julia Zumpano:

One thing we didn't talk about was gelato. That's one of my favorite forms of ice cream. It tends to be naturally a little lower in fat. It's very rich, it's very creamy. It comes in a very small portion. It's very satisfying and typically very freshly made and natural ingredients. So that's one I highly recommend if you have that option close to you or you can find one at your grocery store. So, gelato is another great treat that I tend to enjoy often in the summer.

John Horton:

Well, who can say no to that?

Julia Zumpano:

I know.

John Horton:

Thanks again for joining us, and I look forward to having you back, Julia.

Julia Zumpano:

Thanks so much for having me.

Speaker 3:

Thank you for listening to Health Essentials, brought to you by Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Children's. To make sure you never miss an episode, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or visit clevelandclinic.org/hepodcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your own physician.