5. Are there any low-calorie ice creams that taste great?
A new process called cold-churned, slow-churned, or double-churned thoroughly disperses tiny globules of milk fat. Right after the ice cream is churned it is frozen to very low temperatures to keep that texture, so the ice cream has the feel of richness for fewer calories and fat. Examples of these freezer pleasers:

• Breyers Double Churn Free Caramel Swirl (100 calories and 0 grams fat/ half cup serving).
• Friendly’s Smooth Churned Light Vanilla or Light Forbidden Chocolate Ice Creams (100-110 calories and 3.5 grams fat/half cup).
• Dreyer’s/Edy’s Slow Churned Light Mint Chocolate Chip (120 calories and 4.5 grams fat/half cup).
• Starbucks Low-Fat Latte Ice Cream (170 calories and 3 grams fat/half cup) - this one is a bit too high in calories, so keep your serving size small!
• Nonfat Breyer’s Double Churn free Cappuccino Chocolate Chunk (110 calories and 0 fat)

The real secret here is to really watch portion sizes. The suggested serving size for all ice-cream-like desserts is one half cup. That isn’t much! It is easy to serve more than that, and if you eat right out of the container you could be packing in two to three times the calories.

6. What about bars? Are they healthier?
There are lots of bars and pops to choose from that come with an added advantage over ice cream — portion control. Some people have a better shot at limiting themselves to a single serving when they have to unwrap each one. Also, most bars and pops weigh in at about 3 ounces. Open a pint or half gallon or ice cream and you’re likely to eat at least a half cup or 4 ounces (for most of us, it’s probably closer to a cup!). Granted, most pops and bars are loaded with sugar and calories, and some (even some frozen yogurt bars) pack in as much fat as a Big Mac.

The fruit and juice bars typically are more sugar than fruit. And don’t be fooled by the “all fruit” claim on the front of the box. Many are made with concentrated white grape or pear juice, which is just glorified sugar water. Tropicana Orange Juice Bar (first ingredient is OJ), Dole Strawberry Fruit’n Juice bars, and Dreyer’s Fruit Bars (Strawberry, Tangerine, and Raspberry) have as little as 30 calories. Of course, keep in mind that even the best fruit/juice bar is no substitute for real fruit. Every one has added water and sugar. Look for desserts that have real fruit or fruit puree as their first or second ingredient (after water, milk or yogurt).

Haagen Dazs Raspberry and Vanilla Bars combine nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt with a nonfat raspberry sorbet shell for only 100 calories and no fat. In contrast, Breyer’s Light Double-Churned Creamy Vanilla Bars and Dreyer’s Slow-Churned Rich ‘n Creamy Cookies and Cream bars are up to 48% fat, more than a teaspoon of bad fat, and are made from ingredients like coconut oil, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (think trans fat!), and cocoa butter. In general, look for items that contain no more than 1 gram of saturated fat per bar or per 100 calories.

Tasty frozen desserts are so easy to make and an excellent way to boost your vitamins, minerals, omega-3 healthy fats, and even fiber. Here are some homemade suggestions:

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