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• Choose wisely and ice cream doesn't have to be unhealthy

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Summer and ice cream should be synonymous. A hot, summer day is never complete without a refreshing scoop of ice cream. But do you know what you’re eating? Ice cream’s calories add up quickly, but don’t fret quite yet because there are healthy options for your next summer dessert choice.

Susan Brewer, professor of food science and registered dietician, explained, “The primary difference among regular, lite, and fat-free ice cream, frozen yogurt and Italian ice is the number of calories and the amount of fat and sugar.” The fat and sugar account for the calorie differences. While regular, or “rich” ice cream is highest in calories, fat and cholesterol, lite ice cream has the same sugar content. Yet, Brewer said lite ice cream is about one third lower in calories, primarily because of the fat reduction. Interestingly, between these types of ice cream, lite ice cream is the highest in calcium.

A summer indulgence can quickly turn into quite a large dessert. For instance, consider this: a chocolate-dipped waffle cone at Ben & Jerry's. It has about 320 calories and 16 grams of fat. Add just one scoop of Chunky Monkey ice cream and you are now looking at 820 calories and 26 grams of saturated fat. It may be a better choice to consider fat free ice cream every once in a while because it is even lower in calories and contains no fat as suggested by its “fat-free” title. As for sugar, it contains about 27% as much as regular or lite ice cream. When comparing ice creams, Brewer said, “Frozen yogurt is most like lite ice cream in terms of the calories, fat, sugars and calcium content, however, it contains minimal cholesterol.” There are many ice cream novelty options available and while the rich flavors and ice cream establishments invite you in with colorful posters and new combinations, be sure not to indulge too much.

Personally, I enjoy Italian ices whether it is a strawberry, lemon or fruity flavor. Italian ices are basically sugar and water with flavors, colors added. Brewer pointed out the resemblance to popsicles. Unlike the ice creams, whose base ingredient is milk, Italian ice has an insignificant amount of calcium. While in comparison to fat free ice cream, Italian ice similarly does not have fat and about two thirds the amount of sugar. Even better, Italian ice has about 20% of the number of calories as regular ice cream. Ice cream comparisons rely on several numbers and components but it is always important to realize the benefits of the ingredients of ice creams or Italian ices. Milk as a base ingredient for ice cream obviously adds calcium.

The calcium content may be more significant than one may realize. Brewer said, “The milk-based products contribute between 12 and 16% of the recommended daily intake of calcium of 1000 mg, which is based on a 2,000 calories diet.”

Don’t give up on ice cream, just be aware that you’re dessert could be equivalent to a meal with many calories and fat.

Start a healthy streak this summer with this refreshing dessert for just 65 calories per serving! Sit back and relax this summer with Granita, or sweet Italian ice, that you can make yourself courtesy of EatingWell.com.

Zingy Tea Granita

Ingredients
⅔ cup sugar
4 Lemon Zinger tea bags
3 cups boiling water
2 tbsp lemon juice

Directions
Place sugar and tea bags in a heatproof bowl. Pour in boiling water; stir until sugar has dissolved. Let steep until cooled to room temperature, about 1 hour. Remove the tea bags, squeezing out liquid. Stir in lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour or overnight. Pour the tea mixture into an ice cream maker (or food processor) and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. (Alternatively, freeze the mixture in a shallow metal pan until solid, about 6 hours. Break into chunks and process in a food processor until smooth and creamy.) Serve immediately or transfer to a storage container and let harden in the freezer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Serve in chilled dishes.

Tip: Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 days. Let soften in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour before serving.