If in this period of the year, in anticipation of the infamous swimsuit test, everyone is on a diet, it is also true that with the first warm days the ice cream season has begun. For those who love it – and there are many of them – enjoying a nice cone represents one of the greatest pleasures offered by rising temperatures. In fact, in our country there is no shortage of excellent artisan ice cream parlors and even in large-scale retailers there are now more quality packaged ice creams than in the past with even gourmet proposals and selected ingredients.
But regardless of its melting consistency, ice cream is still a dessert – like a slice of cake – and as such can be more or less rich in sugars or fats or calories. Therefore, especially if you have the desire to eat it with a certain regularity, it may be convenient to follow a few small precautions to limit its impact on the daily diet. Especially when you pay attention to calories. So here are some tailor-made suggestions for making weight and ice cream get along, which obviously everyone can then customize according to their own tastes and needs (because we are all different).
A cone for lunch? It’s not just a matter of calories
But besides people, not all calories are created equal. Those who keep an eye on their figure often prefer to have lunch with a nice ice cream, to satisfy the palate and replace the energy intake of a normal meal with that of ice cream. And if we had to look only at the calories, a cone of homemade cream ice cream, perhaps with a puff of cream, provides on average the same calories as a salad with a wholemeal sandwich or a portion of a pasta or cereal salad in veggie grains.
However, what is very different – in addition to the nutritional composition – is the sense of satiety or, better, the duration of the sense of satiety caused by ice cream compared to the other two dishes (ie the two salads). Within a couple of hours after lunch, or even earlier, after the ice cream it is easy to return to a certain appetite, unlike what happens with the other two dishes. With the risk of nibbling all afternoon while waiting for dinner to arrive. The absence, or nearly so, of fibers in ice cream, plus the fact that its sugars are rapidly metabolised, do not allow for prolonged satiety which, on the other hand, is guaranteed by a light meal based on whole grains and vegetables, foods that require good chewing and engage the digestive system for longer. In short, it is not a good idea to have an ice cream for lunch, if anything it is better to have a light lunch, rich in vegetables and conclude it with a fruit sorbet, instead of a portion of natural fruit. Fortunately, in granitas and sorbets – provided however that they are made with real fresh fruit and not with syrups – the vitamins and antioxidants of the fruit remain (even if, in any case, some fiber and nutrients are lost). And then it should be remembered that at the end of a light and mixed meal, preferably rich in fibers such as those of vegetables, the sugars in the ice cream will mix with the food in the stomach and the sugar will be absorbed more gradually and, therefore, its reduced impact on blood sugar. All to the advantage of health and a prolonged sense of satiety. In short, combining fibers and ice cream is always an excellent idea.
Let’s talk calories: 100 is the magic number
With regard to calories, it is all too well known that creams, even more so if enriched with a spoonful of whipped cream, are decidedly more energetic than fruit ice creams, sorbets and granitas. The difference for one serving can be at least 150 calories. Luckily, in good ice cream parlors now slushes and sorbets based on fruit – and not syrups – are almost always present and to these is often added the offer of fruit sticks, a 2.0 version of ice lollies because they are based on pureed fruit, very little sweetened or even without added sugar. And with a lot of energy intake in sight (generally they don’t reach one hundred calories). So much so that they are often proposed as a light alternative compatible with any slimming diet. Obviously they will be consumed in place of the other snacks provided for in the dietary plan (but not every day).
Read labels
When it comes to buying packaged products, it’s better to check the label: if the calories are around one hundred, the ice cream can be considered a snack that is a bit richer but compatible with the figure. Often there are also mini formats, designed for children, which remain in an acceptable energy range. On the contrary, some classic ice creams on the go can well exceed even three hundred calories. High-calorie products that do not give that desired toning and refreshing effect because they bind the body with their load of fats and sugars. While we all know the invigorating and regenerating effect of a light and digestible lemon granita.
Tips for snacks and after dinner
Finally, if during the weekends you have the habit of having a snack or concluding the evenings with a nice ice cream, it is better to try to reduce the carbohydrate intake of the previous meal. For example, give up any pasta first course and replace it with an extra portion of mixed salad. At the restaurant, as an alternative to dessert, choose a portion of fresh fruit such as strawberries or berries: satisfying and decidedly light. And then, once in the gelateria, use common sense. It makes no sense to blame yourself if you occasionally (therefore no more than once a week) indulge in a rich ice cream. It’s not the exceptions that make us fat but the so-called bad habits. And sometimes it is precisely the satisfying exceptions to the Sunday rule that make us happy and make us resume our Monday pattern with less effort and frustration.
SOURCE: NATURAL COOKING