is halo top healthy

But, at least I didn’t feel like I was being “unhealthy” by finishing an entire container of something in one sitting. A pint of the “healthy” ice creams also has only around five percent of the fat in Ben & Jerry’s. Besides Halo Top, a bunch of other low-calorie alternatives have cropped up in grocery store freezers recently.

This article was originally published on Aug. 14, 2019. “My two pet peeves are that it feels like [Halo Top] is highlighting two things: ‘You can eat this entire pint for only a small amount of calories, and look at all this protein!’” says Keri Gans, a registered dietitian in New York City. But is the low-calorie ice cream healthy? But is “healthy” ice cream really healthier than real ice cream? We should be sitting down to the recommended serving, which is half a cup. Even though Halo Top contains fewer calories than other pints, that doesn’t mean it’s helping your health, experts say — and don’t let the added nutrients, like protein and fiber, fool you. Halo Top made headlines this month when it became the... You may not feel as satisfied. “It creates this concept of foods”— in this case, real ice cream — "that are off-limits.” In reality, though, ice cream and other desserts “are definitely fine every once in a while.”. “The short answer is no,” Amy Kimberlain, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Miami and a media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. If you want to double it, fine, but you shouldn’t sit down to a pint.”, Nor should people prioritize getting protein from their dessert. A pint of vanilla Halo Top weighs 256 grams, while a pint of Ben & Jerry’s vanilla weighs 428 grams. A Nutritionist’s Take on Halo Top and Other ‘Healthier’ Brands Adding nutrients doesn’t automatically make ice cream healthy. It all comes down to knowing yourself: Will a small portion of a “healthy” ice cream leave you satiated? By signing up you are agreeing to our, WH Proposes Rollbacks to School Lunch Programs, How the World is Reacting to Joe Biden's Election Win, Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know now on politics, health and more, © 2020 TIME USA, LLC. Since Halo Top launched in 2012, the company has experienced huge growth, with sales spiking 2,500% from 2015 to 2016 alone. “If this provides satisfaction for people, I tell them to eat it,” she says, “but don’t be fooled into thinking it’s healthier.” At least every now and then, you may be better off treating yourself to the real thing. Labeling on the front of a package has been shown to make buyers view the food more favorably, regardless of the food’s actual health value. It’s unclear why, but scientists speculate that regularly eating or drinking sugar substitutes may also cause people to crave sweeter foods more often, or people may believe that because they haven’t consumed calories, they can splurge elsewhere. Many healthy ice cream brands replace the whole milk and cream typically used in ice cream with skim milk. But be skeptical of packaging and marketing that gives any ice cream a health halo. Humans need protein to repair cells and encourage healthy growth and development. (She advises her patients to familiarize themselves with what a portion of ice cream looks like — half a cup — “and savor the whole thing.”), Kimberlain also points out that the messaging ice cream brands use creates the mindset that, “I can eat the whole pint, because it’s not that bad,” when in fact, no foods are good or bad. “Everybody has their own definition of healthy,” he says.

It can fit into their diet without breaking the calorie bank.”.

Even with high protein and low calories, Halo Top is still ice cream — something to remember before you devour an entire pint. Fans have flocked to the ice cream for its guilt-free health claims; entire pints range from just 240 to 360 calories per container (or 60 to 90 calories per half-cup serving). A few weeks ago, my sweet tooth raging, I rummaged through the freezer and found a nearly-full carton of Halo Top’s Birthday Cake Ice Cream. Halo Top Creamery CEO Justin Woolverton describes it that way.

For the creamy consistency that would have come from fat, they add zero-calorie thickeners, including gum (such as guar gum) and fiber (often listed as “prebiotic fiber” or “chicory root fiber”). A recent report analyzed 37 studies on zero-calorie sweeteners and found that despite have few or zero calories, they don’t actually help people lose weight — and instead may contribute to weight gain. While a pint of Halo Top, Enlightened, Simple Truth, or Arctic Zero ice cream contains only around 70 to 350 calories, a pint of, say, Ben & Jerry’s can pack more than 1,000 calories. Kimberlain adds that stevia and other sugar alternatives contain 200 to 300 times the sweetness of real sugar, which may just intensify your sweet tooth and make you more likely to hanker for dessert later on. To keep calories low, Halo Top uses the zero-calorie sweetener Stevia. “No one should eat a whole point of ice cream.

But getting enough protein isn’t an issue for most Americans; federal data shows that American adults consume around 15% of their daily calories from protein. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Artificial Sweeteners Are Linked to Weight Gain—Not Weight Loss. Some early evidence also suggests that sweeteners might interfere with the body’s mechanisms for metabolizing sugar. Some nutrition experts are skeptical about low-calorie or artificial sweeteners. Many of these brands also employ “guilt-free” messaging. MORE: Artificial Sweeteners Are Linked to Weight Gain—Not Weight Loss. A concoction that tastes okay most of the time, and pretty good at best. The low-calorie ice cream alternative satisfied my sugar cravings, though it did leave me a tiny bit wistful for the decadent creaminess of the real thing. “For us, [it means] foods that are as unprocessed as they can be. While a pint of Halo Top, Enlightened, Simple Truth, or Arctic Zero ice cream contains only around 70 to 350 calories, a pint of, say, Ben & Jerry’s can pack more than 1,000 calories. They also often substitute real sugar with lower-calorie sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) as well as zero-calorie sugar substitutes (such as stevia and monk fruit extract). Although prebiotic fiber has been shown to benefit gut health, large volumes can also make you gassy, she adds. The ice cream industry experienced a regime change on Monday when low-calorie, high-protein pints of Halo Top ice cream dethroned top-selling brands Ben & Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs to become the best-selling pint of ice cream in the U.S. If you compare “healthy” ice cream to regular ice cream “stat for stat,” the former does seem healthier, Kimberlain says. “Everybody has their own definition of healthy,” he says. Compared to other popular brands, that’s a substantial calorie cut: a half-cup serving of Häagen-Dazs or Ben & Jerry’s vanilla ice cream is 250 calories. Halo Top also uses prebiotic fiber, which Woolverton says is a natural type of fiber derived from plants like chicory root, to give the ice cream more texture and body. Halo Top Creamery CEO Justin Woolverton describes it that way. As a result, “you continue to eat that product in the hopes that you will feel satisfied,” or you may turn to another dessert to do so.

“For us, [it means] foods that are as unprocessed … Halo Top also boasts 20 grams of protein per pint.

“As far as the ingredients go, there’s nothing there that I would question as a red flag,” she says. “Protein is such a hot nutrient right now, and people are buying it without really knowing why,” says Gans. “Most people eat ice cream after eating dinner, and most do not need extra protein.”. Overall, Gans says she doesn’t see any problems with what’s in the ice cream. While many sugar alcohols are thought to be linked to gastrointestinal problems, Gans says erythritol is typically less potent than others. (For instance, Halo Top’s seals bear the affirming “Stop when you hit the bottom,” while Enlightened markets itself as “The Good-for-You Ice Cream.”) This can warp people’s perceptions of portion sizes, so that they think a pint of anything is a healthy portion size, Kimberlain says. Halo Top ice cream is a lower calorie alternative to traditional ice cream. Ultimately, people may end up consuming more calories than if they had occasionally eaten modest servings of the real thing, which would have left them satisfied and less likely to keep eating, Kimberlain says. The gum and sugar alcohols aren’t digestible, so they can cause gas and bloating. The result of all these Frankensteinian machinations?

Halo Top is something where people can eat the whole pint, or a lot more than a quarter of a cup of ice cream. And since “healthy” ice creams contain little fat, which normally provides flavor and makes you feel full, “they’re not satisfying.”. Unlike fruits and vegetables that are naturally full of nutrients, Halo Top is a processed dairy product with sugar and sweeteners. For added sweetness, it also uses organic cane sugar — which is still sugar — and erythritol, which is a type of sugar alcohol. Kimberlain doesn’t think “healthy” ice creams are inherently harmful. Since these products are supposedly “healthy,” they may eat them more frequently than they would regular desserts, and “healthy” ice cream may eventually replace other, higher-nutritional value foods. In fact, they may even act as a laxative in some people, Kimberlain says — ironically enough, since lactose intolerant consumers often reach for these products as alternatives to regular ice cream. Research Says Yes, You can unsubscribe at any time. Plus, they contain fiber and "all-natural ingredients."

You may just end up stuck in a vicious cycle, with “healthy” ice cream only further fueling your craving for sweets. They’re also low in sugar, as VICE points out, and some, like Halo Top and Enlightened, are higher in protein (but not high enough to help with gains or anything). There are also plenty of sources of protein, from chicken to quinoa, that are more nutritious than ice cream. Not everyone agrees. As Food & Wine Magazine points out, Halo Top is lighter in part because it contains less sugar and fat — the stuff that makes ice cream sweet and thick. There’s also a big difference in the weight of the actual ice cream. All Rights Reserved. Here Are The Recent Trump Campaign Lawsuits, Biden: 'This Is the Time to Heal in America', Alexander Hamilton, a Slave Owner?