Chocolate Ice Cream or Vanilla Ice Cream: Which Food is “Better” for You?
With summer well underway, ice cream shops across the country are serving up cold, delicious treats in a variety of flavors to customers of all ages.
But can ice cream be part of a healthy diet? And does a particular ice cream flavor have a significant impact on the nutritional value of the food?
Fox News Digital spoke with two experts to answer these questions, just in time for National Ice Cream Day on Sunday, July 21.
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Ice cream “can absolutely be part of a healthy diet,” Dr. Chris Mohr, a nutrition and fitness advisor at Fortune Recommends Health, based in Louisville, Kentucky, told Fox News Digital via email.
“Food is about more than calories, sugar and fat,” he said.
Ice cream “can absolutely be part of a healthy diet,” one doctor said. But there are caveats. (iStock)
“The key is moderation and balance,” he said. “Having a scoop of sugar every now and then can help manage sweet cravings, which can make it easier to stick to healthy eating goals.”
Keri Glassman, a New York-based nutritionist and founder of the Nutritious Life platform, told Fox News Digital that ice cream should be a “mindful indulgence.”
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“Ice cream, because of its fat content, is a very satisfying treat,” she said.
“That means you should be able to eat a cone and be done with it. Just be careful and don’t dive into a pint with a spoon.”
Ice cream, Glassman also told Fox News Digital, contains something called C15:0, an essential fatty acid.
Chocolate ice cream and vanilla ice cream are both popular treats. But is one flavor healthier than the other? (iStock)
“C15:0 has been linked to slowing our biological aging at the cellular level. It targets multiple longevity pathways, strengthens our cells against age-related degradation, and supports our long-term cardiac, metabolic, and liver health,” she said.
Does the taste of ice cream matter?
So, given all this, how important is the flavor of the ice cream base?
Not much, Mohr and Glassman said.
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“Nutritionally, chocolate ice cream and vanilla ice cream are relatively similar,” Mohr said. “The most important factors to consider are the quality and ingredients used and the ingredients in the ice cream, such as candy, caramel and the like, which typically add more calories, added sugar and saturated fat.”
Glassman agreed, saying that rather than something like “chocolate or vanilla,” the real thing to look at is “the type and quality of ice cream.”
Keri Glassman (right), founder of Nutritious Life, told Fox News Digital that a person should focus less on the flavor of an ice cream and more on “the type and quality of the ice cream.” (iStock; Keri Glassman)
“You’ll want to check ingredient labels carefully. Look for products that are made primarily from real ingredients, like cream, milk, cocoa and vanilla beans,” she said.
“Many ice cream products contain all sorts of added ingredients that are unhealthy, such as colorings and gums.”
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According to Glassman, one way to make ice cream consumption as healthy as possible is to look for “the highest quality ingredients.”
Additionally, a person can “add nutrient-dense toppings like a little dark chocolate, chopped nuts or fresh fruit – and, most importantly, enjoy them,” she said.
Ice cream is high in fat, meaning a person should be satisfied after just one cone or scoop, one expert said. (iStock)
Mohr suggested a different technique to make ice cream consumption as healthy as possible.
“To make your ice cream a little healthier, add fresh fruit or nuts on top – or, better yet, on the bottom – and use the ice cream as a topping rather than a base,” he said.
“It’s a great way to increase the nutritional value while maintaining the taste of ice cream.”
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Alternatively, someone looking to reduce their calorie intake might try soft serve ice cream, rather than traditional hard ice cream.
“Soft ice creams often contain more air and may have additional additives for texture, making them lower in calories per volume,” he said. “Hard ice creams are generally higher in calories.”
Ice cream contains an essential fatty acid that may slow aging. (iStock)
However, Mohr adds, “Both types of products can fit into a balanced diet when eaten in moderation, but it’s a good idea to check the nutritional information on the packaging if you’re concerned. What you do most of the time is always more important than what you do some of the time – so both can fit in.”
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Although both ice cream flavors are nutritionally similar, experts told Fox News Digital they have a personal preference for one or the other.
“What you do most of the time is always more important than what you do sometimes.”
“I’ve always been a vanilla fan, but I’ve recently become a bigger fan of a chocolate base,” Mohr said.
“That said, large surveys have shown that vanilla is a more popular choice.”
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Glassman, for her part, describes herself as “a chocolate person in general” — but not for ice cream.
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“When it comes to ice cream, a real, high-quality vanilla bean is my favorite,” she said.
