Summer means time at the pool, time at the beach, and time at the ice cream truck! Yes, that’s right: Ice cream. If you thought you had to sacrifice your Ben & Jerry’s for your bikini body, think again!”Ice cream can be a part of a healthy diet,” says Angela Ginn, registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The key, she says, is the portion size — and watching out for the mix-ins and toppings.MORE FROM SELF: Save 711 Calories on Ice CreamFor example, have you heard about the new Burger King Bacon Sundae? It packs a whopping 510 calories, 18 grams (10 saturated) of fat and 61 grams of sugar. Definitely not a weekly menu item! According to Ginn, you’d have to jump rope for a solid hour to burn off all those calories.”When dining out, choose a kiddie cone or order one scoop in a cup,” Ginn recommends, adding that a good general rule of thumb is to keep your sweet treat, whether it’s ice cream or something else, to under 200 calories and no more than about 5 grams of saturated fat. That rules out most full-fat ice creams (boo!) — but even those, Ginns says, can be a “once-in-a-while” kind of treat.”Maybe you tell yourself that on Saturdays, you can order your favorite flavor at the pool, or treat yourself to a Haagen-Dazs bar after dinner,” says Ginn. (Food for thought: a full-size Haagen-Dazs vanilla milk chocolate almond bar contains 310 calories and 13 grams of saturated fat, while the “snack size” is 190 calories and has 8 grams of saturated fat.)MORE FROM SELF: Healthy Food Awards, Best DessertsSomething to definitely avoid, Ginn says, are ice creams containing trans fat, which is bad for your cholesterol levels, heart health and waistline. Ginn also recommends steering clear of artificial ingredients like high fructose corn syrup. “A whole foods, less processed diet is healthiest,” she says. “Read the ingredients and look for milk, cream, sugar, salt and whole fruit or whole chips and nuts. Make sure the ingredients could be found in your kitchen pantry.” (For example, Haagen-Dazs five ice cream uses only five ingredients: skim milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla.)When you’re browsing the freezer aisle, look for lower-fat milk options, which will cut back the calories and saturated fat, says Ginn. Keep in mind that full-fat ice creams are usually made with heavy cream, while Ginn says gelato is generally made with 2-percent milk and sherbets with 1-percent.Another tip: look for “slow churned” ice cream. Ginn says the slow-churning process creates more air volume in your treat, so you get fewer calories and fat per delicious bite. Dreyer’s/ Edy’s Slow Churned Vanilla Light Ice Cream won a Healthy Food Award from SELF this year — a half a cup will only cost you 100 calories and 3.5 grams of fat!When it comes to high-calorie toppings, aside from BACON, Ginn suggests passing on wet nuts, hot fudge and marshmallow creme. “For a healthier choice,” she says, “go for fresh fruit, crushed nuts, chocolate sauce or just a dollop of whipped cream.”MORE FROM SELF: Your Top 10 Superfoods
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