I Tried Six Different Ice Creams To See If Low Calorie Ice Cream Can Replace Traditional Ones. This Is My Verdict

Indulging in ice cream is literally one of life’s greatest pleasure. Unfortunately, with great ice cream comes great calories. Traditionally that would mean the end of a relationship your diet if you consume a whole pint as you allow your soul to slowly seep into the creamy goodness of 800 calories (minimum), and to avoid the next alternative would be frozen yogurt which taste nothing like ice cream. Well, not anymore.

Enter the newest alternative: Ice cream, but lower in calories.

As its name states, low-calorie ice creams (LCIC) are generally lower in calories compared to full calorie ice creams. This helps you enjoy a little bit of dessert without saying goodbye to your effort especially if you are hitting all those fitness goals, making it an attractive alternative to full flavoured ice cream.

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!

To retain the sweetness without the calories, LCIC would typically replace some or all of the sugar required in the ice cream’s recipe with a sugar replacement of sorts – it could be a sugar alcohol like zylitol or malitol or stevia, which comes with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

This means that while a typical pint of ice cream might cost you 200 kcal per 100ml, LCIC can bring the numbers down to as low as 80 kcal. Table 1 shows you a list of ice cream and it’s nutrition labels.

The Competition.

I tested a range of ice cream products (one traditional, four different brands) to see which product is worth buying for taste, nutrition value, and calories.

The Lowest Calorie Range

To compare between ice creams, we took the nutritional data and compared it to kcal per 100 grams. As you can see on the data table on Table 1, Calli’s Durian Durian Ice Cream clocks in at the lowest calorie count of 79 kcal per 100 grams.

Do you know what’s crazier? That’s not even Calli’s lowest calorie range! Clocking in at 240 kcal per pint or 50 kcal per 100 grams, Calli’s Ooh La La Vanilla is the lowest calorie ice cream I have seen so far! Many of Calli’s ice cream range are consistently placed between 320-370 per pint which is equivalent to a very small meal.

Oppobrothers came in as a very close second with both Mint Choc Swirl and Colombian Chocolate and Hazelnut clocking in at 80 kcal per 100 grams, and also have a full range of ice cream that ranges between 60-80 kcal per 100 grams.

The Tastiest LCIC

You CANNOT talk about ice cream and not talk about taste. Most LCIC in general taste pretty similar to their original counterparts, and so to be fair, this is really subjective to the type of flavor you like.

In terms of pure richness of flavor, I particularly like WOAH Protein’s chocolate taste. It was the closest taste to artisan chocolate I can find within the competition. So if you are a big fan of chocolate ice cream, this might be the product to try.

Oppo was a good favorite for looking for products that you can replace traditional flavors from, as I can find flavors like salted caramel, berry, chocolate and mint chocolate (my favourite!) within the brand. This would be the brand I would choose to enjoy a lower calorie alternative.

If you are a fan of local flavors like Durian and Earl Grey, consider trying Calli. I especially like Calli’s Durian Durian flavor as it taste very similar to durian, but I can enjoy it at a way lower calorie cost.

If you are hoping to explore into a whole range of different flavors, Enlighten by far have the most amount of ice cream flavors.

The Highest Protein

Talk about appetite control and you will not be able to leave protein out of the conversation. Protein is known for it’s appetite regulating factor which can be helpful to keep your hunger pangs at bay, cause you to snack slightly lesser over a period of time.

In this category, WOAH Protein’s Chocolate Ice Cream came in highest in absolute protein values of 11.7g/100ml, while Calli’s Durian Durian ice cream came in second of 7.6g/100ml and Enlighten’s Black Cherry Chocolate Chip a close third at 7.2g/100ml.

The All Rounder Nutrition Value

I compared the nutrition values of the range of ice cream I tried to find the “healthiest” LCIC. Within the 6 ice cream I tried, Calli came out top, having the lowest total fat and carbohydrates along with a decent amount of protein.

Where Can I Get These Ice Creams?

In Singapore, you can get most of these ice creams from the local supermarket. Aside from Woah Chocolate Ice Cream, I bought them off the shelves. However, to make your life easier, these are the links I have found to purchase some of the ice cream.

• Calli – Click here or visit NTUC Finest
• Enlightened – Cold Storage Supermarket
• Oppobrothers – NTUC Supermarket
• WOAH Protein Ice Cream – Click here to purchase
• Ben & Jerry’s – All local supermarkets

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, and I do not earn any commission from sharing about the ice cream.

Can LCIC Replace Traditional Ice Cream To Give Us Taste Without The Calories?

From a taste perspective, you can definitely replace traditional ice cream with LCIC. That said, there are flavor combinations that just can’t be replaced, and if you are looking for a particular taste or flavor, it is usually recommended to have a smaller portion of the real thing than to enjoy a full tub without the experience. LCIC is after all, an alternative to consider for when you want ice cream.

Are There Any Downsides To LCIC?

Unfortunately, there are two main downsides I have noticed in my adventure with LCIC. Compared to traditional ice creams, LCIC are very hard to break in. This means that you cannot enjoy LCIC immediately, and should consider waiting for 5 minutes or so to let the ice cream melt before digging in. Thankfully, no spoons were harmed in this exploration.

You might also find your throat feeling dry more often while enjoying a serving of LCIC. So remember to hydrate!

Can I Replace A Meal With LCIC?

As tempting as it sounds, LCIC should not be used as a meal replacement. While the calories are low and might fit nicely within your calorie count per se, a pint of ice cream may not be enough to meet protein and micro nutrient requirements. Therefore, it is still important to ensure that you are eating whole food to provide your body with the nutrients it deserves.