Is there healthy ice cream in ice cream parlors?

Enjoying a snack during hot days at an ice cream parlor is a great idea. But, How do you recognize the highest quality ice creams, without additives or unhealthy ingredients?

“Homemade Ice Cream” May Not Be Real

The tags “own production”, “homemade” or “artisan” that adorn many ice cream parlors could be a first indication of quality, but unfortunately this is not always the case because they are not legally binding terms, that is, nobody is going to demand anything of them.

Therefore, consumer advocates should demand more transparency to ice cream makers.

So maybe it’s better to take a look at the ingredients? The bad news is that ice cream parlors are not required to indicate them. They only have to declare individual allergens and additives, such as colourings.

We can only trust our intuition. An ice cream counter that stands out for the intensity of the colors is usually an indication that it is about cheap industrial ice cream additive filler. A large volume may also suggest excessive use of chemical emulsifiers.

The best clue is that you do not see the ice creams because they are in metal containers with lids, as it indicates that the ice cream maker is concerned that the ice cream is not affected by temperature changes. A product based on additives is more insensitive.

Differences between ice creams

The term “ice cream” does not always refer to the same thing, since includes different presentations:

He frozen Not otherwise specified contains less than 10% milk fat and is therefore not suitable for vegans. Vegan ice cream contains another type of vegetable fat. ice cream contains more than 10% milk or vegetable fat. sorbet It has generally been made with fruit juice and without fat. It can contain any amount of fruit. granita It is made with finely crushed ice to which some essence, fruit juice or an alcoholic beverage is added.

What emulsifiers does it contain?

Emulsifiers ensure that the ingredients mix well and that the ice cream does not melt quickly. But they also have disadvantages. For example, it is suspected that the emulsifier polysorbate 80, which is often found in ice cream, promotes obesity and intestinal inflammation.

Lecithin, the most common emulsifier, is harmless to health. However, can come from genetically modified soybean plants that are grown in monocultures.

Is hygiene correct?

Walking into the ice cream parlor observe the degree of cleanliness on ice cream containers, work surfaces, workers’ aprons and the tools they use.

Any dirt is a bad sign and represents a risk that due to carelessness, germs have multiplied that could have contaminated the ice cream. Nut ice cream without nuts.

It is common to find vanilla ice cream without trace of vanilla natural and nut ice cream without nuts.

For example, in a pistachio ice cream, all or part of this nut can be replaced by a synthetic aroma of bitter almonds. Green is achieved with dye.

A clue that they are giving you a pig in a poke is that the sign says “ice cream with taste to pistachio”. In this case you can assume that the flavor is due to synthetic additives, not natural products.

If the sign says “pistachio ice cream” it’s a better sign, but it’s not a guarantee. Can ask the seller How much percentage of pistachio does the ice cream contain? If it really contains it, he won’t mind giving an answer.

Are supermarket ice creams a good option?

Supermarket ice cream has the advantage that it you can read the ingredient list. The bad thing is that surely you will not like what you can find.

If you have to choose, it’s simple: opt for ice cream with fewer E codes and fewer unrecognizable ingredients.

If in doubt ask or do it yourself

If you want to be sure what’s in your scoop or tub of ice cream, you should ask at the ice cream parlor. You can also make ice cream yourself, even if you don’t have a fridge at home. Then you will know exactly what ingredients you are consuming. I leave you with a few recipes: