Best ice pops to keep you cool in the summer heat while keeping your health in check.
When looking at a nutrition label, it can be overwhelming. You might wonder what you should be looking for, or what values are “good” and what values are “bad”. When it is hot and humid and you are looking for something to cool you off, the last thing you want to do is dissect a nutrition label.
So, to make it simple, look at these three things: total carbohydrates, total fat, and the INGREDIENTS list!
It is so important not to forget to look at the ingredients. As a general rule of thumb, try selecting products with no more than 10-12 ingredients and products with ingredients that you can actually pronounce. If you can’t read the ingredients, chances are they are not what you want in your body.
*As we take a closer look at the specifics, please note that all referenced ice pops contain < 130 calories and < 2 g total fat.
Although the Skinny Cow Full on Fudge Bar is known to be a low calorie sweet treat, it contains high amounts of sugar. With that being said, it is extremely important to remember to look beyond the calories. Just because the box screams, “100 calories”, does not make it “healthy”!
The Creamsicle and Yasso Frozen Yogurt Pops are also relatively high in total carbohydrates and are accompanied by a long list of ingredients.
However, Ruby Rocket’s Galaxy Green Pops are here to save the day! They are not only tasty and refreshing, but also low in sugar and fat with relatively few ingredients! This one is definitely a winner!
As follow ups, we have Simply Popsicles and Minute Maid Juice Bars which both contain less than 10 g total carbohydrates each and consist of a reasonably short list of ingredients.
Other ice pops that are noteworthy, in terms of total carbohydrates, total fat, and listed ingredients are as follows:
- GoodPop Frozen Pops Strawberry
- Whole Fruit Organic Juice Tubes Apple Cherry
- Chloe’s Pops Mango
- Lifeway Frozen ProBugs Orange Creamy Crawler
- Lifeway Frozen Kefir Bars Vanilla
- Outshine Fruit & Veggie Bars Acai Blueberry
Written by Nicole Lindel, MS in Nutrition Education from Columbia University