Does Anyone Make Real Ice Cream Anymore???

A friend asked if I could do an article about ice cream vs. frozen yogurt.  I thought this was a great idea, until I started doing some investigating and found out that most frozen yogurts AND ice cream have additives in them.  So much so that I am going to have to write two separate posts! 

I took a trip to the grocery store to find out which ice creams really were the best for you.  This turned out to be a bad idea, because it made me very angry.  There are very few real ice creams made out there made of simple ingredients!  Even Breyers, who I thought made "natural" ice cream, is full of additives, thickeners and gums.  My mom informed me that so much of Breyers is not even real, they now have to call it a "frozen dairy dessert"! 

Let's check a little further:  Here are the ingredients for Breyers "Natural Vanilla" (their purest flavor), which they claim:
America's favorite Vanilla ice cream, made with five simple ingredients including fresh cream, rich milk, fine sugar and real vanilla bean specks. Breyers® Natural Vanilla - inspire your own masterpiece. 

Here are the ingredients:  MILK, CREAM, SUGAR, TARA GUM, NATURAL FLAVOR.

Tara gum is a natural thickener that comes from a plant in Peru.  That's a simple ingredient?  Apparently Breyers added tara gum because consumers wanted a "smoother texture".  And notice how there actually ISN'T vanilla bean in there like they claimed, it's listed as "natural flavor."  If it really was pure vanilla bean, it would say vanilla bean.   And you don't even want to know what is in the other flavors...gums and thickeners galore! 

So which ice creams are the best for you?  Here are the slim pickings I found at the grocery store.

1.  batch  

This is a Boston-based company that is currently only sold in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine and Connecticut.  But I love their philosophy! 

"We are Susie and Veronica, and we make ice cream fully from scratch using real ingredients, many of which are sourced locally and Fair Trade. By real ingredients, we’re talking vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, and our own handmade caramel, for instance. These are in contrast to the extracts and flavorings used in other ice creams. Additionally, we’re not into putting weird things in our ice cream – things like guar gum, carrageenan, xanthan gum, mono-diglycerides, corn syrup. Somehow it’s become the norm to put those into ice cream."  

Check them out at http://batchicecream.com/

2.   Haagen-Dazs

 

An old favorite from the mall, and always a fun treat when you get an ice cream craving at the food store.  Although Haagen-Dazs has some flavors with a ton of ingredients (like Bananas Foster and Caramel Cone), these simple flavors below are your best bets: 

coffee
vanilla bean (with real ground vanilla beans!)
green tea
chocolate
cookies and cream
chocolate peanut butter
strawberry

3.  Turkey Hill All Natural 

 

Turkey Hill started an all-natural line!  Although limited in flavors, it was great to see a list of very few simple ingredients from one of the big ice cream producers.  Turkey Hill also has the least amount of calories and fat compared to batch and Haagen-Dazs.  The salted caramel is delicious!

Know of any other natural ice creams?  Comment below!

~Healthy Food Detective


P.S.- My friend reminded me that the most natural ice cream you can have is homemade of course!  She is very lucky to have an Kitchenaid mixer with an ice cream attachment.  My mom has her own ice cream maker.  However, I don't have either of these tools.  My next challenge:  to make ice cream without an ice cream maker!  Stay posted!  
 

 Ice Cream's Identity Crisis: The New York Times

The Breyers Controversy

Summer dish: Tri-Color Italian Pasta Salad

So school is coming to an end, and I am absolutely running out of lunch ideas!  I am so sick of sandwiches and salads, so I've been getting into making pasta salads for the week- easy and delicious! After a shopping spree at Trader Joe's, I came up with this recipe.  I used their organic vegetable radiatore pasta for some extra vitamins and fiber.  And the key is to make your own dressing over using bottled Italian dressing- avoid those preservatives and artificial flavors!  

Tri-Color Italian Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 package Trader Joe's Organic Vegetable Radiatore Pasta
1 3-oz. package sun-dried tomatoes (I used TJ's)
1 3.8-oz. can of Lindsay Naturals black sliced olives (any olives will do-just check the labels for preservatives)
1 medium green pepper, chopped (any color will do!)
About 1/2 container of TJ's fresh mozzarella balls (Ciliegine), halved

Dressing- to taste (I don't really measure well, experiment a little bit at a time and see what you like! )

A few tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white or red vinegar
Adobo seasoning
Dried oregano
Italian seasoning

Instructions:

Cook pasta according to package- leave a little undercooked to keep it from getting mushy.  Drain and cool.  In the meantime, chop the green pepper and halve the mozzarella balls.  When the pasta is cool, add oil, vinegar and seasonings.  Gently mix in the rest of the ingredients.  Refrigerate and enjoy for lunch or a side dish! 

Other possible add-ins:

Grilled chicken or shrimp
Zucchini or yellow squash (lasts better than cucumber in a pasta salad) 
Red onion
Grape tomatoes
Chick peas
Fresh spinach

Be creative!  Have any other add-in ideas?  Comment below:  

The Greek Yogurt Showdown!

It's pretty hard to avoid the Greek yogurt craze these days!  I love Greek yogurt, as many do, for the thick texture and extra protein.  Of course, NOTHING tops the amazing yogurt I had in Greece (which was full fat I'm sure!).  Here in the U.S., we like our yogurt low or non-fat.  But how many of us are checking BELOW the nutrition facts at ingredients?  That thick texture may not be yogurt, but added thickeners like gums and starches.  See which yogurts top the Healthy Food Detective's list!

I compared all 0% fat strawberry yogurts.  Here are my ingredients ratings from worst to best!

6.  Dannon Light and Fit Greek

This yogurt may only have 80 calories, but this is the absolute worst on the list because it has CORN STARCH, SUCRALOSE (artificial sweetener), ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS (who knows what those are?), and CARMINE for added color.  What is Carmine you ask?  Well it just so happens to be ground up RED BEETLES.  Yes, you are eating insects for breakfast.  Totally disgusting!  

5.  Yoplait Greek

This yogurt was very close to being last.  The only thing saving it was that there are "natural flavors' in this yogurt instead of artificial ones in Light and Fit.  However, this yogurt still contains:  CORN STARCH, SUCRALOSE, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM (another sweetener), and our old friend CARMINE again.  Eek!

4.  Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt

Dannon claims "It's everything you want in a Greek yogurt." Does that include ground up red beetles and seaweed? 

MODIFIED CORN STARCH, CARMINE, CARRAGEENAN (red seaweed), POTASSIUM SORBATE

3.  FAGE Total Greek 0%

I really thought a real Greek brand would top the list!  The plain yogurt itself is totally fine.  However, the cute strawberry fruit cup on the side is what stores some thickeners. 

CORN STARCH,  XANTHAN GUM (natural thickener from corn/wheat, but processed product)

2.  Chobani 0%

This yogurt came to a close tie with Fage.  The only additive in here:  LOCUST BEAN GUM (Carob bean gum) 

1.  Stonyfield Organic Greek 0%

Of course, my favorite brand STONYFIELD takes the number one spot!  The ingredients speak for themselves:

CULTURED PASTEURIZED ORGANIC NONFAT MILK, ORGANIC STRAWBERRIES, ORGANIC SUGAR, PECTIN, ORGANIC NATURAL FLAVOR, ORGANIC ELDERBERRY JUICE CONCENTRATE (FOR COLOR).

And remember, the best strawberry yogurt around is to get plain, natural Greek yogurt and add your own fresh strawberries and honey!  

-The Healthy Food Detective

Swap That Smoothie!

One of the biggest scams I've seen lately are the pre-made, frozen smoothies that claim to be good for you.  These smoothies may be low-calorie and high protein, but did you ever read the ingredients labels?  Here is a label for the Yoplait Triple Berry Smoothie:

Yes,  this is low calorie and low fat, even when prepared with milk.  Actually, this one doesn't even have much protein (only 2 g!)  But check the ingredient list:  fructose, gelatin, sugar, corn starch, xantham gum, sucralose, carrageenan (seaweed extract!), citric acid. 

So this smoothie not only has sugar added, it also has sucralose, which is an artifical sweetener.  Plus all those added thickeners, including seaweed extract!  Fruit is naturally sweet and yogurt is naturally thick...why should you be eating all those extra ingredients to save time?  

It is SO easy to make your own, natural smoothies if you have a blender or food processor!  I have the Ninja Kitchen System (more posts coming on that later!) and it makes amazing smoothies in its own cup!  Here is a recipe for an all-natural, high protein smoothie that takes me 5 minutes:

PB & J Smoothie:

• 1 cup berries (fresh or frozen- I like Trader Joe's Berry Medley) 
• 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt (use natural Greek Yogurt for added protein)
• 1 tbsp. peanut butter (I use Trader Joe's or Skippy Naturals) 
• Splash of juice or water (orange, cranberry)
• 5 or so ice cubes, more if you like it "slushy"

Blend all together and drink!  Add more liquid if necessary.  

Other add-ins for extra nutrients:

• handful of fresh spinach (you can't even taste it!)
• flaxseed for added protein and fiber 
• 1 small banana 

Enjoy!  :)

Simplify Your Foods With These Simple Shopping Tips!

Shop cleaner, not "leaner"!  

Low carbs, reduced fat, sugar free....we're bombarded by diet foods on a daily basis.  These processed foods may help give us a quick fix to weight loss, but we are slowly damaging our bodies internally with artificial ingredients.  (See my previous posts!)  My easy shopping tips will help you choose cleaner, less processed foods- your body will thank you in the long run!

The Healthy Food Detective's Shopping Tips:

1.  Check your ingredients list FIRST!  Only looking at fat and calories won't help you avoid food additives

2.  Don't eat anything with more than 5 ingredients, or with ingredients you can't pronounce 

3.  Shop the perimeter of the store, where the fresh foods are located (fruits, veggies, meats, fish, eggs, dairy, etc.)

4.  Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food! 

5.  Avoid all foods that have "artificial flavors" in the ingredients list-  look for "natural flavors" or "all natural ingredients"  

6.  Avoid processed foods labeled "light," "reduced fat," or "fat free."  To make up for lack of flavor from fat, food manufacturers often add salt, sugar and thickeners to make it taste better.  Which means you are eating MORE food additives, which really isn't healthier, is it?

(Note: reduced fat dairy products are OK, ONLY if they don't include additives to get there!) 

7.  If you can't buy fresh fruits and veggies, stick with frozen (canned ones have added salts, sugars and preservatives).  And don't even THINK about buying those frozen veggies with the pre-made sauces on them-are you really that lazy that you can't put your own butter on frozen veggies!?

8.  Avoid anything "instant" or any boxed/frozen meals.  If you do need a quick meal, look for ones with natural ingredients, like Annie's Organic Mac and Cheese

9.  "Low sugar," or "less calories" often means the product has artificial sweeteners or additives.  This is especially prevalent in low calorie drinks such as Trop 50 and Crystal Light.  Trop 50 has 50% less calories than regular Tropicana Orange Juice.  But it has added sweeteners and vitamins- I thought orange juice naturally had sugar and vitamins?  Now we have alter it to make it "healthy"?  Simple swap:  cut juices with water or seltzer to make it less sweet, naturally!  

10.  MAKE IT YOURSELF!    Think about it....can you make a healthier, less-processed version yourself?  (Hummus, salad dressings, smoothies and sauces are some of the foods I make at home with all-natural ingredients.) 


If you follow these tips you will be on your way to cleaner eating! Of course, we're not perfect.  I occasionally buy over-processed foods and sometimes eat artificial flavors....but I'm trying to make healthier changes every day! 

~The Healthy Food Detective : )  

Food Myth #2: If it only has 100 calories, it has to be good for you!

What is it about the sound of "100 calorie snacks" that makes people think that it's some miracle food?  These snacks may be low on calories, but they are also low on nutrients!  

I definitely fell for it....I used to buy 100 calorie packs all the time!  However, I slowly realized that I could easily enjoy one real cookie or piece of chocolate for 100 calories instead of eating something I didn't really enjoy. 



Let's take Special K Pastry Crisps .  I bought these once in my life.  They allow you to eat TWO "light and airy" bars for a special treat that's only 100 calories!  They're not kidding about the light and airy part....I felt like I was eating air!    And I didn't enjoy them because I was STILL HUNGRY!  Now, lets take a look at what's in your 100 calories:

ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, VITAMIN B1 [THIAMIN MONONITRATE], VITAMIN B2 [RIBOFLAVIN], FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, FRUCTOSE, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN, PALM, AND PALM KERNEL OIL WITH TBHQ FOR FRESHNESS), GLYCERIN, MALTODEXTRIN, DEXTROSE, RICE FLOUR, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, COCOA (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF CORNSTARCH, SALT, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, INVERT SUGAR, CELLULOSE GEL, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), CELLULOSE GUM, SODIUM CITRATE, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, NONFAT MILK, SODIUM ALGINATE, XANTHAN GUM, DATEM, BHT FOR FRESHNESS.

Wow.  That is a whole lot of 20 + ingredients for something that is only 100 calories, tastes like air and doesn't fill you up!  Did you know that the preservative TBHQ is a form a butane?  (Yes butane, like the gasoline).  

Looking for some natural, healthy 100 calorie snacks you will actually enjoy?  Here's a few!  Make the smart swap and stop eating 100 calorie packaged goods with empty calories!

100 Calories (more or less) nutritious Smart Swaps:  

 

• 3 multi-grain crackers with a slice of low-fat cheese
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese with wedge of cantaloupe
• 14 almonds
• a fruit smoothie (1/3 cup lowfat yogurt, 2/3 cup frozen berries and ice)
• 1/3 cup edamame
• 8 baby carrots with hummus 
• apple slices with 2 tbsp. peanut butter 
• a Stonyfield farms 6 oz. fat free yogurt
• 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt with honey
• 1 cup grapes  
•  Trader Joe's light string cheese 
• 1 Kashi soft-baked cookie
• 1 1/2 cups oil popped popcorn, unbuttered (homemade) 
• 1 1/2 cups berries, unsweetened 

 Have any other natural 100 calorie ideas?  Post a comment below! 

~The Healthy Food Detective  :)