With warmer weather approaching, I figured I'd be proactive and ask... is SF ice cream acceptable, either store-bought or from an ice cream parlor?

Obviously, the first answer is "read the label," but assuming there are no franken-food ingredients, can this be permissable (like sugar free pudding or fudgicles)? Also, is there a significant difference between "sugar free" and "no sugar added"?

Thanks!

Hi, Swandive! Technically, no, it's not. However, I've experimented with it for the past three years and have been able to come to a happy compromise with it. It doesn't set off cravings as long as I stick to the serving size. I actually weigh my portion out each night (easier than trying to scoop it into a measuring cup). I find that works for me.

However, some of the flavors available at local stands have so much malitol or are so overly sweet that they set off cravings. So I tend to stick with the ones I know are safe (butter pecan has never set off cravings for me, for instance).

There aren't any real "sugar free" ice creams in that any ice cream should have some milk in it (if it doesn't, that's pretty scary! ) and milk has lactose (sugar). So "no sugar added" is what you want--it means that the only sugar is from the milk. They didn't add any sugar in to sweeten it.

Hope that helps--you'll have to decide for yourself what works for you. Personally, I figure that if the decision is between feeling deprived and overeating on or off plan later, eating some off plan ice cream, or having a small serving of NSA ice cream, I'll take the NSA stuff. There are some chicks, though, who are totally okay with just avoiding it altogether. Whatever works for you, but the official plan answer is "no" as far as whether NSA ice cream is okay.

Here are two old threads that might shed some light on the subject/give options:

Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt? (note that this is an old thread, so the products mentioned may no longer be available...)
Ziploc Ice Cream (Phases I and II) Super-fun way to make your own ice cream at home with safe ingredients.

Laurie:

Thanks for the answer; very informative. Also confirmed what I already thought.

I think I may just buy some popsicle molds for the summer, and experiment with making my own sweet treats... I love smoothies and mock-blizzards, and I imagine freezing them into molds would work really nicely.

Thanks again!

Swandive, I found some adorable popsicle molds on a website, then found them for super-cheap (under $10 for 5 molds) on Amazon. Here's the shape I got: Green Shooting Star but they have several different ones. I used SF pudding mix and a recipe I found online to make swirled pudding pops. They were delish and super easy! I read a bunch of online reviews and it looks like the Tovolo molds are the most sturdy, work the best, and are normal serving sizes for kids. Some of the others were so big that kids couldn't finish them (which means they are probably too big for me if I'm watching my weight, eh? ).

You could also make them using frozen NSA fruit with yogurt. I make little ones like that with an ice cube tray for my dog! She loves them and I think it's a riot watching her eat them.

P.S. I added two links to my previous answer...check them out as they have some other ideas.

I am with Laurie on this! I usually have a serving of Breyer's NSA..but certain flavors do set off the cravings. So, I usually get cookies and cream or just vanilla and use SF Chocolate sauce (warmed in the micro). I don't eat it every day and a 1/2 gallon usually lasts me 2 weeks.

Thanks Jenn! I can learn to live with cookies and cream

Mmm, the cookies and cream is delish! We don't have it at our local stores, but I can get it when I visit my mom.

I'm also a fan of the Blue Bunny "Bunny Tracks." At first it set off cravings, so I avoided it. Now that I measure a serving size, I'm okay. I love the containers they have, too--I wash and save them, then use them to store dinners in the freezer!