Is Halo Top ice cream really a freezer dwelling demon?

July 11, 2017 Ashley 0 Comments

So, everyone’s raving about Halo Top.

The claim is it’s a “healthy ice cream” you can “enjoy guilt free”.

But does this trendy new treat truly merit its angelic label?

Ugh… This is definitely one of the toughest parts when it comes to weight loss. I mean, I won’t lie. I’m writing this on a lonely Friday. Bae’s outta town. Dusk is coming. Thus, tucking into a cup or my favorite frozen treat sounds uh-mazing. The thing is, I don’t do it that often, so I don’t hafta feel too badly about it. But, what if I wanted to? What about those who do eat ice cream on the regular? Ya know, the daily dessert-ers who don’t wanna desert their diet and weight loss goals? What kind should you guys be choosing?

And why’s Halo Top trending like a Trumpism ATM, as the top healthy ice cream?

Well, with a nutrition label like this, one can almost see why:

Low calorie, low fat, high in protein… what’s not to love?

Well, compared to your run’ve the mill Ben and Jerry’s or Baskin Robbins, of course it’s gonna be an improvement. But, as with most desserts, it potentially warrants horns or a halo when it comes to your waistline. (The former if you moderate – and the latter if you massacre gallons of it at a time.) And… therein lies the problem. See, the nutrition label may look benign compared to other ice creams. It may even look better than most plant based options, making you think, “Um… I thought vegan food was meant to be healthy? This looks healthier! Look at the nutritional facts!” But what you’ve gotta consider is how realistic that label is for what serving you’re actually gonna gobble down. Halo top may have godlike calorie counts. But its eaters tend to be less saintly when it comes to the intake amounts. Also, according to many who’ve had it, it’s as light and unsatiating as the cloud a halo bearing cherub perches upon. That means, you’re probably not gonna stop at half a cup. You’re gonna keep on eating the whole thing, hoping it improves, while trying to justify that it’s “okay because it’s healthier than other ice cream”. And, if you’re a foodie, you may do that more than once a week. So, yeah, it would be healthier – if you’d stopped at the serving size. But now that you’ve finished the whole tub of unsatisfying, mostly frozen air – less so. You may not have broken the caloric bank, but look at the cholesterol, carbs, and sodium counts. And how about the fact that it’s probably just made you hungry for something else?

(“Gotta cleanse away that palate massacre, stat.”)

But, before you reach for the bad stuff, there is a happy medium.

In fact, if you compare Halo’s stuff to something whipped up with cashew, almond, or soy milk, it’s no contest. See, one Halo Top complaint I kept reading was the “lack of creaminess” – something several vegan ice creams nail beautifully with their cashew based options. And, sure, the calorie or fat count may look higher on the label, but there are two things to consider. The first? That – unlike conventional ice cream – there’s less bad (saturated) fat; it’s more of the healthy kind you get from nuts. Also, the higher calorie argument’s nullified because – unless you’re PMS’ing or harboring an overeaters-anonymous worthy condition – you’re not as likely to overdo it and suck down a whole bucket of it, as your are with Halo Top’s flavored air. Not on a regular basis, anyway. Why? Because it’s rich enough that you’re satisfied after a half to a full cup of the stuff. With fewer calories, cholesterol, and saturated fat (than many of its dairy neighbors in the freezer) and all-plant based ingredients (meaning no harm to any animals by cramming them into factory farms to prize products from their bodies), it’s the legit angelic ice cream. One you can truly enjoy guilt free on your way to weight loss. (Not to mention – it’s celestial level delicious.)

(Soooo many options…)

Compassionate and appetizing?

Now that’s truly halo worthy.