Sunday, July 19, 2009

Taste Test: The Best & Worst ‘Light’ Ice Cream

Diet ice cream? Why bother? That’s what Lifescript staffers thought too. But if dietary restrictions keep you from chowing down on the real deal, “healthier” ice cream may be your only choice. In celebration of National Ice Cream Day, find out which brands made the grade in our diet ice cream taste test…

Does low-fat, fat-free, no-sugar ice cream sound like a big scoop of blah? Sure, it does. But if diabetes, heart disease or other conditions prevent you from eating the real thing, don't give up. You can have your “light” ice cream and eat it too.

How do you know which brand will satisfy your sweet tooth? Fourteen Lifescript staffers tested five brands and eight flavors. Each was judged on its texture (creamy, thick, thin), taste (rich, sweet, bland) and aftertaste. None got straight As in our unscientific taste test, but a few came close. (Some also had stimulating effects on our digestive tracts.)

Here’s how they fared, from worst to best:

Häagen-Dazs Five, Brown Sugar
Serving size: 1/2 cup
Calories: 230
Total Fat: 12 g
Sugars: 23 g

Grade: F


You know that old saying, “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream”? Our testers were screaming all right, just not for this “unique” flavor.


One comment says it all: “It looked like vomit, smelled like coffee and tasted like crap.”


Others tempered their complaints: “Sour” and a “bad aftertaste” described this ice cream best. Many were instantly turned off by its mustard color.


The all-natural product fooled one tester at first. “The initial taste was bearable, but the immediate aftertaste was awful.”


The lone dissenter said: “It wasn’t terrible, but you need to acquire a taste for this one. It’s too weird and foreign of a flavor.”

Not one Lifescript staffer said they’d brave this one again – even if it was free.

Good thing too. Though it has 6 fewer grams of fat than Häagen-Dazs’ regular vanilla, this ice cream scored off our charts in calorie, fat and sugar content.

Dreyer’s Slow Churned No Sugar Added, Neapolitan
Serving size: 1/2 cup
Calories: 90
Total Fat: 3 g
Sugars: 4 g

Grade: D+

Who knew Lifescript staffers were a bunch of ice cream purists? Combining three flavors – chocolate, vanilla and strawberry – didn’t fly.

“There are too many things going on in my mouth at the same time,” said one baffled tester.

Another “couldn’t distinguish the separate flavors.”

But one person could: “The chocolate is bitter, but the strawberry is good.”

It wasn’t just the flavor that failed to please: An unpleasant aftertaste and a “cardboard-like” texture added to their aversion.

The good news for those who licked their Dixie cups clean? Its healthy profile. A half cup contains only 90 calories, 3 grams of fat and 4 grams of sugar, among the best nutritional values on our list.

That still didn’t fool one tester: “It was good, but I could tell it was diet ice cream.”

Lovin’ Scoopful Churned Light, Yummy Cake & Cookie Dough
Serving size: 1/2 cup
Calories: 130
Total Fat: 3.5 g
Sugars: 17 g

Grade: C-

There wasn’t a lot of lovin’ for this one.

The creators managed to muck up the basics – the vanilla ice cream base. Some testers noticed a “grainy” texture. “It feels like the sugar wasn’t totally blended, kind of like sandpaper,” one said.

They also turned up their noses at the flavor. “The ice cream itself was a little off. It sort of tasted like vanilla but not,” complained one.

“It has a weird, fake flavor,” said another. Others thought it was too sweet.

Its one saving grace? “The cookie dough is tasty,” many staffers said.

Still, one tester felt that Lovin’ Scoopful was a little stingy with the add-ins. “I’d prefer bigger cookie dough chunks.”

Check out pictures of the ice cream taste test in our slideshow!

Breyers Smooth & Dreamy, Strawberry Cheesecake
Serving size: 1/2 cup
Calories: 120
Total Fat: 3.5 g
Sugars: 20 g

Grade: C

Smooth? Sure. Dreamy? Not so much. Testers were split on whether they’d scoop this one into a bowl at home.

Inspired by a beloved dessert, its over-the-top sweetness overwhelmed staffers’ palettes. (It’s no wonder, with 20 grams of sugar per serving.)

“This doesn’t taste remotely natural,” said one tester. “The strawberry syrup was a little overpowering.”

Another said: “Tastes like cheesecake trash! I imagine someone took a perfectly good cheesecake, cut off the crust, stepped on it and dumped it in water.”


But some testers found redeeming qualities: “I loved the strawberry shortcake flavor” (close enough).

“It was the right combination of ice cream to strawberry flavor,” said two tasters. “It reminds me of the real thing.”

Clemmy’s Sugar-Free, Chocolate
Serving size: 1/2 cup
Calories: 200
Total Fat: 16 g
Sugar: 0

Grade: C+

First, the good: “This was my favorite. It was simple, chocolaty and totally satisfies my ice cream craving,” said one fan.

Another was excited about the “hint of marshmallow” that hit their taste buds.

Now the not-so-good: “Slimy” and a “metallic aftertaste” was the sentiment echoed by a few. One tester thought the flavor was “bittersweet.”

Interestingly, so is its nutrition label. Most testers talked about its overwhelming sweetness, yet Clemmy’s has 0 grams of sugar.

But the 16 grams of fat per 1/2 cup serving (the most of any ice cream on our list) makes this ice cream bittersweet indeed.


Breyers Double Churn Fat Free, Chocolate Fudge Brownie
Serving size: 1/2 cup
Calories: 110
Total Fat: 0 g
Sugars: 15 g

Grade: B

Our tasters had a love-hate relationship with this one. What set them off?

Quite a few people dug the richness of this ice cream (“very mousse-like and decadent”) and found the brownie bits tasty. “Very creamy and delicious – what a treat!” exclaimed one. Most found this “terrific as a substitute for unhealthier ice creams.”

But there were a few dissenters. One had an issue with the “weird, chewy things” (translation: the chocolate fudge brownie chunks). Another person thought it was “too rich and too sweet.”

It’s also worth noting that one said, “It was good but the texture seemed sticky, almost like Silly Putty.”

You have to hand to Breyers, which achieved such decadence with 0 grams of fat (thank the “double churn” process, which significantly reduces fat globule size, the company says.)


Breyers Double Churn No Sugar Added, Vanilla
Serving size: 1/2 cup
Calories: 80
Total Fat: 4 g
Sugars: 4 g (natural)

Grade: B


Our testers gave it two thumbs up for its creamy texture and pleasant amount of sweetness.

But many weren’t too sweet on this no-sugar-added version, even though vanilla is the best-selling flavor in the U.S. It had an “artificial, slightly metallic” taste and aftertaste.

Still, only 3 out of 14 people said they’d pass it up in the freezer aisle, making it one of the more popular ice creams.

One staffer thought some tasty toppings would improve it. Another said, “It’s good enough to satisfy a craving and I couldn’t tell it was low-cal.”

And for only 80 calories and 4 grams of natural sugar, you get to lick up a 1/2-cup serving of the sweet stuff.



Dreyer’s Slow Churned Yogurt Blends, Cookies and Cream
Contains live and active cultures
Serving size: 1/2 cup
Calories: 120
Total Fat: 4 g
Sugars: 15 g

Grade: B+


This yogurt blend ice cream was the favorite of the bunch. (That might’ve had something to do with the fact that many testers were cookies ‘n’ cream fans – after all, it’s the 8th most popular flavor in the U.S.)

Its right amount of sweetness, richness and a lack of aftertaste won rounds of applause, especially in light of its healthier profile. “This doesn’t taste fat-free, sugar-free or whatever-free!”

On the downside, texture was one bone the staff picked at. “Foamy,” “like Silly Putty” and too-small cookie bits were just a few of the complaints about this Dreyer’s concoction.

One tester had a complaint – and name change suggestion: “Where are the cookie chunks?! They should call it ‘Cookie-Crumbs and Cream.’”

We had to give bonus points for this one, too, because it contains live and active cultures, which promote healthy digestion.

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