It’s hot and I don’t know about you, but I’ve been craving cold, creamy desserts! I’m going to try not to go overboard this year (keyword: try), and choose quality over quantity!

Frozen yogurt

• A lot of places claim to have probiotics in their product, but most of the time they are not live and active so you won’t benefit from them L
• Most froyo is low-fat or fat-free, but this is not necessarily a good thing. When these desserts don’t have much fat, they have other things to give them the texture that you like; these additives can be worse for you than fat! Also, your average froyo has between 13 and 20 grams of sugar per half cup serving. Most cups at self-serve restaurants is 16 ounces, so if you filled this you would end up with about 80 grams of sugar… 80 grams would be 16 teaspoons just to put this in perspective!
• If you are craving froyo, check out Tasti D-Lite, which contains only 13 grams of sugar per half cup serving.

Ice cream

• Sweet Republic is locally owned and they use dairy from Arizona dairy farms. Everything (including toppings!) is made from scratch using high quality ingredients and no preservatives or anything artificial. They have your typical chocolate and vanilla along with unique flavors like “Banana Foster,” “Honey Blue Cheese,” and their famous “Salted Butter Caramel.” If you are looking for ice cream this is definitely the place to go! If you don’t live nearby, Whole Foods also carries it!
• Lee’s Cream Liqueur is a two-for-one treat, combining ice cream with alcohol! Lee also creates her ice cream from scratch using top of the line ingredients. Some flavors include Black Russin with Kahlua, Champagne, Birthday cake with Scotch, Passion Fruit with Vodka, and Raisin Rum!

Gelato

• · Gelato is similar to ice cream but is not made with cream and does not have added air, making it more dense. It is also softer, almost the consitency of froyo. Their nutritional profiles are pretty similar.
• · Gelato Spot has realllly yummy gelato. There are a lot of flavors to choose from, but my favorites are the Stracciatella, Roche, Peanut Butter Cup, and Pistachio!

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

• · If you want to have a more nutrient-dense dessert, pick up Luna & Larry’s Organic Coconut Bliss from whole foods. This is a product that is made from actual coconut milk, so the fat content may seem high (~18g per ½ cup serving), but it is a medium chain triglyceride, which is actually really good for you! I also like that I actually know what all of the ingredients listed on the label are J

Remember that most of these treats contain dairy, which leaves many of bloated and icky. Sorbet, dairy-free yogurt, fruit flavored gelato, and coconut milk is the best way to avoid this feeling, but if you’re like me sometimes you just need that chocolatey, caramel concoction. There’s good new though! Digestive enzymes help to break down what our bodies can’t do very well on their own, so come in to Iluminar and we’ll give you 10% of these. The moral of the story here is that dessert is treat and should be enjoyed in moderation. High-quality, local, and preservative free products are a great way to do this!