New Ice Cream Complaint

So I complained a couple months ago about the shrinking ice cream boxes.

Now there's a new ice cream racket.

See, about a year ago this "less than a dollar a box" product appeared in the ice cream section of the store. It was "frozen dairy dessert". Of course, being a cheapskate, I tried it. The kids loved it, and Tim and I thought it was fine. Not so rich as ice cream, but sweet and...fine. And cheap. It came in only the basic chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors. Since the main ingredient was skim milk instead of cream, I assume it was cheaper to produce and (though I never checked) a little higher in sugar to counter for the lower in fat.

So now we have ice cream companies trying to pass it off as ice cream and trying not to tell you they sold you a non-cream product.

For example, Dreyer's Loaded. It's NOT ice cream. It's frozen dairy dessert, with the first listed ingredient in some flavors not even milk--it's whey (a byproduct from the cheese-making process). But it looks like ice cream and the "frozen dairy dessert" label is so small it's almost invisible on the extremely busy ice cream box.

Nutritionally, it's not the same. For example, the Double Fudge Brownie ice cream has 20 carbs, 7g fat, and 3 proteins per half cup. The "Loaded" Double Fudge Brownie Frozen Dairy Dessert has 23 carbs, 5 g fat, and only 2 proteins per half cup. There is the issue of whether skim milk or cream is actually more likely to make you gain weight. (There are studies out there indicating that children who drink whole milk are less likely to gain weight than children who drink skim or 2% milk. Some people think it's because skim milk removes the fat but leaves the milk sugars). And whey is supposed to increase insulin production, so it will hit your body different than cream does. Not to mention the fact that it's "LOADED" with extra carbs to counter the lack of richness from missing the cream.

Of course, this isn't healthy food anyway, so what does it matter?

And it does taste good, although without that rich creaminess that ice cream has.

Just be aware when you set out to buy ice cream--some kinds have more sugar than others, and some kinds have more fat, and some aren't even ice cream. You have to read the box.