Chill Out, Anything is Popsicle! (Possible!)
A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Waistline
It’s August, one of the hottest months of the year! Do you know what that means? Cold, refreshing treats to help us cool down are essential! What fits that description? Ice cream and popsicles are fan favorites for sure. As a health coach, people tell me they choose popsicles over ice cream, because they’re healthier…or are they? While they are oh-so refreshing, I find popsicles to be yet another food in the category of “confusing” when it comes to choosing something in the name of health.
Oftentimes when deciding between ice cream and popsicles, we think of the calories and dairy content of ice cream. Most people view popsicles as simply “ice,” so people say things like “it’s great, I just do popsicles!” Yet it’s just not as simple as you may think. Popsicles may be a better option compared to other summer sweet treats, but they’re not inherently a health-supporting choice. It ultimately comes down to which popsicle you choose.
We must take a step back to think about our individual priorities — what we’re focusing on, what our personal goals are, and what our commitment level is. Then, evaluate each food label, taking the answers to those questions into account. Popsicles are definitely a treat where we must read the labels, since they tend to have lots of sugar and additives. If we eat these sugars and additives regularly, they are not doing our health any favors.
A couple months ago, I did an episode on my podcast, Salad with a Side Of Fries, on ultra-processed food. As you’ve probably guessed, popsicles qualify. The sugar content is what places them in this category. There are also artificial sweeteners, sometimes in addition real sugar, plus thickeners, binding agents and dyes.
Remember: ultra-processed foods increase the risk of chronic disease due to the sugar, additives (like gums and thickeners) and the lack of nutrients. Many of the additives are used to prevent freezer burn and improve the texture of the popsicle. Binders, thickeners, and gums may cause gastrointestinal upset too. Popular additives you might find on a popsicle ingredients list are guar gum, xanthan gum, locust bean gum (also called carob bean gum), cellulose gum, cellulose gel, soluble corn fiber, and modified cornstarch.
Because people often ask for my assessment of food labels, I’ll do that here too. The first popsicle brand I checked out was FlaVor Ice; they feel super nostalgic to me. If you need a refresher, they come in a long, skinny, plastic tube. Their marketing is funny to me, because on the package it says, “fat free food, 25 calories per pop.” The box has six flavors, and the serving size is 1 pop. Each one has 6g of carbs, of which there are 6g of total sugar, 0g of fat, 0g of sodium, and 0g of protein.
Essentially what we’re seeing is that it’s all sugar, but we don’t really know how we feel about it until we dig a little deeper and look at the ingredients. The ingredients are water, high fructose corn syrup, apple juice from concentrate, less than 2% of citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate as a preservative, red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6, and blue 1. So relative to others I’ve seen, this isn’t as much sugar. Still, we’re basically having sugar water with chemicals.
Another brand I looked at was ICEE Popsicles. They have 60 calories each, 0g of fat, 0g of sodium, 15g of carbohydrates, of which there are 12g of added sugar and 0g of protein. In looking at the ingredients, this one was also made with high fructose corn syrup. For perspective, 12 grams of sugar is equal to a tablespoon, and almost half of the daily recommended amount of added sugar for a child.
According to these evaluations, typical store-bought popsicles are not such a great choice. Personally, I’d opt for ones where the only ingredient is fruit. Or you could decide to make your own. This circles back to the topic of commitment level — are you willing to do this? While you contemplate, let me share how easy it is. First, you don’t have to buy popsicle molds. You can use Dixie cups (or similar) with a popsicle stick and then you use tape to hold the stick in place while they freeze. Make a tic tac toe board out of tape on the top of the little Dixie cup, your popsicle stick goes in the center and is held straight up. Here’s how you make them: throw some fresh fruit in the blender; maybe add a little lime juice. If it needs something else, add whatever you need, maybe a touch of agave or honey if you want them less tart or more sweet. Then pour it into the molds/Dixie cups and throw them in the freezer. You can even get creative by adding mint or basil, depending on the fruit you’re using. Both are great with watermelon. Mint is also great with pineapple or peach. Basil tastes good with grapefruit, any berries, and mango. If you’re feeling wild, throw some cucumber or carrots in the blender with it. They’re going to disappear and you’re going to up your nutrient quotient a little bit. If you want more of a creamsicle-like pop, could add a little bit of Greek yogurt.
On the whole, while popsicles are often a favorite for the whole family, depending on which one you choose, they may not only not support health, they could potentially be health detracting! Still, with the hot temps of August, you now have the knowledge to enjoy frozen treats, choosing prepared ones that are better for you or even leveling up to make your own!
