Everyday shopping: Ice-block treats

What can we say – everyone loves an ice block in summer. But not all options are equal.

Some ice blocks – like Magnum Minis – are basically an indulgent treat. But others offer some nutritional benefit as well. Juicies have fruit juice, and the milky Popsicles offer the benefit of some calcium.

The juice-based ice blocks are pretty low in kJs, so you could easily fit one of these refreshers in every day if you wanted to. But we’d advise more caution with the choc-coated treats. Some can be high in kilojoules and saturated fat so remember: treats are ‘occasional’ foods – as I’m sure the kids could tell you. That said, the Magnum Mini Almond variant is better than the full-size version, which has 1375kJ and 13.8g saturated fat!

Sweet talk

Ice cream

• Made using cream or milk products.
• Generally aerated to give it lightness.
• Choose low-fat options.
• Ice cream with alternative sweeteners has less kilojoules

Gelato

• Italian-style ice cream made with dairy products.
• Usually more dense than our traditional ice cream (ie. less aerated), so try a smaller serve.
• Because of its name, some people think gelato contains gelatin – it doesn’t.

Sorbet

• Made in a similar way to gelato but water is used instead of milk or cream so it’s lower in kilojoules.
• A good option for anyone who needs to avoid dairy.

Frozen yoghurt

• This is not standard yoghurt in frozen form. These usually have a lot more sugar.