Whenever I walk by pints of ice cream that claim to be lower calorie, higher protein, lower sugar, higher fiber...and so on and so forth...I just keep on walking. The idea of a "healthier" ice cream has never appealed to me. I love dairy-free ice creams that are almond, coconut or cashew-based, but they don't claim to be any lighter, necessarily. Ultimately, I would much rather have a small serving of Salt & Straw or Jeni's and feel satisfied with that. But what about those who want to enjoy ice cream every day? (I mean, who doesn't?)

Brands that claim you can eat an entire pint without blowing your caloric budget are popping up everywhere. Halo Top is outselling Ben & Jerry's and Haagen-Dazs, and it's not for no reason. This is what people want. There is a freedom to eating that happens when you know you can eat all of something without the guilt of, "Oh sh!t, that was 1,000 calories and it was only a snack." It changes your emotions surrounding snacking from negative to positive, and I am ALL about that.

With much hesitation, I scooped, I tasted, I came out on the other side fully surprised. Watch above for the real-time reactions and keep reading for the snack-by-snack breakdown.

Arctic Zero Rocky Road Trip: Arctic Zero has been around for years, and I've genuinely been scared of trying it. I don't digest whey protein concentrate very well and added fiber sources make me nervous. Eating the whole pint for sure would upset my stomach, but this is all about flavor. Chunks of almond and real mini marshmallows stud the chocolate ice cream. There is a bit of that chalky protein flavor to it, but the more you eat it, the less you notice it. This is the iciest of the three, but overall it's pleasant!

Would I buy this again? Because of some of the ingredients (chicory root fiber), no, but if I were basing this solely on flavor and had a stomach made of steel, yes.

ProYo Dark Chocolate Toffee: ProYo does not advertise itself as an ice cream you can eat a whole pint of in one sitting, so it's not an entirely fair race. However, I'm glad I included it. The creaminess is on par with a full-fat ice cream, and the slightly higher fat content than the other two make it easier to scoop at the start. The flavor is deep and luxurious, and the bits of toffee are melty and delicious.

Would I buy this again? Like with Arctic Zero, this has a few too many ingredients that don't bode well for my tummy, but if we're talking flavor, this is a resounding yes.

Halo Top Chocolate Mocha Chip: Where Halo Top truly wins against the rest is with its ingredients. Milk, cream and eggs are the first three ingredients, which is exactly what I want to see. It does have erythritol and milk protein concentrate, but absolutely everything else on the ingredients list aligns with foods I normally consume. That aside, the flavor is ON. POINT. I used to get Starbucks Mocha Chip ice cream many moons ago and Halo Top's rendition reminds me of just that. The pint reaches peak creaminess after sitting out for a few minutes, and the wait is worth it.

Would I buy it again? Since taping, I've tried two other flavors and they've both been incredible. YES. YES. YES.

Which ice creams are you loving at the moment?

Ciao for now,
Kailey

Snack Break: "Healthy" Ice Cream