Making ice cream at home can yield a healthier product than what is available at ice cream parlors or grocery stores. Having complete control over the ingredients means that it's possible to make strawberry ice cream with lots of fresh fruit, healthy vitamins and minerals and a limited amount of fat, sugar and calories. The only piece of equipment necessary for homemade ice cream is an ice cream maker.
Healthy Ingredients
A healthy strawberry ice cream starts with the most nutritious ingredients possible. In general, foods that are healthy and nutritious have a low number of calories and low amounts of fat, sugar, sodium and cholesterol. They are also rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Most foods that fit those criteria are very fresh, whole, natural and completely unprocessed. Try to use the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid as a guide. The pyramid recommends low-fat or nonfat dairy products and fresh fruits.
Base
The majority of ice creams have a base of heavy cream, which provides a rich flavor but also has heavily concentrated amounts of fat and calories. Though the flavor of ice creams made without heavy cream may not be as rich and the texture may not be quite as creamy or thick, it's easy to make healthier versions by using half-and-half, reduced-fat milk or even skim milk as alternate bases. Making frozen yogurt with low-fat or nonfat yogurt is another viable alternative that "Cooking Light" magazine recommends for extra protein and calcium.
Flavor
Some ice creams get their strawberry flavor from artificial ingredients. To make ice cream that's as natural and healthy as possible, use fresh strawberries instead. Wash, hull and chop the strawberries before adding them to the rest of the ingredients. To make the ice cream pink and incorporate the strawberries further, mash or puree them first, and stir them thoroughly into the mixture. Fresh berries are the most nutritious ingredient in strawberry ice cream, so add plenty.
Nutrition Facts
To calculate the nutrition facts of homemade ice cream, consider all of the ingredients separately, and use an online nutrition tool or calorie counter to find the number of calories and amount of fat, sugar and other substances in a single serving. Next, add up the total amounts of calories, fat and sugar in the ingredients, and calculate how many half-cup servings of ice cream are in the batch. Divide the total amounts by the number of servings, and the answers will provide the nutrition facts for a single serving.
Recipe
Gather 3 cups reduced-fat milk, 3 cups fresh strawberries, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup nonfat powdered milk and eight egg yolks or egg substitute equivalent to about eight eggs. Wash and dry the strawberries thoroughly, hull them and chop them roughly. Use wild or hand-picked strawberries for the best flavor. Heat the milk and powdered milk in a saucepan, and dissolve the sugar in the mixture. Whip the egg yolks or egg substitute until thickened. Add 1 cup of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks, and then add the egg yolk mixture to the rest of the milk. Add the vanilla, and refrigerate the mixture overnight. Next, mix in the fruit. Finally, prepare the ice cream according to the ice cream maker's instructions.
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