The average American consumes almost 6 gallons of ice cream and other frozen dairy treats per year, and much of that is chocolate. You can enjoy chocolate ice cream in a healthy diet, if you eat it in moderation.
Types
Chocolate ice cream comes in regular, premium, reduced-fat and fat-free varieties. You can buy chocolate ice cream with additions such as nuts, marshmallow, caramel, chocolate chunks and other treats; these generally increase the calorie count.
Basic Nutrition
A half-cup serving of regular chocolate ice cream has 143 calories, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of protein and 7 grams of fat, most of which is saturated. A half-cup serving of premium chocolate ice cream contains 250 calories, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of protein and 14 grams fat, 10 grams of which are saturated. A half-cup of 98 percent fat-free ice cream only contains 92 calories, 21 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fat. Most of the calories that do not come from fat in chocolate ice cream come from sugar.
Vitamins and Minerals
As a dairy product, chocolate ice cream contains calcium. A half-cup serving of regular chocolate ice cream provides 72 mg of this bone-building mineral. You'll also get 19 mg of magnesium, 164 mg of potassium, 275 IU vitamin A and a trace amounts of many other vitamins and minerals.
Member Comments