What Are The Health Benefits Of Homemade Ice Cream?

Homemade ice cream is a sweet treat that can actually be quite nutritious. The ingredients you choose to put in homemade ice cream will determine what vitamins and minerals you consume while enjoying your dessert. Making your own ice cream allows you to select what ingredients you include in your recipe so you can control your intake of fat and calories while also boosting your intake of essential nutrients.

Calcium

One of the main components of ice cream is milk, which supplies calcium for healthy bones and teeth. According to Holly McCord, author of "The Ice Cream Diet," eating a serving of ice cream everyday can help you reach the recommended 1,000 mg of calcium you need each day. A diet high in calcium can help protect you from osteoporosis, or the softening of your bones, as well as help control your blood pressure. Adequate consumption of calcium has also been linked to a reduced risk of colon cancer and a decrease in premenstrual symptoms, adds McCord. One 1/2 cup serving of ice cream will supply about 10 percent of your daily calcium needs.

Fresh Fruit

Adding fresh fruit to your homemade ice cream can help you increase your intake of essential vitamins. According to Dick Warren and Bobbi Dempsey, authors of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Homemade Ice Cream," many commercial versions of your favorite fruit ice creams use flavoring rather than real fruit, which decreases the nutrition of your sweet treat. Fresh fruit provides several vitamins, including vitamin A and vitamin C, which makes homemade ice cream more nutritious than many store-bought brands. An added bonus of using fresh fruit is that it contains far less sugar than ice cream mixes that are just fruit flavored. Fresh fruit will also boost your intake of fiber as well.

Vitamin D

McCord reports that store bought ice creams are not fortified with vitamin D, which prevents you from getting the same vitamin benefits that a glass of milk offers. Making homemade ice cream requires the use of milk, which is fortified with vitamin D. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that helps your body absorb and use calcium efficiently. Many people do not consume enough of this important vitamin, notes McCord, and if you enjoy ice cream on a regular basis, making your own can help boost your intake. A 1/2 cup serving of homemade ice cream will supply a small amount of bone-building vitamin D.