You can now buy ice cream that contains only half the amount of saturated fat. Good thing, because Americans are eating foods with too much saturated fat and added sugars, according to the USDA's 2010 Dietary Guidelines. Another step towards healthier eating is choosing healthier toppings to put on your ice cream. You might be pleasantly surprised by how good fresh or frozen fruit, nuts and seeds and dried fruit are on top of ice cream and how good they are for you.
Naturally Sweet Toppings
Fresh fruit on ice cream makes a refreshing dessert and a great way to get more fruit in your diet. Fresh fruit goes well with vanilla, chocolate, Neapolitan, rocky road or almost any other flavor of ice cream. Popular combinations are sliced peaches or nectarines on vanilla ice cream or any fresh berry on chocolate ice cream. Adding fresh fruit adds vitamins, minerals and fiber to your diet. Fresh fruit is naturally sweet -- it does not contain added sugars. Everyone can enjoy fresh fruit, even diabetics, as most fresh fruit will not raise your sugar levels very high, and a variety of sugar-free ice creams are available. Enjoy pitted Bing cherries, peaches, nectarines, mangoes, strawberries, blueberries, bananas or any other fresh fruit as a healthy ice cream topping.
Crunchy Toppings
If you are in the mood for a sweet and salty combination, nuts and seeds go well with ice cream. Almonds, pistachios or peanuts are popular nuts to put on top of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Cashews, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are also good. Adding dry roasted nuts will add some vitamins, minerals, plant proteins and healthy fats to your diet. Nuts and seeds are some of the primary foods of the Mediterranean diet pyramid. Not only are you adding nutrients but also some heart health benefits. You can buy dry roasted seeds or nuts with less salt or even without salt.
Fruit Sauces
The tart flavor of fresh berries is appealing and delicious on the rich taste of chocolate ice cream. If fresh berries are too expensive or not in season, the next best thing is frozen berries. Fresh and frozen fruits have the same nutritional value and health benefits. Start with frozen berries, add a tiny amount of sugar and a small amount of lemon juice and heat the mixture in a saucepan on medium heat until it thickens. Take it off the heat, let it cool, then puree it in a blender or food processor. Enjoy the cooled berry sauce as a healthy topping on your ice cream. You can make a sauce using any frozen fruit.
Toasted Coconut Topping
Toast a cup of coconut in the oven or a toaster oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about eight minutes or until the coconut is golden brown. Grind 2 oz. of peanuts or any of your favorite nuts in a food processor. In a medium bowl, combine the toasted coconut and nuts. Put one cup of any multigrain flakes or plain corn flakes in a food storage bag, seal it and crush the flakes so you have very small pieces. Add the multigrain flakes to your bowl with the coconut and nuts. Mix well. This makes a nice healthy topping for your ice cream.
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