Healthy Food Chart

Recently I saw how twenty-five years ago our former President Reagan declared July to be National Ice Cream Month (as if the jelly beans weren't enough to contribute to America's desire for sweets). The Mercury News boasted how popular ice-cream sales nationwide are at about $702, 858, 3000 just in the month of July. (They should have reminded us of the obesity and diabetic epidemic along with it.) Don't get me wrong here, I enjoy moderate amounts of ice cream myself now and then, but really, is there a need to push the sale of it, especially when there are viable great tasting alternatives?

Try deliciously creamy Fage fat free yogurt (it needs only a hint of sweetener; stevia is my choice for a trul low calorie natural sweetener) with fresh strawberries or blueberries. I can work that in my daily diet guilt free every single day with about 160 calories compared to probably more than double that considering ice cream serving sizes and flavors. (The serving size for regular ice cream is a half cup for about 150-160 calories, but who eats a mere half cup as a serving, or even just the plain varieties which can double or triple the amount of calories.)  Fage yogurt and fruit gives me a real nutrition punch (and the natural benefit of probiotics to support the digestive tract) rather than just a bunch of empty sugar calories that I may end up feeling guilty about especially if I eat more than the tease of a half cup serving.

I've also been know to make my own natural smoothies/shakes with a frozen banana, vanilla extract, stevia, protein powder and ice. Yum! It truly is what you get used to. I literally haven't "craved" ice cream in years because I use great tasting substitutions.

What's your favorite "scoop solution"