Alternative Treats – Ice Cream!

You may already know that I’m a fan of treats. I think it’s important to make good choices for ourselves in what we eat and drink, but I also think that enjoying life and the flavour and texture of food is important. And for kids, sticking to a super strict diet day in and day out often backfires when they’re on their own, making their own food choices. This is my first post about alternative treats and this one is about…

Ice Cream!

So delicious and so difficult for those of us who can’t tolerate dairy. We don’t eat cow dairy in our household but my kids (and my husband and I) love to go out for an icy treat.

Gelato can be a great dairy-free delight – some flavours are made with cream and many flavours are not. We usually go to Dolce on College street, here in Toronto. The Good Neighbour on Annette also has fabulous, diary-free gelato. Some gelato is coloured artificially, but the old fashioned gelaterias are usually pure and natural.

If you know of any other places serving non-dairy ice cream, please let me know. I’m particularly on the look out for soy-free.

If you’re having ice cream at home or at a party or BBQ or whatever, there are several alternatives to dairy. Here is what I think of them:

Coconut ice cream – soooooooooo yummy. The rich flavour and smooth texture of coconut milk make these treats delightful. There are 2 companies I’m currently enjoying… So Delicious and Coconut Bliss. These are their links:

http://www.sodeliciousdairyfree.com/products/coconut-milk-ice-creams

http://coconutbliss.com/coconut-bliss-products/chocolate-hazelnut-fudge

Soy ice creams – now that there are other options, I’ve stepped back from the soy ice creams. Tofutti and So Good are the brands most readily available and both contain heaping amounts of processed corn products which are difficult to digest and can cause all kinds of health trouble. So Good also contains artificial flavour. Sadly, I have bid adieu to the Toffuti ice cream bars I enjoyed in the past. I’ve included these companies’ links too, in case you want to look at them:

http://www.tofutti.ca/Products/Ingredients.aspx#Novelties

http://www.sogoodbeverage.com/desserts_vanilla.cfm

Rice ice cream – Rice Dream brand is the one that’s easiest to find. It’s been around a long time. I still enjoy this type of ice cream although there is a weird aftertaste to some of the flavours. The chocolate and peanut coated ice cream stick is still my favourite. It does contain malted corn. Also, it is manufactured in a plant with dairy so there may be traces of cow products (a scandal back in the early 2000’s!) Here is the link:

http://www.tastethedream.com/products/product/1496/205.php

Hemp ice cream – I certainly applaud their all natural product and since I haven’t eaten it in quite some time, I’ll have to give it another try. Please let me know what you and your family think about this one:

http://www.coolhemp.com/en_nutrition.htm

There are also almond based ice creams available these days. I haven’t tried them yet, so something to look forward to!

Now, when I say treat, I really do mean, a once in a while treat. Say, maybe, 1 time a week? Or even once every couple of weeks? Maybe once a month?
And of course, when the weather changes again, perhaps around mid-Sept, come on in to the clinic and we can organize a cleanse to, well, clean you and your family up to prepare for the colder months. In the meantime, enjoy!