The 7 Worst Ice Creams When You're Pregnant
Can you eat ice cream when pregnant? That's the burning question right? Of course you can eat ice cream, and the mere fact that you have to ask is why I wrote Eat This, Not That! When You're Expecting, the doctor-recommended eating plan for baby and you.
As an OB/GYN with a full-time practice—not to mention in my roles as Chief Women's Health Correspondent at ABC News, and as co-host of The Doctors—it's my mission to deliver the most accessible, up-to-date and actionable information to ensure you stay healthy during your pregnancy, and deliver a beautiful, bouncy bundle of joy at the end. (And I've delivered more than 1,500 of them!)
In fact, I'd give ice cream an A: it has calcium, protein, fat. It's only problematic when we eat too much, or add too many toppings—or choose the fatty brands below. They're their absolute worst. The best ice cream is just milk, sugar, cream and maybe a little bit of fruit. For the best brands, don't miss Eat This, Not That! When You're Expecting, available now!
Häagen-Dazs Low Fat Frozen Yogurt Coffee
(1⁄2 cup, 102 g) 180 calories, 2.5 g fat (1 g saturated), 21 g sugars
This Häagen-Dazs is a Häagen-Don't because no frozen yogurt needs this many calories. A cup of Original Pinkberry, for example, has 80 less calories. Enjoy that, or better yet, try a trick from the book: Freeze a cup of Chobani and add some healthy mix-ins.
Ben & Jerry's FroYo Cherry Garcia Frozen Yogurt
(1⁄2 cup, 108 g) 170 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated), 24 g sugars
Yo? No! You buy frozen yogurt thinking you're doing your body a favor, only to find out it's worse than three-quarters of the full-fat ice creams in the freezer. Thanks, Ben & Jerry's.
Rice Dream Organic Cocoa Marble Fudge
(1⁄2 cup, 90 g) 170 calories, 6 g fat (0.5 g saturated), 17 g sugars
In Eat This, Not That! When Expecting, you'll learn which brands of all kinds of foods are stuffed with ingredients you'd never dream would be there. Rice Dream adds vegetable oils to create a high-cal approximation of ice cream. Your bbay deserves the real thing.
Blue Bunny Birthday Party Premium
(1⁄2 cup, 67 g) 140 calories, 7 g fat (4 g saturated), 15 g sugars
Birthday parties are supposed to be fun. Kicking off a fiesta with a tub of this stuff, though, is anything but. Hydrogenated soybean oil (a type of trans fat) and titanium dioxide (an additive that gives sunblock its white hue) are just two of the not-so-natural ingredients you'll find in a tub. It gets worse: Those sprinkles scattered throughout the pint get some of their coloring from Yellow 5 and 6, two artificial dyes found to promote Attention Deficit Disorder in children.
Talenti German Chocolate Cake
(1⁄2 cup, 101 g) 240 calories, 11 g fat (6 g saturated), 31 g sugars
Another player in the "premium" ice cream world, this tub is overloaded with sugar and soybean oil, a fat that has been linked to weight gain. The candied pecans and swirls of caramel in this tub may make your mouth water, but there are far better options in the freezer aisle for baby—and you.
Graeter's Cookie Dough Chocolate Chip
(½ cup), 320 calories, 20 g fat (11 g saturated), 31 g sugars
I love a good cookie dough ice cream, but not one that packs 320 calories and 31 grams of sugar in a measly half-cup. I get that nearly every dessert, by definition, is made with some sugar, but that's more of the stuff than you'd find in seven Sugared Raised Donuts from Dunkin Donuts!
And the #1 Worst Ice Cream Is… Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup
(1⁄2 cup, 114 g) 370 calories, 26 g fat (13 g saturated), 25 g sugars
Eat two scoops of this and you'll take in more calories than you would with a McDonald's burger with a small side of french fries. Indulge instead in the many "Eat This" ice creams flavors mentioned in the book.
For the Best Ice Creams, but Eat This, Not That! When You're Expecting Today! Click Here!
More from Dr. Jennifer Ashton
The Scariest Chemicals for Pregnant Women
The Most Dangerous Foods When You're Pregnant
The Worst Mistake You Can Make When You're Pregnant
