Top Light Ice Cream Picks

It can be tough to stay on your diet while satisfying your craving for yummy, creamy ice cream (Particularly if that craving occurs nightly!). Some ice creams contain more than 300 calories per half-cup serving. The good news is, many varieties are now available that will please your taste buds for half the calories -- or less -- of regular ice cream.

Thanks to a method called cold churning, which is also known as double- or slow-churning, the manufacturing process thoroughly disperses small globules of milk fat throughout the ice cream. Churning kneads the fat molecules, stretches them and spreads them evenly, which provides these lower-calorie ice creams with the same texture as the regular varieties. Basically, the process makes you think you're eating more fat than you actually are!

It's important to remember, though, that not all "diet" ice creams are as diet-friendly as you may think. For instance, varieties labeled as reduced-fat contain just 25% less fat than the regular version; light versions contain half the fat of regular ice cream. Generally, the lowest calorie choice is one labeled low-fat, which means it has less than three grams of fat per serving.

Of course, if you don't like the taste of the lowest fat ice cream, it's not going to do you any good. And, if you're anything like me, a bad experience with a diet food can leave you reaching for more of the "real thing" than you would have consumed in the first place. Fortunately I've done some (tasty!) research and can provide you with what I consider freezer aisle winners. Here are some of my top light ice cream picks:

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, the caloric count is for a half-cup serving.

Scoops

My preferred brand among all lighter ice creams is Edy's. I've tried a lot of flavors and have rarely been disappointed. (Edy's is marketed as Dreyer's brand in some locations, so be sure to look for it if you can't find Edy's.)

My favorite ice cream growing up was mint chocolate chip, and Edy's Slow Churned Light Mint Chocolate Chip solves a nostalgic craving for it for just 120 calories. It has a refreshing flavor and plenty of chocolate chips in every spoonful.

Another favorite is Edy's Slow Churned Light Peanut Butter Cup. It is a two-fer -- it solves both a candy and an ice cream craving! It has 130 calories per serving and tastes very indulgent, just salty and sweet enough, yet it isn't too rich to be enjoyable.

Breyers Double Churn Free Caramel Swirl would be my runner-up to Edy's and at 100 calories, it tastes like gooey caramel popcorn married a tub of ice cream. (Another cravings-busting two-fer!)

More of my scoop-able picks include:

* Edy's Slow Churned Rich and Creamy Vanilla - 100 calories
* Breyers Double Churned Light, Creamy Vanilla - 100 calories
* Weight Watchers Vanilla Fudge Sundae Cup (1 container) - 160 calories

Bonus Tip: Don't eat out of the container -- not even the dinky "junior" sizes that are available now. You may be surprised to find you can satisfy your craving for fewer calories: Spoon out half what you think you want, eat it slowly and stop and think before getting more -- resist seconds if "first" did the trick.

Bars

My top pick among ice cream bars is the Weight Watchers Sherbet and Ice Cream Bar. They are available in strawberry, key lime and passion fruit. These are similar to Creamsicles with sherbet on the outside and creamy vanilla ice cream on the inside ... all for only 60 calories.

My other bar picks are:

* Fudgesicle 100 Calorie Premium Fudge Bar (1 bar) - 100 calories
* Weight Watchers Giant Fudge Bar (1 bar) - 110 calories
* Skinny Cow Low Fat Fudge Bar (1 bar) - 100 calories

Sandwiches

My favorite ice cream sandwich is the Klondike Slim-a-Bear 100 Calorie Ice Cream Bar. They are slightly smaller than other sandwiches, but don't let that fool you -- you won't reach for a second. With two grams of fiber it's going to be more filling thank you think.

Other sandwich picks are:

* Weight Watchers Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich (1) - 120 calories
* Breyers Light Double Churned Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich (1) - 130 calories
* Skinny Cow Low Fat Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich (1) - 140 calories