“Forget the Bowl, and Grab a Smaller Dish”
Normalizing the consumption of an entire pint of ice cream is the real issue, not increased calories.
It’s 10:30pm, I’m about to fall asleep but the late-night pang of hunger kicks in. Tiptoeing, I sneak downstairs to the freezer, careful to not alert the rest of the house to my late-night indulgence. I want a little taste of ice cream, a small spoonful of happiness before a blissful night of rest. However, upon opening the fridge, I’m greeted with a fork in the road. On the left, there’s a pint of Halo Top ice cream and on the right there’s a pint of Talenti gelato.
This is where it gets interesting.
I originally wanted just a small scoop of ice cream, but for the same nutritional value, I could enjoy an entire pint. Depending on the flavor, some single ice cream servings can contain more calories than a pint of Halo Top. Below is a graphic from the Halo Top website that compares their vanilla bean flavor to other popular ice cream brands. Note that the numbers are for a single serving.
In these two examples, its easy to see how someone would take the entire pint of Halo Top over the competitors. Halo Top knows this, and shamelessly markets it through their slogan “Forget the Bowl, You’re Going to Want the Whole Pint.” Other companies, such as Arctic Zero have adopted similar strategies, capitalizing on our human tendencies to binge on things we enjoy. At 150–300 calories per pint, who wouldn’t want to enjoy these options? I definitely enjoy them, and I know many others who do as well.
But as an overall healthier option,
Now comes the debate: Does reducing calories in favor of volume really result in a healthier outcome?
No, I don’t think so.
I think the act of eating an entire pint of ice cream is still the same, regardless of the number of calories. In fact, I think it leads to a culture of normalizing binge-eating instead of listening to our bodies and identifying their actual needs. Sure, the reduced sugar and fat intake just before bed isn’t a bad thing, but the reward pathway of eating ice cream before bed is still reinforced. Whether or not it has the nutritional value of ice cream doesn’t mean the thought of ‘oh yeah, I’m going to eat all of this tonight’ doesn’t reinforce the pathway. I’m not saying that the once-in-a-while indulgence of an entire pint is an issue, but making it a regular habit is. While I personally enjoy Halo Top, Arctic Zero, and other low-calorie desserts, I think the way in which they are marketed presents a problem for our relationships to food.
Does this mean I’ll stop eating them? Hell no.
Instead, I’m going to make a conscious effort of eating dessert in the same portions I would normally. Whether its ice cream, a brownie, a sweet drink, or a low-calorie option, dessert is an integral part of my sanity. It just needs to remain a small slice of heaven, rather than a large pint of slightly better-than-average.
