The Best Low Calorie Ice Creams - So You Can Stop Eating Arctic Zero

When I first heard that there was practically calorie-free ice cream back when Arctic Zero first came out, I was over the moon.

In fact, after a break-up, I marched to the store and spent an absurd $7 to purchase my first pint – determined to eat the entire thing in one serving because I COULD. There were only 150 calories in the whole container after all.

There were a few problems with this plan.

1)      I was a poor graduate student and couldn’t afford to maintain an Arctic Zero dependent diet.

2)      Emotional eating is a poor substitute for dealing with your feelings.

3)      If I really wanted ice cream, I should have gotten some real damn ice cream.

4)      Arctic Zero was actually pretty crappy.

Each time I ate it, I tried to convince myself it was a miracle cure for my sweet tooth but in reality I really didn’t like the taste OR texture of it – and it definitely wasn’t a substitute for real ice cream.

Since then, I’ve accepted that sometimes, when you want ice cream – you should go nuts on a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. Or show some self-restraint and get a single scoop of fancy ice cream.

But I do still have that hard to satisfy sweet tooth and sometimes it’s nice to have a frozen treat that’s not so loaded with calories.  Here are some alternatives – for the love of God, please stop eating Arctic Zero and Wink!

1.       Halo Top

This is bar far the best ice cream alternative I’ve found. If you give it a few minutes to soften up, it even gets a bit of a creamy consistency. And the flavors are so tasty – zero whey protein taste at all. I’ve tried their strawberry, chocolate and mint chip and loved them all equally.

Calories Per Pint: 240-280
Protein Per Pint: 24 grams
Flavors: 7

2.       Enlightened

This high-protein ice cream company makes pints and bars and both have great flavor and consistency. I’ve tried the mint and sea salt caramel but next time I see their Frozen Hot Chocolate flavor at the store, I’m ready to pounce!

Calories Per Pint: 320-400
Calories Per Bar: 70-110
Protein Per Pint: 28 – 32 grams
Flavors: 7 pint varieties and 9 different bars!

3.       Yasso Bars

I really, really love these frozen Greek yogurt bars. If they are on sale at the store, you better believe I’m scooping up a box. Yes, it’s greek yogurt and not ice cream but it’s incredibly creamy and the flavors don’t taste artificial. They aren’t pumping these with protein powder – and you can tell! They have a huge selection and recently started making the healthy version of a Twix or Snickers frozen ice cream bar (you know what I’m talking about, right?)

Calories Per Bar: 80-150
Flavors: 15!

4.       Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches

I’m fairly certain that many people will chime in that Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches are loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients – but when it comes to taste and a real ice cream feel- Skinny Cow Ice Cream sandwiches and other products certainly do the trick while coming in at under 200 calories.

Calories Per Ice Cream Sandwich: 150 Calories
Flavors: Skinny Cow offers 6 kinds of Ice Cream Sandwiches, 4 cones, 5 bars and more!

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8 Products I Kind of Hate

For the longest time, I was convinced I was going to be the next Ben Brantley. Don’t know who Ben Brantley is? Not shocking. He’s the theater critic for the New York Times – and as a journalism major in college, that was my dream. Being paid to enjoy and write about theater all day? Sounded like livin’ to me.

But the more I wrote, the more I realized, “My reviews don’t have a whole lot of criticism in them, do they?” In line with my personality my reviews tended to focus on the positive aspects of a production while shying away from negativity. That’s when I realized my writing might be better suited for public relations.

Where am I going with these saga about my changing career goals (spoiler alert: I now work in event operations – doing a whole lot of things that I didn’t learn about in college)? I’ve started to think that people may be experiencing a similar phenomenon while reading my blog. Thinking to themselves, “Wow, she just really loves every restaurant, every workout, and every health-food she tries!”

And while I do think my reviews are honest – and I try to point out the pros AND cons – there are also things that I try that I dislike and therefore, I’m not excited to write about them on my blog. Those misses often go un-noted while I rave on about the hits. Until now.

Here are some things I’ve tried and given a THUMBS DOWN. Keep in mind - many of these are great companies with a large offering of products. Plus, everyone's taste buds are different! Don't let this stop you from giving them a try and coming to your own conclusions!

1. Evian Water

That may sound odd – how can bottled water be bad? But when I made my Facebook status about my distaste for Evian, I was shocked when tons of people chimed in and agreed with me!

Something about it just doesn’t taste refreshing – it’s got a strange cloudy feel to it.

I’ll stick with NYC tap water or some Poland Spring, thanks!

2. Revive Kombucha

I am a HUGE kombucha fan (which is why I eventually started brewing my own – it’s an expensive habit)! I love GT’s, enjoy Health-Ade and have pretty much been happy with each of the other brands I’ve sampled.

One day, I picked up a bottle of Revive Kombucha at the store because I thought the bottle was cute. To my dismay, it tasted like vanilla extract! I love kombucha for its tart, acidic taste – and this was totally NOT that.

Revive reached out on Instagram, which I appreciated, but after a second taste this month – I must say, I really dislike this product.

3. Papaya & Cantaloupe

Sorry, nature – I’m just not feeling these fruits of the earth!

4. Primal Strips

I actually reallllllly like jerky, and I’m all on-board the “meat protein bars” (LOVE Epic bars). But vegan jerky? Sorry, nope – not feelin’ it. I tried Primal Strips one day at LaGuardia airport and was pretty grossed out, actually.

5. Bare Cinnamon Banana Chips

Yes, I ate an entire bag. But that’s only because I didn’t have any other options for something crunchy and sweet! I didn’t think these were very good.

6. Rhythm Superfoods Kale Chips

I looooove their kale and broccoli chips – but their roasted kale was very disappointing. It’s more of a consistency problem than a taste problem- they’re way too crumbly - but I would never buy them again!

7. RX Bars

This might be an unpopular opinion, since I know tons of people who love these bars, but I was very unimpressed! They were very bland, in my opinion and I didn’t love the texture. I like my bars to have some crunch to them.

8. Big Slice Apples

This was another snack that I picked out to try from LaGuardia airport. It was very odd, to say the least. It was difficult to eat, goopy, and just a very weird product. 

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