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Oh that word “calories”. Just a few small numbers make us give up our most favorite foods and delicacies. Among the unwanted products, it is equally easy to include both mother’s and grandmother’s favorite pies, and simply sweets that we have adored since childhood. One of the most significant losses can be called ice cream. But is it really so harmful to our figure? Let's find out how many calories are in Ice Cream ice cream and try to find out how expensive this momentary weakness can cost us.
Ice cream - there is so much in this word
As soon as we hear this word, we immediately begin to imagine that same waffle cup filled with a slightly frosty creamy delicacy. But wait! Ice cream is not just about cups. In fact, it boasts a wide variety of shapes, colors and therefore tastes.
You can easily find briquettes in stores, and in a cafe they will make balls right in front of you by dropping a spoon into a large container with dessert. And if everything is simple with the form, then what can we say about the taste?
Of course, you are all familiar with chocolate ice cream, varieties with fruit and berry flavors, chocolate and nuts, not to mention regular vanilla. All this can also be a filling! After all, it got its name not because of the flavoring fillers and additives, but because of the composition of the base. But do not forget that there are other types, such as milk or cream ice cream. This is something worth dwelling on in more detail.
Such a different ice cream
It is not difficult to guess that the basis of any ice cream, no matter what its flavor, is made up of various dairy products: pasteurized milk, condensed milk, cream, butter and whey. So, the main difference in ice cream lies precisely in the presence of one or another component.
Dairy ice cream, as you might guess, is made from whipped and frozen milk with various additives. These include sugar, flavorings and special stabilizers that serve to increase the viscosity of the milk mass.
If you do not take into account frozen desserts such as sorbet and popsicles, dairy varieties can be called the lightest. The mass fraction of fat in them does not exceed 3.5%. But here it is worth considering that depending on the recipe and raw materials, these indicators may vary.
The second variety is a creamy delicacy. Here, too, everything is clear: it is not milk that is whipped and frozen, but cream, so the taste of the dessert is more delicate. The fat content of cream is much higher than that of milk, so in ice cream this figure can reach 10%.
So, if in the first case milk was used as a basis, in the second - cream, then what is the ice cream made from? And even the name doesn’t give any clues! Its “secret” ingredient is butter and thicker, thicker cream. It is because of them that the taste of the ice cream is the most delicate and rich. As for the fat content, for this type it is even higher and can be up to 16%.
By the way, if you are interested in the composition and production technology, be sure to check out one of our previous publications, where we talked in detail about how this magical dessert is produced.
Why do people love ice cream?
Ice cream is not just chilled milk and sugar, it is a food product that has the perfect combination of nutrients that people love. In many ways, it is the ratio of carbohydrates, saturated fat and dairy protein that makes us buy ice cream again and again. The secret of its composition is simple - 25-40% of calories for fast carbohydrates and 20-25% for fats. It is this combination that gives our brain the greatest pleasure.
Scientific research has determined that our body can easily understand how much sugar is contained in a product - just like with salt. Just as we feel the “same” level of salt, at which the dish is no longer cloying, but at the same time not too salty, we feel the same way about simple carbohydrates. Let's leave the harm of sugar out of the picture - no one will hide the fact that everyone likes such food.
When it comes to fats, people's favorites are popsicles and sundaes, which are some of the fattiest varieties of ice cream. The texture of the product also plays a role - including the crispy waffle cone and briquette. Ultimately, a rather harmful product turns out to be useful, given the release of endorphins and other pleasure hormones that a high-calorie treat can provide.
How many calories are in a cup of ice cream?
Since ice cream is a type of ice cream with a high milk fat content (usually due to the inclusion of whole milk or cream), its average calorie content is about 220-250 calories per 100 g, and the fat content varies from 12 to 20%. It also contains milk sugar - lactose. The standard weight of a cup is 80 g, but cups of 65 g or even 120 g are available.
About 95% of the weight of the ice cream in the cup comes from the ice cream itself, and 5% from the waffle. The waffle, in turn, is made from sugar, flour, milk powder and water. Since the weight of each waffle cup does not exceed 5 g, its calorie content is no more than 20 kcal. Additives in the form of caramel or chocolate pieces make a much larger contribution to calorie content.
Calorie content of different types of ice cream, per 100 g:
