Nondairy Frozen Desserts with No Bad Fat

Yesterday I wrote about Sorbets for Summer. Whipped and blended frozen fruit is about as dairy-free as you can get, but it's not the only category of nondairy frozen treat.

The report I mentioned from Nutrition Action Healthletter, June 2006, also featured a number of soy- and rice-based desserts that are both nondairy and, I believe, vegan, so they should be acceptable both for people with lactose intolerance and those with dairy allergies. Here's how they rate them: Best Bites have no more than 1 gram of "bad fat" (saturated fat plus trans fats) in a half-cup serving, no more than 170 calories, no acesulfane potassium, and also have fruit, fruit puree, or fruit juice (other than grape, apple, or pear) as the first or second ingredients. Honorable mention products are the same but may have up to 2 grams of "bad fat." They all tend to be higher in total fat than sorbets are, however, with 2-9 grams of fat per serving.

One company with many names, Turtle Mountain had several Best Bites, including Its Soy Delicious, So Delicious Organic, and Soy Delicious Purely Decadent, Purely Vanilla flavor.

Imagine Foods' Rice Dream and Soy Dream didn't have all their many flavors listed, but only Rice Dream Vanilla Swiss Almond got downgraded for too much "bad fat."

Celestial Seasonings, a sister company of Imagine Foods under the Hain Celestial conglomerate, adds tea flavoring to Rice Dream for an unusual and equally trans-fat free frozen dessert.

Several of Tofutti's lines scored high, with Super Soy Supreme, Low Fat, and No Sugar Added leading the list. Premium and Cheesecake Supreme had a bit too much "bad fat."

All of these will taste more like conventional ice cream than sorbet does, so they may bridge the gap when the cravings hit.