Enlightened Ice Cream Just Made Every Keto Lover's Dream Come True With Its New Line
High-protein, low-calorie ice creams seem to be everywhere these days—and for good reason. They satisfy your sweet tooth without being sugar and calorie bombs. But get ready for this: One fan-favorite "nice cream" brand, Enlightened, has taken its frozen treat game to the next level with a *keto* ice cream line that fits your macros perrrrfectly.
Enlightened’s brand-new Keto Collection (announced today) is the lowest net-carb ice cream on the market, so people on a ketogenic or low-carb diet can enjoy delicious ice cream without compromising on nutrition. Look for the new pints and bars in 3,000 locations, including Whole Foods, Publix, Stop & Shop, and Shoprite, this week.
What's inside? For each new pint or bar, one serving size has less than 1 gram of sugar and only 1 gram of net carbs, and it’s made with real cream to help those keto fans out on getting those fat macros for ketosis. Oh, and the Keto Collection pint flavors will wow you:
Butter Pecan
Chocolate Glazed Donut
Coffee & Cream
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Mint Chocolate Chunk
Peanut Butter Fudge
Red Velvet
The bar flavors to look out for are:
Dark Chocolate
Marshmallow Peanut Butter
Mint Chocolate Chip
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
Wait, so is this ice cream *really* keto-friendly?
Seems too good to be true, right? Well, good news—it is actually keto. The ice cream is sweetened with monk fruit and erythritol, two zero-calorie natural sweeteners that won’t spike blood sugar. (A heads up: Zero-calorie sweeteners can cause stomach upset for some people.)
“Having a serving of this ice cream will not knock you out of ketosis,” says Scott Keatley, RD, of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy. So, if you do have a serving, your ketone levels will be fine. You can definitely think of the ice cream as a treat that’s keto-approved.
But is it healthy?
The ice cream is in ½ cup servings with about 100 calories each, which is not a lot. And there are 5 grams of fiber and a delicious taste, which makes it a winner in the ice cream world.
But keep in mind that it's still ice cream, and not, well, Brussels sprouts (obviously). “While the ice cream has only about 4 grams of sugar (carbohydrates that can be digested), it does not offer the nutrient profile of our green leafy vegetable friends, though,” Keatley points out. “For people on the keto diet, which is very strict carb control, I would not recommend wasting any of the carbs you have available on ice cream. But for individuals on a low-carbohydrate diet or maybe even type-2 diabetics that are looking for a good dessert, this is excellent,” he continues.
While everyone's body and needs are slightly different, typically folks on the keto diet aim to get 60 to 75 percent of calories from fat, 15 to 30 percent of calories from protein, and only 5 to 10 percent of calories from carbs, Keatley says. “That usually means eating no more than 50 grams of carbs a day, and some strict keto dieters even opt for just 20 grams a day,” he explains. So, those carbs are pretty damn precious.
Still though, if you do have an ice cream craving and you’re on the keto diet, you can totally enjoy this new option from Enlightened if you’re aware that you’re using some of your carbs on a treat, rather than on a more nutritionally dense food. It’s really a personal choice.
“This is a treat, so, [have it] maybe once or twice a week,” Keatley recommends. “If you're going to have ice cream on a ketogenic diet, this [Enlightened option] is among the best,” he says.
So, get that spoon ready and dig in.
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