Ice cream and children: 10 facts you should know 2026

Creamy ice creams are a nutritious product thanks to their milk and derivatives content. On the other hand, traditional poles are comparable to a soft drink.

What are ice creams made of?

• Cream or milk: cream ones must have at least 8% fat of dairy origin and milk ones must have at least 2.5%. They are the tastiest, but also the most caloric.
• Popsicles, sorbets and slushies or water-based ice creams.

How many calories do they have?

Creamy ice creams are made with water, milk and its derivatives (cream, butter, milk powder, etc.), sugar and fats. In addition, they can contain eggs, chocolate, nuts, additives (dyes, aromas, stabilizers, etc.). The polos mainly contain water, dyes and sugars.

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When is it best to consume ice cream?

Milk or cream ice creams (the most interesting from a nutritional point of view) provide between 100 and 300 calories, which is 15 or 20% of the total daily calories that our child needs and more or less the same as the snack.

How many ice creams can a child have a week?

Due to its caloric content, more than a dessert, ice cream can be a part of lunch or dinner, a complete snack or a filling snack, if the child does not have overweight problems. The preferred dessert for both adults and children is fruit, but we can occasionally consume ice cream as dessert, when the meal has been mainly vegetable.

Are industrial or artisanal ones better?

Two or three ice creams a week would be an adequate amount as long as the child eats a balanced diet and has a normal weight.

What good do they contribute to the diet?

When we talk about cream or milk ice cream, the composition does not differ much from one to the other. The good thing about artisanal ones is that they can have fewer additives in their composition and about industrial ones that we can control, by looking at the labeling, the amount of sugars and fats they contain.

What are the disadvantages of consuming too much ice cream?

• Ice cream is a source of calcium: the amounts of this mineral they provide are similar to those of the same amount of milk, a fundamental food in the diet of children and pregnant women. In addition, they have the advantage that little ones love them, they are a good option for children who don't like milk.
• They contain good quality proteins: also thanks to milk they provide proteins of high biological value.
• In addition, they provide vitamin B2 and phosphorus, among other micronutrients good for health.

Are frozen yogurt healthy?

• Too many sugars: the sugar content of 100 grams of ice cream is in some cases close to the recommended maximum (between 30 and 60%). It is, therefore, the main drawback of ice cream from a nutritional point of view, which is why we insist on integrating it into a balanced diet.
• Fats: with 100 grams of cream ice cream you obtain a percentage of between 5 and 12% of the maximum recommended daily amount of fat (it would be more or less the same amount that whole milk provides and less than a piece of pastry). Now the industry tends to replace trans fats (which act in the body by lowering good cholesterol and raising bad cholesterol) in ice cream with healthier ones. By the way, the quality of these fats is better in ice creams that have chocolate coverage.

Do ice cream irritate the throat?

Yogurt-based ice creams are one thing and frozen yogurts are another. If it is frozen yogurt and includes the beneficial microorganisms of this product, it is a very interesting and very nutritious food (as long as we respect the best before date and that the conservation is appropriate). On the other hand, yogurt-based or yogurt-flavored ice creams do not provide any more benefits than regular ice cream. However, frozen yogurt does not have the same nutritional values ​​as regular yogurt, since it contains more sugars and saturated fats. According to a study carried out by the OCU, the nutritional value of frozen yogurt or "frozen yogurt" varies depending on the preparation: when consumption is immediate (the one sold in specialized stores), the product is more similar to normal yogurt than the frozen frozen yogurts sold in supermarkets.

Do ice cream irritate the throat?

Normally we tend to warm them in the mouth for a few seconds before swallowing, therefore they do not usually irritate the throat. However, we can always remind children to let the ice cream melt in their mouths or tell them to eat it with licks instead of with a spoon, so that it reaches less cold in their throats.

What if my child has an intolerance or allergy?

There are more and more special products for children and adults with food allergies, celiacs and diabetics, we can find out about the brands that make them in the different associations of those affected. In addition, we always have the option of preparing them at home.

Make homemade ice cream

Ice cream sandwiches: with ice cream bars from the supermarket and a couple of cookies we get a delicious sandwich. In addition, this way we control the quantities.

With fruit: a scoop of cream ice cream and a few strawberries; a vanilla ice cream with caramelized nuts; A smoothie with banana, lemon ice cream and a little milk is a nutritious snack.

Our own recipe: with pieces of chocolate and fruit we can make ice cream by adding milk and sugar and leaving it in the freezer for a few hours. Of course, we have to remember to take it out several times and stir it so that crystals do not form during freezing and it remains creamy.

Advisor: Abel Mariné. Emeritus Professor of Nutrition and Bromatology at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Barcelona.