Posted on 08/11/2025 11:15:08 AM PDT by Red Badger
Unless you are in denial, you probably understand that ice cream isn’t a diet food. Although it is delicious and nothing beats a cool, sweet cone of the frozen dessert on a hot summer day, it isn’t going to help you shave inches off your waistline. However, that doesn’t mean all brands are equal regarding health. Some popular brands found at your local grocery store contain artificial ingredients, flavors, and preservatives. Here are 6 ice cream brands that are mostly air and additives.
1. Edy’s
Edy’s ice cream is delicious, but many artificial colors and additives are on the ingredient list. Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, a Board Certified Sports Dietitian and co-author of the Flat Belly Cookbook for Dummies, recently told us that the flavors are commonly made with polysorbate 80, carrageenan, and high-fructose corn syrup.
2. Kemps
Kemps is popular and tastes great, but the ingredient list isn’t the best and includes additives, artificial flavoring, and high fructose corn syrup. Guar gum, mono- and diglycerides, and carrageenan are a few of the worst culprits.
3. Great Value
Great Value ice cream at Walmart will definitely save you money, and shoppers maintain it is delicious. However, you might be compromising your health. Collingwood explains that Walmart can sell it for less than most of the competition because they keep costs down with “synthetic colorings, assorted emulsifiers, and titanium dioxide for extra whiteness.”
4. Blue Bunny
Blue Bunny is readily available at most stores across the country. However, the popular ice cream uses additives, artificial flavors, and high fructose corn syrup in its pints. Certain flavors are healthier and made with higher quality ingredients compared to others, so make sure to check the label of the flavor. Vanilla, for example, is made with just milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla.
5. Turkey Hill
Turkey Hill is another big national brand of ice cream that offers a lot of bang for the buck in terms of taste. However, it is made with ingredients similar to Kemps and Blue Bunny: artificial food coloring, cellulose gel, cellulose gum, soybean oil, and mono- and diglycerides, just a few of the names on the ingredients list, which also includes high fructose corn syrup.
6. Blue Ribbon Classics
If you have done any research on ice cream, you probably already know that many of kinds of frozen treats you consider ice cream, actually aren’t. Collingwood points out that Blue Ribbon Classics, a popular grocery store ice cream, is marketed as “frozen dairy desserts” and is “not true ice cream.” Ingredients include dairy milk solids, palm kernel oil, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial colors(Yellow 5, Blue 1), and artificial flavors.
Fake Ice Cream Ping!.................
I can honestly say I feel like total crap when I eat ice cream. it does something to my gallbladder and overall has a very negative effect on me.
Probably the additives.
Try some REAL ice cream, even better, HOMEMADE!..............
I’ve always been somewhat health conscious, but even I had no idea the extent of poisons these evil corporations are putting in the food until RFK started talking about it.
Now, cue the “conservatives” who say if you don’t want poison, don’t buy it, so i guess i’ll stand in the grocery store for 10 hours reading every label and googling what every poison listed actually is, and “screw” all the kids who are fed this stuff by parents too busy to investigate and who trust the FDA to make sure the food supply is safe.
And I look forward to the “muh corporation!” ‘conservatives’ to reply...
I make my own. I know what is in it: Milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla…..and then whatever I want for add ins.
After a few attempts you can get the process down—and it comes out great.
I see more frozen desert and less ice cream on the shelves these days.
I generally don’t get to eat ice cream so when I do I am selective and it is in small amounts. Blue Bell or Braum’s and that’s it and in that order and only in homemade vanilla eaten on the installment plan as slowly as possible before it melts.
If you can’t do homemade, Haagen Dazs is where it’s at in terms of supermarket ice cream. But only when it’s deeply discounted.
Or you could pay an arm and a leg for Alden’s Organic.
The farm I get my eggs at also makes Gelato from the sheep milk.
They like to experiment with different flavors.
They are all good.
Some are great.
Even though you would not think that flavor would be.
They are not just vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.
I’ve never had a sense of my gallbladder responding to anything—good or bad.
I don’t GAS I’m almost 70 years old.
I like Ice cream. It hasn’t killed me yet.
Gelato from sheep’s milk? How much does a tablespoon of that set you back?
I’ll second Blue Bell. The best store-bought ice cream I’ve ever had. Other than that, I love Baskin Robbin’s Chocolate Fudge, but I don’t think they make it any more. Haven’t been able to find it in several years.
Well, at least you don't gain weight by the air, right?
I believe even Haagen Dazs has added air to their ice cream.
I wish ice cream companies had to post the WEIGHT of their product instead of just the VOLUME.
Tillamook!
Umpqua!
Both very high quality NW brands.
The only Ice cream I will eat is Häagen-Dazs. It also has less air making it dense and creamy.
Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Ice Cream typically includes cream, skim milk, sugar, cocoa processed with alkali, and egg yolks. Some varieties also include chocolate and cocoa butter. They emphasize using high-quality ingredients, like the “finest cocoa” and “sweet cream”.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Core Ingredients:
The base of Haagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream consists of cream, skim milk, sugar, cocoa processed with alkali, and egg yolks.
No GMOs:
Haagen-Dazs also states that their chocolate ice cream is free from GMO ingredients
Häagen-iz as Häagen-Dazs..............................
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