Summer: time for icicles! Fresh and sweet, they help us face the heat on the beach, in the city or anywhere else. Also very popular with children and most of the time fruity. But what ingredients are they made with? And how to choose them best?
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousSummer: time for icicles! Fresh and sweet, they help us face the heat on the beach, in the city or anywhere else. Also very popular with children and most of the time fruity. But what ingredients are they made with? E how to choose them best?
There are many popsicles suitable for all tastes: mint, lemon, strawberry, cola, tropical, etc. Some have the classic shape, others are made of original sizes and colors to attract the attention of the little ones. As usual, however, we must pay attention to the label. In fact, these products are often low in fruit, rich in sugar and added with other ingredients (dyes, flavors, thickeners, etc.).
When possible it would be better to make our own popsicles at home with fresh fruit. In this way we will have the opportunity to choose seasonal, organic fruit and avoid adding sugar. For example, we could use other natural sweeteners or simply prefer the sweetest fruit of nature or buy it well ripe so that the popsicles are already sweet enough in themselves.
If you want to try making popsicles at home, follow our recipes:
- 5 natural homemade popsicles
- DIY "nutella" popsicles (vegan recipe)
- 5 refreshing, fruit-filled popsicle cocktails
However, it is not always possible to prepare your own ice lollies at home and above all it may not be very easy to transport. The choice in bars and supermarkets is very wide. What to buy? Let's compare the best-known popsicles, the ones that you probably have at home or have happened to buy.
Index
Icicles: the labels in comparison
Cherry icicle - Motta
ingredients: Black cherry flavored popsicle: water, sugar, raspberry juice (from concentrate), glucose syrup, lemon juice (from concentrate), stabilizers (carob seed flour, guar comma), coloring (beetroot red), aromas. It may contain milk
Tropical lollipop - Motta
ingredients: Water, invert sugar syrup, puree and tropical fruit juices (6,8%) (passion fruit *, mango, peach, pineapple *), glucose syrup, sugar, acidifier (citric acid), natural flavors, stabilizers ( guar gum, locust bean gum, pectin), dyes (beetroot red, carotenes, curcumin), vegetable concentrate (spirulina, safflower). * From concentrate. It may contain milk.
Pirulo watermelon - Motta
ingredients: Water, sugar, 7,6% fruit juices (from concentrate) (apple, watermelon), glucose syrup, cocoa nibs (0,7%) (sugar, vegetable oils and fats (coconut, palm), low-fat cocoa ( 11,5%), lecithin emulsifier (soybean), natural vanilla flavoring), vegetable concentrates (carrot, spirulina and safflower) stabilizers guar gum - locust bean gum, acidity regulator, citric acid, natural flavors, colors carotenes.
Lemonissimo - Algida
ingredients: water, sugar, glucose-fructose syrup, lemon juice * (4,7%), acidity regulator (citric acid), natural lemon flavor, natural lemon flavor with other natural flavors, natural flavor, thickeners (seed flour carob), turmeric powder. It may contain traces of milk.
Calippo lime - Algida
ingredients: water, sugar, concentrated lemon juice (10%), glucose syrup, fructose syrup, flavorings, thickeners (locust bean gum, tara gum), acidifiers (citric acid), dyes (curcumin, chlorophyll complexes and copper chlorophyllins). It may contain traces of milk. Gluten free.
Solero Smoothie Ananas - Algida
ingredients: Pineapple ice cream with semi-candied pineapple chunks (24%) - water, sugar, pineapple (16%), concentrated pineapple juice (14%), glucose syrup, sunflower oil, modified starch, acidity regulators (citric acid, ascorbic acid), thickeners (pectins, locust bean gum, guar gum, xanthan gum), lemon juice from concentrate, natural flavors, invert sugar, concentrated carrot juice, saffronone concentrate. Gluten free. It may contain traces of milk.
Green apple popsicle Boh? - Sammontana
ingredients: Water, Sugar, Glucose-fructose syrup, Lemon juice from concentrate, Natural apple flavor with other natural flavors, Natural flavor, Beetroot juice, Apple concentrate, carrot, hibiscus, molasses.
Ghiacciolo alla mint – Sammontana
ingredients: Water - Sugar - Glucose syrup - Stabilizer: carob seed flour - Natural mint flavor - Acidifier: citric acid - Colorant: complexes of chlorophylls and chlorophyllins with copper.
We fruit peach - Sammontana
ingredients: Apple juice from concentrate (40%) - Water - Cubes of semi-candied peaches (15%) (Peaches 74%, Sugar, Acidifier: citric acid) - Sugar - Glucose syrup - Oligosaccharides - Thickeners: pectins, carob seed flour - Acidifier: citric acid - Dextrose - Tapioca starch - Carrot concentrate - Natural flavor - Fructose.
Polaretti all'arancia – Dolfin
ingredients: water, sugar, fruit juice (from concentrate): orange 18%, glucose-fructose syrup, acidifier: citric acid, flavor, thickeners: guar gum - locust bean gum - xanthan gum, color: carotenes.
Strawberry Biofrutta - Antica Gelateria del Corso
ingredients: Strawberry puree * 40%, water, cane sugar *, concentrated lemon juice *, thickeners guar gum - locust bean gum. * from organic farming. It may contain milk, nuts, eggs.
Comparative table
Now let's compare specifically in the different icicles: the percentage of fruit (when expressed on the label), the quantity of sugars and other added ingredients. The following comparison table will make it easier for you.
To enlarge the table click here
You may also be interested in other comparisons between products already made:
- Cold tea
- Fruit juices
- Blood Orange Juices
- Ice cream in a pan with creams
- Fruit yogurt
- Jams and jams
- Hazelnut spread creams
- Dark chocolate
The opinion of the nutritionist
We asked Enrica Bovio, nutritionist biologist and molecular biologist, advice on how to choose a higher quality popsicle. Here's what he told us:
“Popsicles are a refreshing and perfect food for long summer days, the variations of this dessert born around 1900 in America are numerous and it is not always easy to understand which product is the best. For information we can read nutritional labels and evaluate the calorie intake, the sugars contained, the presence of additives and the quality of the fruit juice used (because we are not talking about fresh fruit). Popsicles, like many other sweets, have a good amount of sugars and recently the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended, after numerous scientific studies, a sugar intake of less than 10% of daily calories to reduce the calories introduced and try to limit the onset of overweight and obesity. The sugars to be "measured out" are precisely those added to foods by the consumer or industry and also those naturally present in honey and fruit juices and syrups ".
What other substances can be found in packaged popsicles?
“In commercial popsicles they can also be found numerous additives including acidifiers, stabilizers and dyes and these are just some of the most used categories! The additives allow to increase the shelf life of the products, preserve the nutritional value and the sanitary conditions of the food and their use is monitored very carefully with periodic reviews. It remains to be remembered that although many of the additives used have a 'technological' purpose and therefore are useful, others such as dyes are used for commercial purposes to attract the consumer ”.
What advice would you give to those who want to eat a good popsicle?
“I recommend whenever possible to 'experiment' and try making popsicles at home because you can use fresh fruit (possibly seasonal) instead of the classic fruit juices used in commercial products, measure the amount of sugar or other sweetener to add, no additives will be needed e the recipes are really simple and within everyone's reach. Today's society imposes on us frenetic rhythms and often we find ourselves having to reduce the part of preparing meals, using frozen foods and ready-made foods. They are solutions that are practical but not so healthy, so try to find even just a few moments to get back in touch with the chef in you and rediscover the pleasure of cooking, even just making popsicles for you and your family ".
