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Summer has nearly arrived and that means heat, heat, heat. It also means that you might be more prone to reaching for a frozen treat—from a smoothie to a frozen margarita and anything in between. While frozen pizza may not be something you should necessarily be reaching for, there is one frozen food that dieticians see as a big no-no. It might surprise you, but…you may want to skip popsicles this summer. And every summer.
According to PhD, registered dietician, and professor of nutrition, Jinan Banna, popsicles are one frozen food you should not reach for in the frozen food isle. Banna explained, “Popsicles are a frozen item you should stop buying. Popsicles are generally loaded with sugar and provide little to nothing in the way of nutrition. Added sugar provides empty calories, meaning you are just consuming energy without any of the beneficial vitamins and minerals your body needs.” Basically, like some other delicious things—popsicles are loaded with a lot of sugar, empty calories, and do not offer any beneficial vitamins or minerals.
Banna added, “While there may be some popsicles that are made with fruit and may provide some nutrients, this item is generally nutritionally poor.”
Because of this, it’s best to avoid the sweet treats altogether. This is because even if the popsicle is made of just fruit, most of them have added sugar. They might be a low calorie option, clocking in at as low as 30-50 calories, but they might leave you wanting to snack even more. Low calorie but high-sugar means you’ll be left with a craving for more, and might end up reaching for something to fill you up.
