Well, this was fun.
The people at Graeter’s asked us to try their new low glycemic ice cream. Their slogan for this is “Don’t be shackled by sugar… 50% of the sugar and 100% of the fun. Whether you’re managing diabetes or shopping for someone who is, one scoop of our low-glycemic ice cream serves up a deliciously responsible indulgence.”
What does low-glycemic mean? It’s a way to help figure out which carbohydrates are more slowly digested. Some foods, like white bread and white potatoes are high glycemic, they’re easy for your body to change into glucose. High glycemic foods shoot your blood sugar up quickly. Low glycemic foods like vegetables and whole grains are more slowly digested and are better for steadier blood sugars. Here’s a good idea of how some common foods measure up.
My husband has type 2 diabetes, my son type 1. We don’t really use the glycemic index, especially when it comes to sweet stuff like ice cream. After some trial and error, we’ve settled on smaller portions of the real thing when it comes to desserts. I was pleased to see this ice cream was sweetened with monk fruit instead of chemical/artificial sweeteners. But it still has a longer ingredient list compared to the “regular” flavors.
My husband and I thought the vanilla had almost an ice-milk taste about it. Not our favorite. We both liked the chocolate chip varieties better, especially the giant chunks of chocolate Graeter’s is known for. Really yummy. My son loved the taste of the butter pecan, but was trying to avoid the actual pecans. Graeter’s puts a lot of chunks and nuts in their ice cream, so that was kind of impossible. My daughter liked the mint chip best.
Giant chocolate chip chunk!
The carb content on this product is almost identical to the “regular” Graeter’s product: the chocolate chip has 29 carbs for a 1/2 cup of low glycemic, compared to 30 carbs for the same “regular” portion. Since we dose insulin based on carbs, that’s a wash. Of course, if Benny ate the whole pint, the higher fat content of the regular version (6 more grams of fat per serving) would probably then slow down the carb absorption.
Overall, if you’re looking to cut some calories and sugar out and still eat the same portion, this is a quality product and tastes better than other low-fat or low-cal desserts I’ve brought home from the grocery store. The big chunks of chocolate are fun to dig out and taste terrific. Are people looking for a low-glycemic ice cream product? I guess we’ll find out.
Disclosure: Graeter’s PR firm sent us the ice cream at no cost and asked me to share our thoughts. They did not ask to see my remarks or compensate me in any way other than with the product shown above.
