I stopped buying ice cream from the store some years ago. 

Other than the fact that it has quite a bit of sugar, store bought ice cream also contains emulsifiers - it is what makes it stay soft. (For an explanation of emulsifiers and why they are not optimal see this blog post.)

The thing is, my kids, as most kids, looove ice cream. So they were forced to improvise - as the saying goes "when there is a will there's a way" and their will for ice cream is strong!😅

So instead of buying ice cream at the store, I started buying heaps of frozen fruit and invested in a sorbet maker (the blender we already had). 

Below you will find the versions my kids came up with and regularly do themselves when they feel like ice cream - but the possibilities are endless.

You can even make a birthday ice cream "cake" - it takes very little time and looks pretty nice!

For the ice cream version all you need is: frozen fruit, some full fat milk (cream optional) and a blender.

If you want to avoid milk and cream and just go the sorbet way, it is totally possible but you need a sorbet maker (or a very strong food processor that can deal with frozen fruit).

Frozen fruit is perfect for creating that ice cream texture without the need for a lengthy process with an actual ice cream making machine.

You do NOT need to add any sugar. There is plenty in the fruit. You can add some dark chocolate chips if you want. 

If you have diabetes or prediabetes, this version will raise you blood sugar less than any store bought ice cream that has sugar added. However, this is still desert, There is still sugar in it - albeit natural. It will still enter your blood as glucose and fructose. 

This means that, as with any dessert, it is best to have it after eating lunch when the rest of the food will act as a cushion slowing down the entry of the dessert sugar into your blood .

It is not optimal to eat this, or any dessert, alone in the middle of the afternoon but if you are going to do it, consider adding some nuts or nut butter and/or cream to it. This will slow down the entry of glucose and make the spike lower.

You will also need to monitor your blood sugar and figure out how much of it you can actually have. As I often say, the devil is in the dose and "Test, Don't Guess!"

Also keep in mind that there is fruit and fruit. Berries will have a much lower impact on your blood sugar than a mango or a ripe banana. Sour cherries, if you can get hold of them, are also a good low glycemic option. 

However, for the sorbet version, you will inevitably need a banana or mango as a base. Try to go for a banana that is not very ripe and reduce the proportion of banana/mango to the berries. In the ice cream version, you can skip the banana altogether and just use berries and cream/milk. 

With that said, there is how you do it 👇

Ice Cream 2.0

Sorbet 2.0