Test Your Ice Cream IQ!

By Monica Gomez

Break out those spoons, bowls, and napkins! Actually, just get a few spoons, no bowls or napkins necessary. What do you know about these delicious and refreshing ice creams? Rank these from highest fat content to lowest fat content. (Serving size for all is 1/2 cup.)

1. Häagen-Dazs^® Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough – 20 grams of fat. Along with those 20 grams of fat, you get 12 grams of saturated fat (and those 12 grams make up 60 percent of your Recommended Daily Allowance [RDA]).* A half-cup of this ice cream contains 310 calories (180 of them from fat). When you indulge in this dough, you'll also get 85 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbs, 24 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein. All right, so maybe the "get a few spoons" idea isn't really that great, sadly.
2. Baskin Robbins^® Pistachio Almond – 19 grams of fat. At 9 grams of saturated fat (43 percent of the RDA), this is slightly better than the "dough". Half a cup has 290 calories (170 from fat). Other good-to-know tidbits before taking a bite: 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbs (including 1 gram of dietary fiber and 23 grams of sugar), and 7 grams of protein.
3. Ben & Jerry's^® Chocolate – 15 grams of fat. This classic flavor has 11 grams of saturated fat, or a mere 53 percent of the RDA. Its calorie count is 250, with 140 of those thigh-"friendly" calories from fat. It also contains 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbs (2 fiber grams and 22 sugar grams), and 4 grams of protein. Limit your intake, chocolate lovers.
4. Cold Stone Creamery^® Cake Batter Batter Batter^™ – 11 grams of fat. That's a lot of Batter! With that half-cup serving, you're also getting 6 grams of saturated fat (29 percent of the RDA). You'll also serve yourself up 210 calories, 100 from fat. Batter yourself up 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium (mmm . . . salty goodness!), 27 grams of carbs (19 grams of sugar), and 3 grams of protein.
5. Dreyer's Loaded Chocolate Chip Mint Brownie – 4 grams of fat. Ah! Your safest bet. A half cup only contains 2 grams of saturated fat—definitely better than the Dazs. It's nutritionally better at 120 calories (40 calories from fat). For a half cup, you get 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbs (no fiber and 14 grams of sugar), and 2 grams of protein. If you must indulge, choose the "mint."