How bad is ice cream when it comes to calories and fat?

If you're watching your weight or controlling your blood cholesterol, splurging on high-fat ice cream isn't recommended on a regular basis. Consider that a one-half cup serving of most Haagen-Dazs ice cream flavours deliver as much -- or more -- saturated fat than a McDonald's Big Mac. Ice cream is definitely a splurge.

Standard full-fat ice creams like Breyers Classic or Nestle Parlour contains 120 to 140 calories, 6 grams of fat and 16 grams of sugar (4 teaspoons worth) per half a cup serving. Add-ins like chocolate chips, fudge, cookie pieces, and candy boost the calories.

Premium brands like Haagen-Dazs, Ben and Jerry's and President's Choice Cream First are made with cream and, as a result, are higher in saturated fat. In fact, some flavours of Haagen -Dasz and Ben and Jerry's hit 300 calories, 25 grams of fat and 7 teaspoons worth of sugar per half a cup! Premium brands of ice cream have less air whipped into them than standard ice cream products. That means you get more ice cream per serving - and more calories, protein, fat, sugar and vitamins and minerals.

Are there skinnier options?

Yes, if you love ice cream there are lower calorie options. Skinny Cow is made with skim milk instead of cream. One sandwich has 130 calories and only 1.5 grams of fat, but it still has a fair amount of sugar -- 4 teaspoons per bar.

Other companies offer lower fat, or "light, ice creams. Bryer's Light vanilla has 110 calories and 3 grams of fat per half a cup serving. That's half the fat of regular ice cream. But these aren't light on sugar. You still get 3.5 teaspoons in each little half a cup serving of Bryer's Light Vanilla. And there are 4 teaspoons in half a cup of President's Choice Blue Menu Light Chocolate ice cream.

No sugar added ice creams are sweetened with artificial sweeteners and contain anywhere from 2 to 7 grams of sugar per serving. Sugar-free doesn't mean calorie-free though. Most brands deliver 100 to 130 calories per half a cup.

What about gelato? Is it better for you than ice cream?

Yes, it is lower in fat. Gelato is made with a higher proportion of whole milk to cream than ice cream, so it has less fat. But it is also made with more sugar than ice cream. President's Choice fat free chocolate gelato has 28 grams of sugar, 7 teaspoons worth.

Whether you're choosing gelato or ice cream, watch your portion size to control calories. A pint of Haagen-Dazs is not intended to be a single serving. Instead, visualize half a tennis ball. That's what one-half cup of ice cream looks like and it's the amount the nutrition facts on the label are based on. Eat your ice cream from a small bowl rather that straight out of the container.

What about frozen yogurt, sherbet and sorbet? Lower in calories than ice cream, right?

It depends. Sorbet is definitely a lower calorie choice. It's made with fruit, sugar and ice - no milk or cream is added so it is fat free. Sherbet is your next best bet; it usually has a little cream added.

Many people think that frozen yogurt is healthier than ice cream when it comes to calories. Not always. It's true frozen yogurt is made with lower fat milk than ice cream, but in some cases less fat means more sugar and more calories. For instance, Haagen-Dasz low fat vanilla frozen yogurt has only 2 grams of fat per ½ cup, but it also has 170 calories and 21 grams of sugar. That's more calories and sugar than many regular ice cream flavours.

Freezies and popsicles? Which is better?

A regular popsicle has 60 calories, 3 teaspoons of refined sugar and artificial colours. Even worse is this jumbo freezie: 100 calories, 6 teaspoons of sugar, and artificial colours and flavours. One of these freezies has almost the same amount of sugar as a can of Coke. And let's not forget that many kids eat more than once freeze on a summer day.

If your kids want to cool off on a summer day, choose a frozen treat made with real fruit juice like Del Monte Real Fruit bars. They're only 50 calories and have no artificial colours. They have a little refined sugar added, but much less than a freezie or popsicle. Most of the sugar in one of these bars - 12 grams - is coming from the fruit.

Any other tips for buying ice cream?

If ice cream is a regular part of your summer diet, read labels before you buy.

Look for brands with no more than 3 grams per half cup serving. Almost all light and fat-free ice creams, frozen yogurts, sherbet, sorbet and non-dairy frozen desserts quality as do a few brands of regular ice cream.

• Compare brands to choose a product with less sugar.
• Look for brands that have at least 10 percent of the Daily Value for calcium.
• Choose brands with fewer ingredients, ideally less than eight. Fewer ingredients usually means fewer synthetic additives.