{"id":604666396978,"title":"Is Halo Top Really Healthier? An Ingredient Analysis","created_at":"2023-01-26T17:58:15-05:00","body_html":"\u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e\/\/ \u003c![CDATA[\n{\n \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n \"@type\": \"Article\",\n \"headline\": \"Is Halo Top Really Healthier? An Ingredient Analysis\",\n \"keywords\": \"halo top, halo top keto series, is halo top healthy, halo top ice cream, halo top flavors, best halo top flavors, halo top ice cream flavors, halo top keto, halo top nutrition facts, halo top ice cream nutrition facts, halo top ingredients\",\n \"description\": \"Our research team reviews the ingredients in Halo Top and Halo Top Keto Series to give our take on whether or not the brand is healthy. We explain which flavor we consider the healthiest and share real, unsponsored user reviews including taste tests.\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/is-halo-top-healthy\",\n\"author\": {\n \"@type\": \"Person\",\n \"name\": \"Calloway Cook\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/calloway-cook\",\n \"sameAs\": \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/calloway-cook\/\",\n \"jobTitle\": \"President\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"entrepreneurship, dietary supplements, herbal supplements, eCommerce, medical research\",\n \"alumniOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"EducationalOrganization\",\n \"name\": \"S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University\"\n },\n \"memberOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n }\n},\n\"editor\": {\n \"@type\": \"Person\",\n \"name\": \"DJ Mazzoni\",\n \"honorificSuffix\": [\n \"M.S.\",\n \"R.D.\",\n \"C.D.N.\",\n \"C.S.C.S.\"\n ],\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/dj-mazzoni\",\n \"sameAs\": [\n \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dj-mazzoni-rd-cdn-cscs-00a33038\/\",\n \"http:\/\/djmazzoni.com\/\"\n ],\n \"jobTitle\": \"Medical Reviewer\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"exercise, drugs, pharmaceutical, health, workout, strength and conditioning, nutrition, dietetics, medicine, medical research, scientific research, scientific method, healthcare, patient care, wellness\",\n \"alumniOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"EducationalOrganization\",\n \"name\": [\n \"State University of New York College Oswego\",\n \"D’Youville College\"\n ]\n },\n \"memberOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n }\n},\n\"image\": {\n\"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\"url\": \"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Is_Halo_Top_Really_Healthier_Thumbnail_Optimized.png?v=1674774233\",\n\"width\": \"2500\",\n\"height\": \"2500\"\n},\n\"citation\": [\n\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5814329\/\", \n\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/32031079\/\",\n\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/pink-sauce-review\",\n\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/20516261\/\",\n\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/is-red-bull-bad-for-you\",\n\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/25803191\/\",\n\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/juice-plus-review\"\n],\n\"mentions\": [{\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"peppermint oil\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"stevia\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"natural flavors\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Brand\",\n \"name\": \"Turkey Hill\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"artificial food dyes\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"fiber\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"added sugar\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Brand\",\n \"name\": \"Good Morning America\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Brand\",\n \"name\": \"Keto Connect\"\n }\n],\n\"datePublished\": \"2023-01-26\",\n\"copyrightHolder\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n},\n\"publisher\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/\",\n \"description\": \"Illuminate Labs is the most transparent supplement company in the U.S., and is a leading publisher of research-based health information.\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"supplements, science, nutrition, exercise, health, medication, pharmaceutical, wellness, diet, weight loss, medical research\",\n \"publishingPrinciples\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/editorial-guidelines\",\n \"memberOf\": [\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"U.S. Chamber of Commerce\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.uschamber.com\/\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Certified B Corp\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.bcorporation.net\/en-us\/\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Natural Products Association\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.npanational.org\/\"\n }\n ], \n \"logo\": {\n \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Illuminate_Labs_Favicon_48x48_7595c3cc-e27b-47b8-a4fe-edcc7ed9b29a.png?v=1666502785\", \n \"width\": 48,\n \"height\": 48\n},\n \"foundingDate\": \"2019-01-30\",\n \"sameAs\": [\n \"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/illuminatelabs\",\n \"https:\/\/twitter.com\/illuminatelabs\",\n \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/illuminate-labs-supplements\",\n \"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCpgSJAsIPb-fZ25djtTxBEA\"\n ]\n }\n}\n\/\/ ]]\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Is_Halo_Top_Really_Healthier_Article_Header_Image_Optimized.png?v=1674773681\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dc\"\u003eH\u003c\/span\u003ealo Top is arguably the most popular “healthy” ice cream brand. It’s lower in calories, higher in protein and lower in added sugar than most ice cream brands.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBut is Halo Top actually healthier than regular ice cream, or is just positioned as such because of effective marketing? Does Halo Top contain any questionable additive ingredients? What’s the healthiest Halo Top flavor? And how does Halo Top’s Keto Series compare?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review the ingredients in Halo Top based on medical research to give our take on whether the brand is really healthier than regular ice cream. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe’ll also give our recommendation for Halo Top’s healthiest flavor and share our thoughts on whether the brand’s Keto Series is a better option than their regular ice cream.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHalo Top vs. Regular Ice Cream\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Halo_Top_Ingredients_Optimized.png?v=1674773704\" alt=\"Halo Top ingredients\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe ingredients for Halo Top Mint Chip are shown above.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eFor an ice cream brand, these are relatively unprocessed and healthy ingredients. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePeppermint oil\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is used as a natural flavoring agent, and is shown in a 2018 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5814329\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003emedical review\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e to have favorable effects on gut health.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eStevia leaf extract\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eerythritol\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e are plant-based sweeteners, the former of which is shown in a 2020 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/32031079\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003emedical review\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e to reduce blood sugar in those with high blood sugar and to have anti-inflammatory effects.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNatural flavors\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is the only additive ingredient we consider questionable in Halo Top, as this is a broad descriptor that was clinically shown to have toxicity concerns depending on the flavoring agents used, as we referenced in our \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/pink-sauce-review\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ePink Sauce reviews\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e article.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe ingredients for Turkey Hill Choco Mint Chip ice cream (a commercial brand) are shown above.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCorn syrup\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is a cheap, high-glycemic sweetener shown in a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/20516261\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003emedical review\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e published in the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eJournal of the American College of Nutrition\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e to be associated with increased risk of obesity.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePeppermint oil flavor\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is used instead of natural peppermint oil, and there’s no description of what chemical compounds are used to make this flavor.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eYellow 5\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eBlue 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e are artificial food dyes, and as we detailed in our article on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/is-red-bull-bad-for-you\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eis Red Bull bad for you\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, all artificial food coloring compounds are clinically shown to have toxicity risk.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eHalo Top also differs significantly from regular ice cream in regard to macronutrients.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOne pint of Halo Top contains 330 calories, 18 grams (g) of dietary fiber and 16 g of added sugar. One pint of Turkey Hill contains 600 calories, less than 1 g of dietary fiber and 39 g of added sugar.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOverall, we consider Halo Top to be significantly healthier than regular ice cream.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e Not only is it much higher in fiber which can have positive effects on gut health and weight, it’s significantly lower in calories and added sugar and contains fewer questionable additive ingredients.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eBut what’s the healthiest Halo Top flavor? We’ll provide our recommendation in the next section.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat’s the Healthiest Halo Top Flavor?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Halo_Top_Strawberry_Ingredients_Optimized.png?v=1674773738\" alt=\"Halo Top Strawberry ingredients\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe consider Strawberry to be the healthiest Halo Top flavor.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eStrawberries\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e are unsurprisingly one of the main ingredients, and a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/25803191\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003emedical review\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e published in the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eFood \u0026amp; Function\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e journal found that this fruit helps with disease prevention, contains potent antioxidants and can even protect and repair DNA damage.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eBecause strawberries naturally contain sugar, this flavor of Halo Top only contains 11 g of added sugar per pint, which is 39% less than in the Mint Chip flavor we reviewed in the previous section.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCitric acid\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is included in this flavor, which may be inflammatory to a small subset of the population as we documented in our review of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/juice-plus-review\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eJuice Plus\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, but overall we still think it’s the healthiest option because of the whole food ingredient based and the reduced added sugar.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eA TikTok user named Patricia Isabelle reviewed the flavor of Halo Top Strawberry favorably:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@patriciaisabelle\/video\/7116726119998639406\" data-video-id=\"7116726119998639406\" style=\"max-width: 375px; min-width: 325px;\"\u003e\n\u003csection\u003e\u003ca target=\"_blank\" title=\"@patriciaisabelle\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@patriciaisabelle?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e@patriciaisabelle\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca title=\"halotop\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/halotop?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#Halotop\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca title=\"icecream\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/icecream?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#icecream\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca title=\"fyp\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/fyp?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#fyp\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca title=\"toppings\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/toppings?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#toppings\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca title=\"strawberry\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/strawberry?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#strawberry\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca title=\"sweets\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/sweets?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#sweets\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca title=\"yum\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/yum?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#yum\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca target=\"_blank\" title=\"♬ original sound - Patricia Isabelle\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/original-sound-7116726089321532206?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e♬ original sound - Patricia Isabelle\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cscript async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eGood Morning America Reviews Halo Top\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eA Good Morning America segment with over 60,000 views reviews the healthiness and taste of Halo Top:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QxUIg34sz8A\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIs the Halo Top Keto Series Better?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eHalo Top sells ice cream for people on a ketogenic (keto) diet that typically requires under 50 g of carbs per day and sometimes under 20 g. The ingredients in Halo Top Keto Mint Chocolate pint are shown above.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThis ice cream can be incorporated into a keto diet, because it only contains 10 g of carbs per pint.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHalo Top Keto pints are healthier than Halo Top regular pints in our opinion, even for those not on a keto diet, because they are significantly lower in added sugar (1 g vs. 16 g).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e The majority of the other ingredients are exactly the same.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eTwo YouTube creators with a channel called “Keto Connect” did a taste test on Halo Top Keto Series:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/h12l3p0T2a8\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eOur Clean Ice Cream Recommendation\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Ice_Cream_Image.png?v=1674773805\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca rel=\"sponsored\" href=\"https:\/\/shareasale.com\/r.cfm?b=841453\u0026amp;u=3153363\u0026amp;m=64681\u0026amp;urllink=www%2Edaily%2Dharvest%2Ecom%2Fbrowse%2Fscoops\u0026amp;afftrack=\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eDaily Harvest Scoops\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is our top pick for a healthy ice cream brand.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThis is the only ice cream brand we’ve come across that uses entirely whole food ingredients. As an example, their Rippled Berry ice cream flavor includes natural, nutrient-rich ingredients like \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eorganic coconut cream\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eorganic strawberry puree\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003edragon fruit puree\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eDaily Harvest Scoops are vegan and are entirely free of questionable additive ingredients, and even contain functional, taste-free ingredients like probiotics that can improve gut health.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eInterested consumers can check out Daily Harvest Scoops \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca rel=\"sponsored\" href=\"https:\/\/shareasale.com\/r.cfm?b=841453\u0026amp;u=3153363\u0026amp;m=64681\u0026amp;urllink=www%2Edaily%2Dharvest%2Ecom%2Fbrowse%2Fscoops\u0026amp;afftrack=\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eat this link\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e to the product page on the official brand’s website.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eConclusion\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eHalo Top is definitely healthier than regular ice cream in our opinion, because it’s much lower in added sugar, much higher in fiber, and is free of highly questionable additives like artificial food dye.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe consider Halo Top’s Keto Series to be the healthiest option sold by the brand, because it’s even lower in added sugar than their regular ice cream pints. This ice cream can be consumed by anyone, not only those on a keto diet.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThere are a few questionable additives in Halo Top ice cream, including natural flavors and citric acid.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eMost online reviews on the taste of Halo Top ice cream are highly favorable.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":49281925193,"author":"Calloway Cook","user_id":26601750601,"published_at":"2023-01-26T18:08:09-05:00","updated_at":"2023-02-10T14:56:47-05:00","summary_html":"We review the ingredients in Halo Top and Halo Top Keto Series to give our take on whether or not the brand is healthy. We explain which flavor we consider the healthiest and share real, unsponsored user reviews including taste tests.","template_suffix":"","handle":"is-halo-top-healthy","tags":"_related:nutrition"}

Is Halo Top Really Healthier? An Ingredient Analysis

Is Halo Top Really Healthier? An Ingredient Analysis


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Halo Top is arguably the most popular “healthy” ice cream brand. It’s lower in calories, higher in protein and lower in added sugar than most ice cream brands.

But is Halo Top actually healthier than regular ice cream, or is just positioned as such because of effective marketing? Does Halo Top contain any questionable additive ingredients? What’s the healthiest Halo Top flavor? And how does Halo Top’s Keto Series compare?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review the ingredients in Halo Top based on medical research to give our take on whether the brand is really healthier than regular ice cream. 

We’ll also give our recommendation for Halo Top’s healthiest flavor and share our thoughts on whether the brand’s Keto Series is a better option than their regular ice cream.

Halo Top vs. Regular Ice Cream

Halo Top ingredients

The ingredients for Halo Top Mint Chip are shown above.

For an ice cream brand, these are relatively unprocessed and healthy ingredients. 

Peppermint oil is used as a natural flavoring agent, and is shown in a 2018 medical review to have favorable effects on gut health.

Stevia leaf extract and erythritol are plant-based sweeteners, the former of which is shown in a 2020 medical review to reduce blood sugar in those with high blood sugar and to have anti-inflammatory effects.

Natural flavors is the only additive ingredient we consider questionable in Halo Top, as this is a broad descriptor that was clinically shown to have toxicity concerns depending on the flavoring agents used, as we referenced in our Pink Sauce reviews article.

The ingredients for Turkey Hill Choco Mint Chip ice cream (a commercial brand) are shown above.

Corn syrup is a cheap, high-glycemic sweetener shown in a medical review published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition to be associated with increased risk of obesity.

Peppermint oil flavor is used instead of natural peppermint oil, and there’s no description of what chemical compounds are used to make this flavor.

Yellow 5 and Blue 1 are artificial food dyes, and as we detailed in our article on is Red Bull bad for you, all artificial food coloring compounds are clinically shown to have toxicity risk.

Halo Top also differs significantly from regular ice cream in regard to macronutrients.

One pint of Halo Top contains 330 calories, 18 grams (g) of dietary fiber and 16 g of added sugar. One pint of Turkey Hill contains 600 calories, less than 1 g of dietary fiber and 39 g of added sugar.

Overall, we consider Halo Top to be significantly healthier than regular ice cream. Not only is it much higher in fiber which can have positive effects on gut health and weight, it’s significantly lower in calories and added sugar and contains fewer questionable additive ingredients.

But what’s the healthiest Halo Top flavor? We’ll provide our recommendation in the next section.

What’s the Healthiest Halo Top Flavor?

Halo Top Strawberry ingredients

We consider Strawberry to be the healthiest Halo Top flavor.

Strawberries are unsurprisingly one of the main ingredients, and a medical review published in the Food & Function journal found that this fruit helps with disease prevention, contains potent antioxidants and can even protect and repair DNA damage.

Because strawberries naturally contain sugar, this flavor of Halo Top only contains 11 g of added sugar per pint, which is 39% less than in the Mint Chip flavor we reviewed in the previous section.

Citric acid is included in this flavor, which may be inflammatory to a small subset of the population as we documented in our review of Juice Plus, but overall we still think it’s the healthiest option because of the whole food ingredient based and the reduced added sugar.

A TikTok user named Patricia Isabelle reviewed the flavor of Halo Top Strawberry favorably:

@patriciaisabelle #Halotop#icecream#fyp#toppings#strawberry#sweets#yum ♬ original sound - Patricia Isabelle

Good Morning America Reviews Halo Top

A Good Morning America segment with over 60,000 views reviews the healthiness and taste of Halo Top:

Is the Halo Top Keto Series Better?

Halo Top sells ice cream for people on a ketogenic (keto) diet that typically requires under 50 g of carbs per day and sometimes under 20 g. The ingredients in Halo Top Keto Mint Chocolate pint are shown above.

This ice cream can be incorporated into a keto diet, because it only contains 10 g of carbs per pint.

Halo Top Keto pints are healthier than Halo Top regular pints in our opinion, even for those not on a keto diet, because they are significantly lower in added sugar (1 g vs. 16 g). The majority of the other ingredients are exactly the same.

Two YouTube creators with a channel called “Keto Connect” did a taste test on Halo Top Keto Series:

Our Clean Ice Cream Recommendation

Daily Harvest Scoops is our top pick for a healthy ice cream brand.

This is the only ice cream brand we’ve come across that uses entirely whole food ingredients. As an example, their Rippled Berry ice cream flavor includes natural, nutrient-rich ingredients like organic coconut cream, organic strawberry puree, and dragon fruit puree

Daily Harvest Scoops are vegan and are entirely free of questionable additive ingredients, and even contain functional, taste-free ingredients like probiotics that can improve gut health.

Interested consumers can check out Daily Harvest Scoops at this link to the product page on the official brand’s website.

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Conclusion

Halo Top is definitely healthier than regular ice cream in our opinion, because it’s much lower in added sugar, much higher in fiber, and is free of highly questionable additives like artificial food dye.

We consider Halo Top’s Keto Series to be the healthiest option sold by the brand, because it’s even lower in added sugar than their regular ice cream pints. This ice cream can be consumed by anyone, not only those on a keto diet.

There are a few questionable additives in Halo Top ice cream, including natural flavors and citric acid.

Most online reviews on the taste of Halo Top ice cream are highly favorable.




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