How to choose a healthier popsicle

It's possible that 50% of my 7 year old body was created from otter pops. I remember slurping up the juice from one otter pop after another after another on hot summer days.

I thought I was making a healthy choice!

I thought popsicles were made from blended fruit and were thus healthy!

Now that I'm a mom, I know better.

Each otter pop has 5 grams of sugar. As a kid, I never ate one pop. On a really hot day I'd eat at least 10. That equates to 50 grams of sugar.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and American Heart Association both recommend limiting added sugar intake to less than 25 grams per day.

50 grams of sugar is way over the daily limit!

Does this mean I never buy popsicles?

Of course not.

Does this mean I set limits on how many my kids eat?

Yes.

It's okay to set limits!

Here are 2 ways to choose healthier popsicles this summer:

#1: Make your kids ask before having a popsicle. I think popsicles are a sometimes food, not a free for all. Try to limit to one per day.

#2: Choose a popsicle that's actually made from blended fruit, and look for one with a lower amount of added sugar. (or make your own, see the end of the blog for more info)

To help you choose a lower sugar variety, here's a list of popsicles and their sugar content. If you enjoy the high sugar varieties, just try to limit how much you eat!

I was disheartened to see that the twin popsicles have so much sugar. I loved breaking those things in half on my kitchen counter as a kid....especially the banana ones!

Twin Pops

$3.00 for 18 popsicles

22 grams of sugar per pop

(limit is 25g/day for kids)

Great Value Freedom Pops

$2.48 for 12

9 grams of sugar per pop

(limit is 25g/day for kids)

Monster Pops

$3.00

16grams of sugar per pop

(limit is 25g/day for kids)

Popsicle

$5.64 for 18

7 grams added sugar per pop

(limit is 25g/day for kids)

Outshine popsicles

$5.64 for 12

9 grams added sugar per pop

(limit is 25g/day for kids)

Otter Pops

$5.88 for 80 popsicles

5 grams added sugar per otter pop

(limit is 25g/day for kids)

Junior Pops

$2.50 for 20

9 grams added sugar per pop

(limit is 25g/day for kids)

Outshine

made with real fruit!

$3.98 for 6 bars (expensive)

still has 14 grams added sugar!

(remember the daily limit is 25 grams)

Helado's MINIs (these are small)

$4.77 for 12

4-9 grams added sugar per pop

(remember the daily limit is 25 grams)

La Michoacana

$7.78 for 12

18-26 grams added sugar per pop (yikes!)

(remember, the daily limit for sugar is 25 grams)

Pace Bars

5.99 for 12

19 grams added sugar per pop

(remember, the daily limit for sugar is 25 grams)

Minion Popsicles

5.99 for 6 (expensive!)

5 grams added sugar per pop (they are tiny)

Mighty Ice Pops

2.89 for 9 pops

20 grams added sugar per pop

(remember the limit is 25 grams of sugar per day)

This isn't a complete list.

I'm not saying that you should or should not buy any of these popsicles.

I just want you to be AWARE of how much sugar is in popsicles, just in case you are like me and thought that they were full of fruit! When you are shopping, take a minute to compare labels and choose an option with less sugar.

Healthy eating is about balance. It's okay to enjoy popsicles, and it's also okay to skip going out for sodas and cookies at swig if you already had a popsicle that day.

Looking for a healthier way to cool down?

Here's a few ideas:

Keep cut watermelon on hand!

• no added sugars! Fresh fruit is an anytime food at my house!

Make your own popsicles

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoQe-9joguQ

• https://minimalistbaker.com/tropical-fruit-popsicles-no-added-sugar/

• look for recipes that have no added sugar or honey, stick with whole fruit and 100% fruit juices

Banana "nice" cream (no added sugar)

• https://youtu.be/1HKMAk3LPw4?si=IMufOouEJ7Js2qDB

My Favorite Smoothies (no added sugar)!

(you could turn any of these into popsicles, but it's not worth the hassle in my opinion)

Peanut butter green smoothie

• https://www.ddinutrition.com/recipes-2/green-smoothie

Tropical Smoothie

• https://www.ddinutrition.com/recipes-2/tropical-green-smoothie

Beet smoothie

• https://www.ddinutrition.com/recipes-2/raspberry-cottage-cheese-smoothie

Happy summer!