It’s not uncommon to hear “if it tastes good, it can’t be good for you”. Turns out we all may be in for a treat.
Despite Australians eating around 18 litres of ice-cream per year, it would appear the world has suddenly jumped on the banana ‘nice-cream’ bandwagon as a subsitute dessert.
Large organisations, such as the BBC, Huffington Post and Yahoo Food, certainly feel the new way to enjoy a banana is a reason to get excited.
Turns out you can have your ice-cream and your banana too, and it’s a simple method of freezing the yellow fruit and placing it into a food processor.
Rebecca Ciarmidaro, from consumer advocacy organisation Choice, said it’s easy for consumers to get caught up in the confusing jargon of ice-cream and confectionery companies who advertise ‘low-fat’ or ‘no-fat’ products, to which banana ‘nice-cream’ offers a simple alternative.
University of Wollongong student, Stephanie Allman is a convert to the banana ice-cream alternative. She admitted to “going to town on chocolate”, but was conscious of her health. She discovered the banana “nice-cream” through the Kayla Itsines blog; a site dedicated to healthy eating and exercise posts.
“I bought a new blender last week, and I thought ‘hey what better way to christen it then with this banana nice-cream’,” she said.
Very happy with the end result, which had sprinkling of sunflower seeds and peanuts on top, Stephanie was keen to recommend it to anyone looking for a healthier option to dairy based ice cream.
“If you want a healthy alternate that you can eat [by the] bucket load, I reckon it’s pretty good,” she said.
Apart from taste, there are health benefits, according to dietician Kate Brumerskyj from Fresh Start Dietetics in Nowra.
“It definitely provides a good alternative especially for people that maybe have diabetes or high cholesterol and who want a sweet treat at the end of the day,” she said.
For those who regularly like their ice-cream or frozen yoghurt, this can be a nice change but there are other options for people who may not like bananas.
“There are some really good ideas like getting your own moulds to make ice blocks by filling them with coconut water or a bit of skim milk with berries,” Ms Brumerskyj said. “You could make a really nice smoothie with banana or berries, yoghurt and milk and have your own type of ice block option.”
Ultimately, whether you’re enjoying a banana or prefer the dairy based option, it needs to be enjoyed in “moderation”.
Image credit: Steve Hopson
