Summer is officially upon us and we’ve even be treated to a few scorching hot days so far which calls for one thing – ice lollies!
There’s nothing more refreshing than an ice lolly in the sun on a hot day but we often don’t realise how these icy treats are actually impacting our healthy eating. Some of our favourite ice lollies are super high in sugar, including some of these classics:
YooMoo Mixed Berry Yoghurt Lolly: 74 calories / 10.9g sugar per lolly
Rowntrees Fruit Pastilles Lolly: 57 calories / 11.6g sugar per lolly
R Whites Lemonade Lolly: 71 calories / 15.5g sugar per lolly
Del Monte 100% Orange Juice Lolly: 69 calories / 14.6g sugar per lolly
Fab Strawberry Lolly: 75 calories / 10g sugar per lolly
Nobbly Bobbly Lolly: 207 calories / 20.3g sugar per lolly
So, calories may not pose a big problem with ice lollies but sugar certainly does, so we’re going to be sharing with you 5 healthy ice lolly recipes that are lower in sugar, still low in calories and even packed with vitamins!
Raspberry Yogurt Lollies
A creamy and fruity lolly that will cool you down, fill you up and provide one of your 5 a day.
Ingredients – for one lolly:
- 5g Raspberries
- 100g Soya Vanilla Yoghurt
Calories: 76.6
Sugar: 10.4g
Method:
- Pop your raspberries in the bottom of your clean lolly mould .
- Spoon your yoghurt on top, mixing the yoghurt with the raspberries inside the mould to ensure they’re covered.
- Pop in the freezer until solid.
Strawberry Lemonade Lollies
Pink lemonade is a classic summer drink and now you can enjoy the flavour in a frozen ice lolly.
Ingredients – for one lolly:
- 5g Strawberries.
- 150ml No Added Sugar Cloudy Lemonade (or however much you need to fill your mould)
Calories: 4
Sugar: 0.6g
Method:
- Cut the tops off your strawberries, wash them and cut into small pieces before placing in the bottom of your lolly mould.
- Fill your mould with cloudy lemonade and place in the freezer standing up.
- Freeze until solid and then enjoy!
Layered Tropical Lollies
Packed full of real fruit and just a little juice to keep the artificial sugar content down and your fruit intake up.
Ingredients – for one lolly:
- 10g Frozen Pineapple.
- 10g Frozen Mango.
- 10g Frozen Watermelon.
- 100ml Orange Juice.
Calories: 57.5
Sugar: 11.5g
Method:
- Add your frozen fruit to your lolly mould in layers.
- Add your orange juice, ensuring it covers the insides of the lolly mould.
- Place in the freezer until solid.
Strawberry Milkshake Lollies
Something refreshing and fruity to keep you cool at the hottest time of day, packed with calcium and vitamins.
Ingredients – for one lolly:
- 50g Strawberries
- 100g Low Fat Natural Yogurt
- Teaspoon of Honey
Calories: 92
Sugar: 13.9g
Method:
- Put your chopped strawberries, natural yogurt and honey into a blender and blitz.
- Pour into your mould and freeze until solid.
DIY Rainbow Fruit Lolly
Inspired by the classic fruit pastilles, create your own, lower sugar version with this recipe.
Ingredients:
- Blackcurrant Cordial
- Summer Fruits Cordial
- Orange Cordial
- Lime Cordial
*use 5ml of each cordial with 50ml of water
These lollies have very few calories and under 0.5g of sugar.
Method:
- Make up your 25ml of blackcurrant cordial and pour into your lolly mould. Put this into the freezer until solid.
- Remove your mould and add your summer fruits cordial on top of the frozen blackcurrant layer. Return to the freezer to freeze this layer.
- Repeat with the orange and lime layers until completely frozen.
You can mix the order up to create a different pattern if you wish.
So, there are 5 lolly recipes packed with vitamins, minerals and naturally occurring sugars for you to enjoy on your diet when the weather is nice.
Don’t forget, your homemade lollies may sometimes be higher in sugar but only because of the fruits used whereas shop bought lollies can be lower in sugar but contain artificial sugars, meaning your homemade lollies are still better for you.
What is your go-to lolly recipe for summer? Let us know!