Skinny Cow= low fat but LOTS of scary sugars!

Onesnap

I've been talking with my friends the past few days about sugar. There was an article in the New York Times recently about the evils of sugar. This past weekend I had a single serve Skinny Cow ice cream. I convinced myself this was better than the real stuff that contained only 5 ingredients! Wrong. If I had a small serving of the real stuff I would not have been disgusted by how super sweet the Skinny Cow caramel flavor was! Mind you, I love the regular ice cream sandwiches by Skinny Cow--the more simple the better and those are under 200 calories!

Anyway, below is the ingredient list. It was so sweet that my husband would not even eat it! Ice cream is supposed to be milk, sugar, cream. In moderation it's really not bad for you. I've heard sugar is stored as fat in the body! There was a trainer a few weeks ago at my gym talking to a member about how bad diet foods are for you. How you're better off with a small amt of the real thing versus a bowl of man-made chemicals.

What do you think?

skim milk, sugar, caramel swirl [corn syrup, sugar, water, sweetened condensed skim milk (condensed skim milk, sugar), modified corn starch, salt, soy lecithin, xanthan gum, caramel color], corn syrup, polydextrose, whey protein, cream, calcium carbonate, Inulin (Dietary Fiber), Propylene Glycol Monostearate, microcrystalline cellulose, caramel color, Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose, guar gum, monoglycerides, sorbitol, carob bean gum, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, carrageenan, natural and artificial flavor, salt

PhatmanVA

Can't have everything...

nab22

I agree with you on this. I'd rather eat 2 or 3 ingredients and have a little good fat/sugar/what have you instead of a "diet" food with 50 ingredients I can't pronounce. I think your body will thank you!

LillysGranny

I have a couple of the Skinny Cow chocolate truffle bars per week...not the best choice, I know, but they taste good and satisfy the chocolate monster inside me!

mcbrooking

I choose to eat small amounts of the "real" thing. I had to see a dietichian (sp) about 9 yrs ago for gestational diabetes and she explained to us that the more natural the food the better for our bodies. It made sense to me. We also talk about that in my First Place meetings. If a food has more than 5 ingredients or several ingredients you can't pronounce then it might be best to pick something else.

meggonkgonk

I think I like ice cream and if I'm looking at this or a pint of Ben and Jerry's, this is an option that lets me get a treat without getting out of control.

It's not meant to be a health food, but a sugar fix- a controlled splurge. It doesn't purport to be good for you, just better than the alternative.

ml1234

Most of those ingredients are pretty normal. A few are soy derived and there is some question about how healthy that is but anything in moderation is fine.

If you want to lose weight, counting calories is what matters, not fat or sugar, and skinny cow helps with that IF you are satisfied by it and not hungry for more unhealthy things.

fatboypup

I had a skinny cow sandwich for breakfast

meggonkgonk

PS- the truffles are WICKED tasty.

mcbrooking

I use a piece of dark chocolate for the chocolate monster. It helps! Try Hershey's Double Chocolate Nuggets if you don't care for dark chocolate. Only 47.5 cal a piece. But I can go for a week or better without eating one. Just don't get the craving all that often.

Kirsty_UK

I think any low fat or diet food makes up for the lack of fat etc in other ways - either with diabetes inducing sugar proportions, or in additives that in many cases, are not good for you.

My view is it's better to eat a little of non-diet treats than to think you're being good eating lots of diet or low fat foods as a daily replacement.

immacookie

I agree with you on this. I'd rather eat 2 or 3 ingredients and have a little good fat/sugar/what have you instead of a "diet" food with 50 ingredients I can't pronounce. I think your body will thank you!

Agreed... I'm in love with the Hagen Daz 5 mint flavor..... it's sooo expensive so I only buy a tiny thing once a month as a special treat! :bigsmile:

SiltyPigeon

I love the skinny cow chocolate truffle bars!
Most of those unpronounceable ingredients are byproducts of corn. They could call it Chocolate Corn Cream! :laugh:
Anyways, I don't really see what the big deal is. 90% or more of our food contains corn products, including the meat we eat that was fed on corn and our fruit which is coated in corn wax.
No, it isn't what nature naturally intended for us, but nature never intended for us use penicillin, aspirin, vaccinations, and many other things that have saved millions of lives. Come to think of it.... I'm not sure nature intended us to drink milk, either. Pretty sure she gave it to the cows for the cows to use. But you know us people....

schnarfo

i love the skinny cow ice creams

Improvised

I love the ice cream sandwich bars, not gonna lie...

Onesnap

Thanks everyone! I love the Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches. I was just shocked at how over-sweet the single serve was. It did not really satisfy a sweet craving just made me keep to my calorie count (a good thing) but in the end it was just gross. Not as good as the sandwiches for sure!!!

rc630

A of of those ingredients are actually plant-derived emulsifiers (notice how the texture isn't like the 5 ingredient ice cream or how it doesn't melt the same?)
From what I've gathered, things like that aren't harmful to you. A lot of those plants are similar to seaweed; it's just algae products and tree exudates.

NeuroticVirgo

I know a lot of people area against all the "fake" stuff, but I think especially when people are first starting out they can really help people make baby steps.

I know I wouldn't have made it through my first month with out things like skinny cow, sugar free pudding etc.

When your trying to wing yourself off the nightly Ben and Jerry pint (that's about 1000+ calories), replacing it with a skinny cow fudge bar or two is still a better option, and can help a lot of people stay on track. After they get through all the sugar, carb, fat, salt cravings, and can consistently exercise and stay at their calorie goal...well I think that's when even more tweaking can happen.

Jade_Butterfly

I love the skinny cow chocolate truffle bars!
Most of those unpronounceable ingredients are byproducts of corn. They could call it Chocolate Corn Cream! :laugh:
Anyways, I don't really see what the big deal is. 90% or more of our food contains corn products, including the meat we eat that was fed on corn and our fruit which is coated in corn wax.
No, it isn't what nature naturally intended for us, but nature never intended for us use penicillin, aspirin, vaccinations, and many other things that have saved millions of lives. Come to think of it.... I'm not sure nature intended us to drink milk, either. Pretty sure she gave it to the cows for the cows to use. But you know us people....

Amen to the milk issue! lol. Cow milk is made to raise cow young. Not humans!!! lol. Then people wonder why they gain weight drinking it. As well as it is full of sugar. Gross!

perrytyra

Thanks for this. I knew it when I bought them, but I was just trying to stay under calorie. I have stopped buying them. They are too expensive, and my 6 year old kept stealing them. LOL.

I will stick to Breyer's natural, and only buy it once a month. It is the cheapest name brand icecream at my store too. Bonus.

Onesnap

As for milk. And anti-milk people, think of those of us that have osteoporosis in our families. Taking calcium pills each day is not going to cut it. We need dairy with vitamin D to help get the calcium to where we need it. And sunshine, plenty of sunshine.

I buy milk from local New England dairies and I'm proud to support family farms.

Also, anyone that can digest cow's milk after age 4 is actually a mutant! It's a mutation that allows this! Kind of like how my Dad and brother can't do milk products but I can without issue.

Anyway, before being anti-milk think of those of us that don't have a choice regarding osteoporosis prevention.

Onesnap

perrytyra, yes with the cheaper options! Nothing wrong with a treat that is real and natural. Just measure it out and log it that way.

Skinny Cow products are fine. Again, not dissing them. Just mentioning that the caramel single serve is way too sweet!

Jade_Butterfly

I love skinny cows just don't eat them all the time~! Healthy choice fudge bars are amazing too. :bigsmile:

eeeekie

I love the skinny cow chocolate truffle bars!
Most of those unpronounceable ingredients are byproducts of corn. They could call it Chocolate Corn Cream! :laugh:
Anyways, I don't really see what the big deal is. 90% or more of our food contains corn products, including the meat we eat that was fed on corn and our fruit which is coated in corn wax.
No, it isn't what nature naturally intended for us, but nature never intended for us use penicillin, aspirin, vaccinations, and many other things that have saved millions of lives. Come to think of it.... I'm not sure nature intended us to drink milk, either. Pretty sure she gave it to the cows for the cows to use. But you know us people....

BRILLIANT

Jade_Butterfly

As for milk. And anti-milk people, think of those of us that have osteoporosis in our families. Taking calcium pills each day is not going to cut it. We need dairy with vitamin D to help get the calcium to where we need it. And sunshine, plenty of sunshine.

I buy milk from local New England dairies and I'm proud to support family farms.

Also, anyone that can digest cow's milk after age 4 is actually a mutant! It's a mutation that allows this! Kind of like how my Dad and brother can't do milk products but I can without issue.

Anyway, before being anti-milk think of those of us that don't have a choice regarding osteoporosis prevention.

Sorry myth you can get plenty of calcium through veggies such as kale, and Almond milk, and not be ingesting something that was made to raise a 1300lb animal.

Not dissing on anyone that likes to drink milk. It is a personal choice. Got my mom drinking soy as it has a lot more protein for her, and significantly less sugar! Just a thought. I do eat dairy in moderation. Just not milk. Milk in my house has to be organic, so that I know they are not lacing it with hormones and chemicals!:bigsmile:

Jade_Butterfly

As for milk. And anti-milk people, think of those of us that have osteoporosis in our families. Taking calcium pills each day is not going to cut it. We need dairy with vitamin D to help get the calcium to where we need it. And sunshine, plenty of sunshine.

I buy milk from local New England dairies and I'm proud to support family farms.

Also, anyone that can digest cow's milk after age 4 is actually a mutant! It's a mutation that allows this! Kind of like how my Dad and brother can't do milk products but I can without issue.

Anyway, before being anti-milk think of those of us that don't have a choice regarding osteoporosis prevention.

Nutritionally milk is not going to prevent osteoporosis. That too is a myth if you do research. drinking milk actually leaches calcium from the bones.

Onesnap

Yep, organic milk all the way.

Processed soy products are not advisable for those of us that have breast cancer in the family. And that is straight from my Mom's cancer doctor! Almond milk is wonderful. Lots of good recipes out there for using it. I just try to stick to whole soy beans not processed soy to not mess with my hormones. Plus, soy milk has a ton of sugar typically.

Humans drank milk back in the day and they were very thin because they worked physical labor all day. I'm pretty sure milk is not the route of our problems if it's bought locally and is hormone and antibiotic free! I'd rather support a local farmer than a factory farm! 99% of our meat comes from Factory Farms in the US. And the USDA allows the chickens to be washed in poop-filled water. Given what the food system in the US has come down to in recent decades, I don't think a bit of local dairy milk is harmful compared to processed soy!

Onesnap

Here's a helpful article: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/calcium-full-story/

appleofmyeye

I've never had any of the Skinny Cow products before, but I do tend to stay away from most foods that have lots of ingredients, especially ingredients of the polysyllabic variety. I prefer to appease my inner sugar monster with a square or two of good dark chocolate, a small scoop of regular old full-fat ice cream, or a little bit of a real, homemade dessert. I would probably never buy Skinny Cow stuff myself, but I'm not going to tell anyone else not to! I think it's perfectly fine to eat things like this in moderation, especially if they can keep you from making a worse choice (like that whole pint of Ben and Jerry's). :happy:

NoExcuseTina

I am more satisfied with a 1/2 cup serving on bryers butter pecan...YUM

TS65

Come to think of it.... I'm not sure nature intended us to drink milk, either. Pretty sure she gave it to the cows for the cows to use. But you know us people....

If I was drinking milk, it would have come right through my nose when I read this!
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: