How To Create A Healthy Ice Cream Sundae Bar

I know, I know. Healthy and ice cream usually do not go together. But isn’t it awesome that it can? You know me, I’m all about a balanced lifestyle, so why not enjoy your ice cream sundae bar by keeping the toppings and ice cream nutritious, flavorful, and uncompromisingly awesome. 🙂

Here are some healthy alternatives and swaps you can make for an easy, at-home ice cream bar.

Use creamy, better for you, high protein ice cream

We have to start with the base of the ice cream sundae – by talking about the ice cream! Bye-bye super high fat, calorie-filled, zero nutritional value ice cream. I recently tried Swell, The Next Wave of Ice Cream (in a variety of flavors!) and it is so so good. It’s not “nice” cream, it’s actual creamy ice cream that can actually fuel your body. No matter which flavor you choose from (my favorite happens to be the Dark Chocolate Toffee – because, chocolate), each flavor will always have the 10g of protein per serving. Not to mention, the ingredients are clean. No artificial colors, binders, gums or preservatives, which is super hard to find in ice cream!

Fresh fruit, always

Instead of the standard sugar-coated fruit, or fruit that has been soaking in syrups and preservatives that you may normally see when building an ice cream sundae, try adding in fresh fruit instead. Right now it is perfect berry season (strawberries, especially!), so stop by your local farmer’s market or grocery store to buy some organic berries to add the perfect hint of sweetness to your ice cream.

Add in nuts and seeds for extra fiber

The average person has about 10g of fiber in their diet when the suggested amount is 25g. Adding in chia seeds and hemp seeds is such an easy way to bring in additional fiber into your diet. It also adds a little bit of nuttiness and texture to each bite that you will totally love. If you love nutty flavors, you can also try making your own trail mix with your favorite nuts and seeds. I always have a batch of my own pistachio, cashew, walnut mixture in my freezer (pro tip: keeping your nuts in the freezer will make them extra crunchy!).

Sweet like honey

If you like your sweetness (and since you’re eating ice cream, I assume you do!), instead of drizzling your ice cream with chocolate, try opting for honey. It has a thicker consistency that will fold right into the ice cream so perfectly. Honey and vanilla bean, FYI is always a solid combo 🙂

If you need chocolate, try cacao nibs

Cacao nibs are basically cocoa beans that have been roasted and broken into nibs or small pieces. It adds a little bit of that chocolate/cocoa flavor without the added sugar and fats. Another alternative to standard chocolate chips is to opt for vegan chocolate chips which are just as delicious!

Add in granola for extra vitamins

Depending on what type of granola you get, you can get some that have ingredients like quinoa and millet. Both of these are high in Vitamin B and Magnesium.Magnesium is awesome for bone health! Before purchasing any granola from the store, look at the ingredients to make sure that no additional sweeteners have been added.

Make things pretty with edible flowers

Nothing is more festive than adding in some pretty edible flowers to dress up your ice cream bar. 🙂

If you have any questions on where to find Swell Foods ice cream you can click here to view their store locator or you can purchase this online!

This post was sponsored by Swell Foods but all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.