Creamy and cool ice cream on a hot summer day. The perfect guilty pleasure, right?
But what if you could enjoy this frosty delight without the guilt? I mean, what if your ice cream was made from healthy stuff like avocados? You’ll adore it, won’t you?
Today, we’ll be looking at such ice cream brand that uses avocados instead of dairy.
It’s called Cado ice cream.
Cado is the first dairy-free, avocado-based ice cream brand established in Fairfield, Iowa in 2015.
It is known for its smooth and creamy texture and is often marketed as a healthier alternative to traditional dairy ice cream.
However, while avocado in Cado ice cream certainly sounds fascinating, is Cado a truly healthy choice?
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at Cado, including it’s ingredients, sugar, protein, fiber and more, to find out if it delivers a guilt-free indulgence.
But here’s a quick answer for those in a hurry!!
Short answer: Cado ice cream can be considered healthy choice as it is made from non-GMO, organic ingredients featuring avocado as the star. Also, It is vegan and free from artificial additives. However, it contains significant amount of added sugar and must be consumed in moderation.
Read also: Is Breyers Carb Smart Ice Cream Healthy? Find Out Now
Ingredients in Cado ice cream
Cado ice cream comes in multiple flavors, such as:
- Double chocolate sandwiches
- Mint chip sandwiches
- Choco peanut butter
- Chocolate mud pie
- Deep dark chocolate
- Mint chocolate chip
- Cookies & cream
- Java chip
- Salted caramel
- Vanilla bean
- Cherry amaretto chip
- Simply lemon
As a result, the ingredients can vary depending on the flavor you choose.
In general, Cado ice cream is made with Organic avocado puree(water and avocado puree), Organic cane sugar, Avocado oil, Organic cassava root syrup, Sea salt, Organic guar guam, and Organic gum acacia as the main ingredients.
You may encounter some additional ingredients across multiple flavors, such as:
- Organic vanilla extract
- Chocolate flakes
- Peppermint extract
- Cocoa powder
- Caramel
- Sunflower lecithin
- Baking soda
- Natural flavor
The ingredient list of Cado ice cream includes a variety of components.
However, the good thing is that there is no use of corn syrup, sugar alcohols, dairy, soy or artificial additives.
So, from an ingredient standpoint, Cado ice cream can be considered a healthy choice.
Let’s move to the nutrition part.
Is Cado ice cream high in sugar?
Cado touts “50% less sugar!” on its official website compared to regular ice cream.
However, a closer look shows it’s still high in the sweet stuff.
Cado ice cream contains about 14 to 18g of added sugar per serving, depending on the flavor.
That’s around 50% of the daily added sugar limit for men and 70% for women.
The added sugar primarily comes from organic cane sugar and cassava root syrup.
While organic cane sugar and cassava root syrup may not be as bad as your regular sugar or corn syrup, consuming too much can still lead to unwanted health issues.
Moreover, there are no added sugar-free flavors from the Cado.
So, if you are cutting down on sugar, Cado ice cream may not be the best choice for you.
Here’s the table showing the sugar content of all Cado flavors.
| Flavor | Total sugar(g) |
|---|---|
| Double chocolate sandwiches | 14 |
| Mint chip sandwiches | 14 |
| Choco peanut butter | 16 |
| Chocolate mud pie | 15 |
| Deep dark chocolate | 18 |
| Mint chocolate chip | 17 |
| Cookies & cream | 14 |
| Java chip | 16 |
| Salted caramel | 16 |
| Vanilla bean | 14 |
| Cherry amaretto chip | 21 (3g is natural) |
| Simply lemon | 18 |
How much protein is in Cado ice cream?
Sadly, Cado ice cream doesn’t deliver as much protein as the old-fashioned kind.
And that’s because they are made from avocados, which are known for healthy fats rather than protein.
A single serving of Cado ice cream contains 0-2g of protein, depending on the flavor.
What about fiber?
Like protein, Cado ice cream is also low in fiber containing 0-2g per serving, depending on the flavor.
If you are looking for protein and fiber-packed ice cream (which people usually don’t look for), Cado ice cream may not be the best choice.
Is Cado ice cream high in sodium?
Cado ice cream is low in sodium, with most flavors hovering around 100-130mg per serving.
That’s not even 10% of the daily ideal sodium limit (1500mg) set by the American Heart Association.
Only the salted caramel flavor doubles down to over 200mg per serving. So, sodium-conscious eaters should steer clear of that one.
Other than that, Cado ice cream is a good choice for anyone looking for low-sodium delight.
Here’s the table showing the sodium content of all Cado flavors.
| Flavor | Sodium(mg) |
|---|---|
| Double chocolate sandwiches | 130 |
| Mint chip sandwiches | 130 |
| Choco peanut butter | 100 |
| Chocolate mud pie | 100 |
| Deep dark chocolate | 100 |
| Mint chocolate chip | 100 |
| Cookies & cream | 100 |
| Java chip | 100 |
| Salted caramel | 220 |
| Vanilla bean | 100 |
| Cherry amaretto chip | 100 |
| Simply lemon | 100 |
Is Cado ice cream good for weight loss?
Cado ice cream is high in sugar (14-18g), disqualifying it from being considered a weight loss-friendly treat.
It also contains a considerable amount of calories, with 180-230 calories per serving.
However, the good thing is that some of these calories come from healthy fat present in avocados.
Therefore, you can occasionally include it in your weight loss diet, but not every day.
Note that weight loss depends not only on one food but overall diet and lifestyle.
Is Cado ice cream keto?
With around 25-27g of carbs per serving, Cado ice cream is not a keto-friendly choice.
Is Cado ice cream vegan?
Cado ice cream is vegan as it is made from organic avocado puree, organic cane sugar, avocado oil, and other plant-based ingredients.
In fact, Cado is specifically marketed as a dairy-free and vegan alternative to traditional ice cream, making it suitable for individuals following a vegan lifestyle.
Is Cado ice cream gluten-free?
Most flavors of Cado ice cream are made without gluten-based ingredients.
The only exceptions are the Double chocolate sandwiches and Mint chip sandwiches flavors. These contain wheat.
Other than these two, all flavors are gluten-free.
Final words
After looking at the ingredients and nutritional value, it’s safe to say that Cado is a healthy choice (in moderation) for your frozen treat cravings.
There are many reasons for this, such as:
- Cado ice cream is made from non-GMO, organic ingredients, with the avocado taking the lead role.
- Cado ice cream is low in sodium.
- Cado ice cream is free from artificial additives.
- Cado ice cream is vegan, and most flavors are gluten-free.
However, it contains added sugar, and it’s important to consume it in moderation.
That’s it!
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