Yep, you read that right; an ice cream recipe that is 0 SmartPoints. This base ice cream recipe is incredibly easy to make, all you need is frozen bananas and a food processor. Simply peel and chop two bananas, pop into a freezer bag, freeze overnight, and blend in a food processor until creamy! When developing this recipe we tried all sorts of flavour add-ins – and loved them all, so we are sharing with you all five: vanilla pistachio (1 SmartPoints value), PB + Strawberry (1 SmartPoints value), chocolate chip (1 SmartPoints value), salted maple (1 SmartPoints value), and coffee (0 SmartPoints value). But the flavour combinations are endless. Great for vegans and vegetarians, this “nice” cream is best made with slightly overripe bananas. As the banana ripens, its starches turn to sugars, imbuing the ice cream with a natural sweetness.
Wondering why a blended banana is still 0 SmartPoints while a banana blended in a smoothie is not? Once a fruit becomes part of a smoothie, the experience of eating them changes. Research shows that liquids don’t promote the same feeling of fullness as solid foods do. Here's why: When you drink something, it eliminates the act of chewing which may impact the signals between the belly and brain1. This means that the smoothie or juice you’re drinking will not promote the same amount of fullness between meals as eating fruit might2. Whereas here when you are eating the ice cream with a spoon, you are experiencing the act of eating, and are less likely to over-indulge.
1.Cassady BA, Considine RV, Mattes RD. Beverage consumption, appetite, and energy intake: what did you expect? Am J Clin Nutr 2012;95:587-93.
2.Migquel-Kergoat S, Axais-Braesco V, Burton-Freeman B, Hetherington MM. Effects of chewing on appetite, food intake and gut hormones: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Physiol Behav 2015;151:88-96.
