You Should Think Twice About Buying Ice Pops. Here's Why
Nothing says that it's time for summer as much as a pack of fruity popsicles, colorful dresses, days at the beach with cold cocktails, and BBQ chicken. Ah, sounds like heaven! Did you know that ice pops have been a fan favorite for many years? As per Rebekah Shoemake from Mental Floss, popsicles were an accidental discovery. In 1905, a 11-year-old child named Frank Epperson left a strange mix outside his home one winter night and woke up to a yummy frozen treat. What was in his concoction? Well, soda mixed with water and a stick.
His idea seemed popular among his friends and loved ones and finally in the 1920s, Epperson went ahead and filed a patent for his creation. While he was hung up on calling the desserts "Episcles," his kids somehow got him to change the name what they called their dad's frozen ice cream. Yes, you guessed correctly: Pop's 'sicles, now more commonly known as popsicles.
They remain popular to this day and are super easy to find in any supermarket. However, as tasty as these treats are, they're really not the best pick to pull from the shelf when you're on your grocery run. Here's why.
Store-bought popsicles have a very high sugar content
We hate to disappoint you but ice popsicles aren't the health food that they could be. According to a mini investigation by Food And Health, you could be sacrificing almost 200 calories on certain ice pops. And say that you decided to get yourself a Dole Strawberry Fruit bar? You'd be looking at 22 grams of sugar for each ice pop. That's a wild amount of sugar for one treat.
Unfortunately, the seemingly healthier options in the market aren't that wholesome for you either. For example, if you get a Fat-Free Strawberry Fruit Ice Bar from Weight Watchers, you'd be looking at 14 grams of sugar for each pop.
But don't fret yet. If you still crave popsicles aside from the occasional one-off treat, it's pretty simple to make a healthy version of ice pops at home thanks to a helpful tutorial from Jessica Gavin. That way, you won't have to expose yourself to sugary options from the store that are void of nutrition.