At risk of writing an overly preachy post, I’m compelled to say something about gelato and nutrition.
When I started my quest years ago, admittedly, I merely thought of gelato as a really great tasting product. However, as I learnt more about the art and science of this culinary creation, I soon realized that the Italians had once again not only figured out how to make something taste divine, but how to make it healthier at the same time.
Let’s start by taking a quick look at the numbers. Consider that big ol’ chain that rhymes with ‘bold drone screamery’. Their chocolate ice cream contains 20g of fat per serving— our dark chocolate gelato has exactly half this amount. A medium cup of this flavor contains 290g of fat or 50% of a person’s recommended daily intake. A McDonald’s cheeseburger has about the same fat content. But I digress…
Focusing on fat and calories is only part of the story. My real issue with these types of products has to do with the sheer number of awful, unpronounceable ingredients they contain. I’m surprised that people don’t pay more attention to what’s actually contained in the products they eat. Flavors like Praline Pecan, for example, have a total of 23 ingredients, none of which actually include pecan nuts! Simulated artificial flavors make up the entire flavor profile. Conversely, at CaféMia we do crazy things like use real hazelnuts in our hazelnut gelato, or 3 lbs. of actual strawberries in our strawberry sorbetto. Pretty mind boggling, I know. Not only does this make our gelato taste wonderful, customers can also feel better about what they’re putting into their bodies.
I’m inspired by movements like Slow Food, or by what advocates like Alice Waters are doing to educate people about what they eat. We’re talking a great deal about healthcare in this country right now. Perhaps one of the ways to reduce healthcare costs in America is by eating healthier food with simple, natural ingredients.
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