If you’re all about the #gains but still wanna live the sweet life, then the words “protein ice cream” probably make you want to explode with happiness—then run to the nearest grocery. But you get there and *gasp* there’s more than one brand? Which do you chose? Don’t panic, I’m here to walk you through the Halo Top vs Breyers Delights dilemma. You’re on your own with the resulting brain freeze, though.
Protein Ice Cream? What?
Got this far and still in disbelief? Well, here are the deets: both Halo Top and Breyers Delights come in at around 20g of protein per pint. To put that into perspective, that’s like eating a whole 5-oz can of tuna, 1 cup (8oz) of tofu, or 1.5 Lenny & Larry’s Complete Cookies. But you’re actually enjoying ice cream—an entire pint, to be exact.
How is this legit? Well, it’s accomplished differently between the brands. Halo Top uses eggs for their main protein source while Breyers uses something called milk protein concentrate. Sound sketch? Don’t worry, it’s basically casein, which is used in some protein powders. So, unless you’re allergic, it’s all safe.
What about the Cals?
This is probably the part most people catch on to. Both brands modified the original ice cream recipe, so the calorie counts are substantially less than you’d get in the average pint of ice cream. We all know you eat the entire pint—who wouldn’t? You’re free from judgement here, love.
Looking at Halo Top vs Breyers Delights, the brands accomplish this in slightly different ways. Halo Top simply uses less milk and cream, while Breyers actually uses skim milk in addition to their cream. Both use erythritol, a sugar alcohol found in fruits such as grapes and watermelon, and stevia, which is extracted from a plant and used to sweeten foods without additional calories.
Because the methods of arriving at a delicious low-calorie treat are similar, the nutrition profile for either product is pretty similar, calorie and fat-wise. Taking a look at my favorite flavor (cookies and cream, obviously), Halo Top has slightly fewer calories (10, to be exact) than Breyers, but it also has 10g of fat, which is one more than Breyers at 9g. The protein count is the same, so you can do curls with these guys between scoops.
Any Other Differences?
Due to their addition of prebiotic fiber, Halo Top is considerable higher in the fiber stats—12g (48%) compared to Breyers with only 3g (12%). With half your daily fiber, you’ll def be content with just one pint. But Halo Top is also a bit high in sodium (20% of your daily) while Breyers doesn’t have that problem. So it depends on what you’re looking out for.
Takeaways
When it comes to Halo Top vs Breyers Delights, both offer an astounding prospect I can stand behind—eating an entire pint of ice cream in one go. Halo Top has more flavor variety, but Breyers has only just dipped their toes into the low-cal ice cream market. If you ask me, I welcome the options—you might prefer the taste of one to the other, so why limit the choices? Ice cream makes the world a happier place, so I have zero complaints.