Lauded at Adweek, in "Halo Top’s First National Ad Campaign Is a Dark, Hilarious Scoop of Existential Dread."
Halo Top is low calorie ice cream. So, good, don't give it to a child. But do you, the adult, identify with the girl's mother in that ad, who represents the customer for this product? She's harried, on the phone, and the creepy ice cream truck man tells her daughter that she hates her job.
Halo Top has 240 calories per pint. But would you rather eat a pint of this than a quarter pint of ice cream that is made with normal ingredients — cream, sugar, eggs?
What sets Halo Top apart is what’s used to displace much of the sugar and fat. This means the use of the indigestible substances including the sugar alcohol called “erythritol” and supplemental fibers.... [T]he texture of low calorie ice creams are nowhere near as creamy. ...
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67 comments:
The ice cream man reminded me of George Carlin. Did he ever do a bit like that?
Brilliant. Utterly brilliant. This is my second response today here, both on topics on which I consider myself an expert. Todd has spoken.
you know what's Really Good? REAL Ice Cream Made with Delicious WHOLE Milk!
Purple Door Ice Cream in Milwaukee is superb. I also will buy Graeters. As Pru would say on The Great British Bakeoff, it's worth the calories.
Halo Top is not worth the calories.
But would you rather eat a pint of this than a quarter pint of ice cream that is made with normal ingredients — cream, sugar, eggs?
I'll choose super-secret option 3: a whole pint of ice cream made with normal ingredients.
How do you make partner at an insurance company?
Pretty sure Halo contains tons more air than real ice cream too. Pick up a full pint and you’d think it’s half empty. Cruel trick to play on your kid.
Halo Top is people! It's made of people!
How often do you hear it said about this kind of swill, "It's just/almost like real ice cream!" Those people right there...they simply, categorically have no idea what they are talking about.
When the list of ingredients has more than a dozen multisyllabic words with which only a chemist from Dow Labs would recognize, it's time to move over to the freezer with the Häagen-Dazs in it. Only six multisyllabic chemicals in that stuff.
"Existential Dread"
Hell is diet ice cream
Low calorie or "diet" versions of certain dessert or comfort foods like ice cream always strike me as absurd. They never taste anywhere near as good, and usually what they do to achieve a simulation of the flavors and textures of the "real thing" are unappealing. Putting "indigestible substances" for example... stuff sorbitol, erythritol, or xylitol that behave as laxitives and cause flatulence.
The trouble with Tillamook Ice Cream is that it's impossible to eat in small quantities.
Graeter's or real gelato...or nothing.
This stuff sounds horrible. the use of the indigestible substances including the sugar alcohol called “erythritol” and supplemental fibers...
If you are concerned about the calories in ice cream.....don't eat ice cream. Or eat less ice cream.
Seriously. Things like ice cream, donuts, cakes, pies etc are meant to be TREATS. Not every day fare.
REAL ICE CREAM has cream in it
Lemon Custard Ice Cream (to die for)
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups whole milk
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup lemon juice
1. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, flour and salt. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; cool slightly.
2. Whisk a small amount of hot milk mixture into the eggs. Return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Cook and stir until mixture reaches 160° and coats the back of a metal spoon.
3. Remove from the heat; stir in cream and lemon juice. Cool quickly by placing pan in a bowl of ice water; stir for 2 minutes. Press waxed paper onto surface of custard. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
4. Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two-thirds full; freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze. When ice cream is frozen, transfer to a freezer container; freeze for 2-4 hours before serving.
Goes very well with some fresh Scotch Shortbread cookies.
Life is too short to eat "supplemental fibers" or artificial meat. Or drink cheap scotch!
Less sugar is good. Sugar is the real problem in these things.
Erythritol may give you diarrhea, so you won’t even have to worry about any of those 240 calories you just wolfed down.
If you are concerned about the calories in ice cream.....don't eat ice cream. Or eat less ice cream.
This.
It's better to not eat a bunch of garbage that's trying to approximate the flavors and textures of the real thing.
Ice cream is a treat for every once in awhile. Everything in moderation.
https://halotop.com/flavors - vanilla.
"Skim milk, eggs, erythritol, prebiotic fiber, milk protein concentrate, cream, organic cane sugar, vegetable glycerin, natural flavor, sea salt, vanilla beans, organic carob gum, organic guar gum, organic stevia leaf extract."
"prebiotic fiber" is a type of manure, probably secreted by other germs, for germs to grow on:
"PREBIOTICS are a special form of dietary fiber that acts as a fertilizer for the good bacteria in your gut. Prebiotic fiber goes through the small intestine undigested and is fermented when it reaches the large colon."
Eeeyew!
"erythritol" is excreted in urine and feces, probably similar to the prebiotic fiber in a large colon, so you know where they get it from.
Remember Fresh Horizons bread ?
In the late 1970's health craze, ITT baking (the wonderbread people) came up with a LOW CALORIE Bread (i can't remember That name), that had Significantly fewer calories per slice than regular bread.
It turned out; that that was because the slices were MUCH skinnier than regular.
People didn't like it, because the slices didn't have the strength to hold up in a sandwich:
failure!
So, ITT (which Also, by the way, had a forestry division) came up with Fresh Horizons bread.
Regular sized slices, even Greater! strength than regular bread, and get this; HIGH FIBER!!!
It turned out, that one of the ingredients (cellulose) was Wood cellulose, ie: SAWDUST
When people found out, they quit buying it. ITT tried to explain that EVERYTHING they said about it was true; but people said: "Yes! that's why we won't buy it!"
How do you make partner at an insurance company?
..and what does an ethically challenged insurance company do, exactly?
When I saw the word 'edgy' I figured it was Wieden & Kennedy what did the ads. Surprise! It's a Brooklyn shop that came up with the sour ice cream man.
...sour Ice Cream Man.
Yasso bars are a reasonable alternative to a pint of Ben & Jerry.
DBQ reciped...
4 cups whole milk
4 cups Delicious WHOLE milk
fixed it for you!
There is problematic colorist in ice cream, with people preferinglight colored vanilla to dark colored vanilla.
Won't someone think of the GWAR gum?
"Inga...Allie Oop said...
Erythritol may give you diarrhea, so you won’t even have to worry about any of those 240 calories you just wolfed down."
Wrong.
Buwaya is right, the problem is the added refined sugar, whether you call it a “normal” ingredient or not.
tcrosse: The trouble with Tillamook Ice Cream is that it's impossible to eat in small quantities.
I prefer Umpqua. Salted Caramel Vanilla. Sweet, creamy, and salty at the same time. mmmmmmmmmm!!!!!
The ad has nothing to do with calories or "edginess." It's standard corporate virtue signaling, targeting the "ethically challenged insurance company" that probably uses the same law firm as the virtuous diet ice cream company.
you know what's Really Good? REAL Ice Cream Made with Delicious WHOLE Milk!
Even better, ice cream made with CREAM!!!
Tcrosse asserts: The trouble with Tillamook Ice Cream is that it's impossible to eat in small quantities.
Unquestionably the ultimate ice cream. My favorite is Mountain Huckleberry.
"Yasso bars are a reasonable alternative to a pint of Ben & Jerry."
My go-to dessert. Let them get slightly melty and eat them in small bites. A great sub for ice cream.
The supplemental fibers are described on the ingredients list as "prebiotic":
"Here's the full list of ingredients for a pint of chocolate Halo Top:
Milk and cream, eggs, erythritol, prebiotic fiber, milk protein concentrate, organic cane sugar, high fat cocoa, vegetable glycerin, sea salt, organic carob gum, organic guar gum, organic stevia."
A cut & paste from:
Is Halo Top Ice Cream Actually Healthy?
https://www.stack.com/a/is-halo-top-ice-cream-actually-healthy
In contrast to the Food Network review, their answer is yes (perhaps convincingly so).
My take on this is that some kinds of prebiotic insoluble fiber have lots of positive reviews in the research literature...mainly to feed useful bacteria in the gut. Commercial probiotics (there are a zillion of them) contain a wide variety of purportedly "good" bacteria. Some prebiotics and probiotics are reported to beneficially modulate inflammation. If you have IBS or other gut issues, that's good... but only if they work.
The problem with the Halo Top ingredients list is that it fails to identify exactly what prebiotic they're using. If I had to guess, it would probably be FOS (fructooligosaccharides). A recent review:
Nutrients. 2019 Jan 4;11(1).
Effects of β-Fructans Fiber on Bowel Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
"...Oligomeric fructans (DP 3–9), usually called oligofructose or fructo-oligosaccharides, are mostly obtained from the hydrolysis of inulin or enzymatic synthesis from sucrose (beet or cane) [19]. They are selectively fermented by a limited number of bacteria in the large intestine, especially Bifidobacteria, which are rather sensitive to their degree of polymerization [20,21]. The potential of β-fructans to provide health benefits in humans is known for several years [22]."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6356805/
EDH said...
Halo Top is people! It's made of people!
*dying*
Handel's Ice Cream in Redondo Beach, CA.
The best on Planet Earth. Have no idea what the ingredients are. Just go there.
I hate to mention this, but undigested sugars and fats inevitably lead to flatuence and diarrhea, the former of which kills the Earth as well as being embarrassing.
Blogger tcrosse said...
"The trouble with Tillamook Ice Cream is that it's impossible to eat in small quantities."
My wife agrees, 100%. She gives you two thumbs up and an atta boy.
There are already enough options or people who are comfortable eating the ingredients good ice cream.
This is an ice cream for people who are used to making unpleasant tradeoffs,and for people who prefer to be miserable in the choices.
Mockturtle:
Even better, ice cream made with CREAM!!!
Agreed!! I refer you to my favorite ice cream recipe posted above. 4 cups whole milk and 4 CUPS of heavy whipping cream.
No lack of calories. Just eat a little bit....I dare you :-D
"But would you rather eat a pint of this than a quarter pint of ice cream that is made with normal ingredients — cream, sugar, eggs?"
But would you rather work at a job and make 3/4 the salary and work 1/2 the hours? Professors of insurance probably would likely choose differently than partners at insurance firms.
I tried that stuff once. It's gross.
It is so bad, I don't know how they sell any
Last night I was staying at an Airbnb near Joshua Tree. The owner had 6 different pints of Halo Top that were left over from a weekend guest that had partially eaten from 5 of the pints. She had them all out for tasting. They were all awful. Way too sweet and no real flavor. Can't imagine why anyone would buy them. Even vegans that are desperately longing for something that resembles real ice cream
One can only imagine the mouth feel...why would anyone eat such junk?
Like DBQ...I make our ice cream (yogurt, ricotta and mozzarella) from locally sourced goats milk, dehydrated cane sugar (raw sugar) and/or local honey, our eggs, vanilla from pods purchased from a grower's market stall in Mexico and our own fruit. It's an occasional treat. Yogurt is our usual dairy topping go to.
Trader Joe's carries free trade vanilla and chocolate that is naturally processed. You can buy excellent quality locally grown chocolate in Maui too. I realize not everyone has the time or inclination to cook from scratch, TJ's has a nice cocoanut milk ice cream too.
BTW-you don't need an ice cream maker to produce creamy ice cream in your fridge freezer.
Sure...eating 1/2 cup of "real" ice cream at home.
[Three More] Halo Top Campaign by 72andSunny - 03/2019
Work - Ice Cream for Adults (already seen)
Swiping - Ice Cream for Adults
Morgage - Ice Cream for Adults
Love - Ice Cream for Adults
https://www.adsoftheworld.com/campaign/halo-top-72andsunny-03-2019
And this REALLY dystopian one from 2017 (from a different ad agency):
Halo Top - Eat the Ice Cream
https://youtu.be/j4IFNKYmLa8
DBQ, it sounds great but I gave my ice cream maker to my daughter years ago. One thing I really appreciate about Tillamook is that it's not overly sweet. Cream doesn't have to be. When I make whipped cream I seldom sweeten it and it's delicious.
I sh-udder to think how many cow farts are created by the ice cream industry...
I figured it was Wieden & Kennedy what did the ads
I met Wieden's daughter while we were sitting in our naturopath's waiting room around 10 years ago. She asked me if I knew of any jewelry shops that sold "free trade" or "conflict-free" stuff, or something like that. She needed to get her mom a birthday present. My wife had just taken some rings into a new little woman-owned shop that featured such ware to have them cleaned, so I told Ms. Wieden about the place. A few days later I went with my wife to pick up her rings and mentioned to one of the jewelers that I had referred Ms. Wieden to them. The jeweler rushed out from behind the counter and gave me a big hug because Ms. Wieden had indeed dropped in and then dropped $5k on a ring. First (and last) time I've been hugged by a jeweler.
I don't eat ice cream because of the sugar. Instead I use some concoction based, I believe, on coconut oil. I can't recall the brand but it's available at Whole Foods. It doesn't have all those chemicals or I wouldn't touch it. The vanilla goes very nicely with my wife's homemade marion berry* pie with stevia instead of sugar and a gluten-free crust. It's not as good as real ice cream but it lubricates the pie nicely.
I had Tillamook ice cream once or twice before I tightened up my diet. In fact there used to be a Tillamook creamery in my Portland suburb. I don't remember how good it was but I've had lunch in the town of Tillamook a couple of times on the way to the coast.
*No relation to Marion Barry
@ Mockturtle
Yes. It is a toss up between Tillamook and Umpqua as to which is better. I think it is a TIE. I find that Umpqua is a bit easier to scoop out of the freezer carton. Somehow it seems softer.
We are currently working on a quart of Tillamook Butter Pecan. It will probably take us a month to eat the whole thing. Savoring the flavor!!!
Our ice cream machine gave up the ghost last summer after over 10 years. Time to get a new one.
The trouble with Tillamook Ice Cream is that it's impossible to eat in small quantities.
I once slayed a small brown dragon whose only hoard consisted of quarts and quarts of Tillamook Mudslide. Didn't mind so much that the local village reneged on the promised virgin bride. (I don't think she was all too keen about the arrangement, herself, so it was all good.)
For people who are serious about their ice cream
Tillamook versus Umpqua challenge
Now I have to go and buy some more ice cream. Darn. First world problem.
My SO gets this ice cream all the time. I’ve tried a few flavors, it’s not bad.
Oh to be a fly on the wall in the marketing-junk-food-to-depressed-people meeting, and listen to a bunch of "creatives" bounce ideas off of each other about what kinds of work are "ethically questionable."
Ah yes, The Good Place nailed this one:
Eleanor: What is it with you and frozen yogurt? Have you not heard of ice cream?
Michael: Oh, sure, but I've come to really like frozen yogurt. There's something so human about taking something great and ruining it a little so you can have more of it.
"Pretty sure Halo contains tons more air than real ice cream too." There must be a reason why ice cream is sold by volume and not by weight, but weight would seem to be a better measure of how much you're actually buying.
And then there are those sugar alcohols: "On the positive side, sugar alcohols contain less calories (1.5 - 3 calories per gram) than sugar (4 calories per gram), and they do not cause tooth decay like sugar does. But there are some negatives associated with sugar alcohols. The most common side effect is the possibility of bloating and diarrhea when sugar alcohols are eaten in excessive amounts."
I am an ice cream and/or frozen custard connoisseur and have gobbled down thousands of gallons of the tasty treat.
A year ago I discovered Halo Top when I went on the ketogenic diet and found it to be a worthwhile substitute. More for its low carb makeup than anything else. If you want to lose stubborn fat, even after age 50, Keto will work. I promise.
Today is Ash Wednesday and so as I have in previous years I have decided to give up all sweets,treats and alcohol. Off to the gym!
"Pretty sure Halo contains tons more air than real ice cream too." There must be a reason why ice cream is sold by volume and not by weight, but weight would seem to be a better measure of how much you're actually buying."
All you have to do is hold a Halo and a Häagen-Dazs container in each hand and you can tell what you're paying for.
To be fair Halo Top Pistachio =/ Ben & Jerrys Pistachio. Not even close.
Alcohol sugars can make some people shit like geese with spastic colons, which in some circumstances and locales can be very similar to - if not exactly - existential emergencies.
I usually have three or four tubs in my freezer. At this moment only Chocolate Almond Crunch and Black Cherry. My fav is Red Velvet. Yes, not all are tasty.
An entire pint of Vanilla Bean is only 8 weight watchers points, my favorite regular vanilla bean ice cream is 26 points. That red velvet is 13 points, vs my favorite turtle tracks with 36 points. A normal weight woman of average height gets to eat 23 points per day. Just saying.
In the 70s I bought and ate that cellulose flour bread knowing full well that it was refined sawdust. I ate it to help keep my weight down. I was disappointed when it went off the market. I grew up knowing that some small town dinners added sawdust to their hamburger meat. Plant fiber is plant fiber.
I've had Halo Top. It's not bad if you're willing to admit you're not eating ice cream. It's like Olive Garden. Not too shabby if you're okay with it not actually being Italian food.
Love the ads though. They are funny.
You poor fools. I won't even eat Breyers anymore, the Queen of Philadelphia-style ice creams, because back in the oughts, after Unilever bought, them they abandoned the Platonic recipe of:
milk, cream, sugar, vanilla
To
milk, cream, sugar, tara gum, natural vanilla flavor
I am slow to anger, but after I confirmed that day that no, my spoons had rinsed clean in the dishwasher and I was NOT tasting soap, I turned my face from Breyers forevermore.
I used to be a Breyers evangelist, an arrogant bigot-keep your Haagen-Dazs and your Sedutto and your Frusen-Gladje, *ecco spumoni!* Homes that entertained me knew to have Breyers ice cream. I was an influencer. I'm sure I sold hundreds of tubs a year.
Now, the back of my hand to them. I hear they have slid farther down the slope with euphemisms and sharpening. If I still want that taste I have to find a carton of Turkey Hill Black Label. I've heard some Edy's is truly all natural, but don't recall ever to have seen it.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -- John Ruskin
(I quite like the rendition above as "ruin it a little so you can have a little more")
Anyway, I like my ice cream pure. Halo Top isn't even ice cream!
I'd rather have less, of the good stuff. But bless you and keep you, all whom the fake schmutz serves.
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