Last week, we had June’s hottest day on record, topping 34ºC in a number of places with 36.1ºC recorded in Hampshire, along with a red weather warning for extreme heat across much of the country. Schools and businesses have closed and sales of electric fans have soared.
When I went to Waitrose to pick up some ice lollies for this test, its freezers had lost the plot and broken down; there were no lollies to be had. But I did manage to source 11 kinds of frozen treats to analyse, and enjoyed almost every lick.
The relief we feel from eating frozen desserts might take our minds off the heat but the results are temporary. Unfortunately, while the food will initially cool us down, as soon as we start to digest it, our body revs up again to do the work, generating metabolic heat. That said, there isn’t much to digest in lollies, which are mostly made from sugar, water, fruit juice and flavourings.
“Ice lollies can have a place in a healthy diet, especially during hot weather when they can be a refreshing way to cool down and even contribute a little towards fluid intake,” says Nichola Ludlam-Raine, author of How Not to Eat Ultra-Processed. “The key is remembering that they’re still a ‘treat’ rather than a nutritional powerhouse, particularly those made with lots of added sugar, syrups and artificial flavourings. Having one occasionally is unlikely to be a problem, but if they’re becoming an everyday habit, it’s probably worth looking for options with more fruit and less added sugar.”
