Summertime often means special trips to the ice cream parlor, especially if you have or look after children. For some of us, it brings back fond memories from when we were children as well.

When you take others to someplace like an ice cream parlor, how do you avoid the temptation of eating something completely off your diet?

Do the places you frequent offer menu items that you can fit into your diet?

Do you have any tips or tricks for handling these situations successfully?

I have a couple of strategies for eating ice cream. I try to take my kids to places where I don't particularly like the ice cream, so I'm not at all tempted (unless I'm hungry, in which case I give in. So that means I don't go to ice cream parlors when I'm hungry!).

If we do go for ice cream somewhere I like, I always order the smallest serving and get it in a cup instead of a cone. I really don't like the cones, so that's not a temptation. I make sure that getting ice cream isn't a daily, or even a weekly event.

One of my friends keeps lower calorie, single-serving ice cream treats at home in the freezer. That way her kids can have ice cream without having to go to the ice cream parlor with its temptations. A lower-calorie single serving at home is also easier to fit into her meal plan.

I've noticed that most ice cream places have sugar-free ice cream or ices. I try to do some research ahead of time and go to their website to check, sugar, fat and carbs. Sometimes sugar-free isn't really sugar-free or if it is, it has more fat. Sometimes the difference between "diatetic" fat-free, sugar-free and regular ice cream is minimal. I found 100 calorie ice cream in the grocery store. Because of the portion size the sugar and fat content is low. I'd rather have a little bit of something delicious and satisfying than than a lot of ice cream that leaves me disappointed -and wanting something else.

I agree
A little bit of something delicious is always better than a whole of not so good.
As long as my glucose is in agreement unless it's a once in a blue moon treat.

A little bit goes a long way.