From sweetener-packed pops to fruity favourites – I tried kids’ favourite ice lollies to find the healthiest

CHILDREN love to chill in the heat with an ice lolly – but many treats are full of sugar and sweeteners. Paediatric nutrition specialist Lucinda Miller says: “When kids eat a sugary snack between meals, their blood sugar can spike and so can their energy levels and big emotions.” Children love to chill in the heat with an ice lolly – but many treats are full of sugar and sweeteners Credit: Getty We reveal which kids’ favourites are healthiest based on their ingredients and sugar content Credit: Getty Here, Lucinda tells Lynsey Clarke which kids’ favourites are healthiest based on their ingredients and sugar content – and gives each a mark out of five. Vimto Eezy Freezy Squeezy Pops £1.50 for 10, Iceland/Morrisons – 3/5 (7.2g sugar per 100ml) Vimto Eezy Freezy Squeezy Pops scored 3 out of 5 Credit: Supplied THIS ice pop has a low sugar content but lists 11 ingredients, including preservatives and sweeteners. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Lucinda, who is clinical lead at NatureDoc, says: “The sugar looks low, which is why plenty of parents grab these. The catch is what keeps them sweet: two artificial sweeteners on top of the sugar, which can disturb blood sugar levels just as much. “There’s a little real fruit and the colour is from carrot and hibiscus. One just for occasionally.” Jude’s Milk Lollies £3.50 for 6 (most supermarkets) – 5/5 (7.3g sugar per 100ml) Jude’s Milk Lollies are lower in sugar than fruitier ones and do not contain glycerol and scored full marks Credit: Oliver Dixon THIS milk lolly, which claims to have 30 per cent lower sugar than comparable products, lists at least 18 ingredients on the box – but they are mostly natural. Lucinda says: “It’s made with skimmed milk with some real strawberry, and the colour comes from beetroot and carrot.The sugar is low and you get a bit of protein from the milk, too. One of the best.” Milk lollies are lower in sugar than fruitier ones and do not contain glycerol, which Lucinda says can push young children’s blood sugar count dangerously low. Mr Freeze Freeze Pops £1.70 for 20 (most supermarkets) – 1/5 (6.9g sugar per 100ml) Mr Freeze Freeze Pops are only 14 calories per freeze pop and have ten ingredients Credit: Supplied THE packet says “natural colours and flavours”. There are only 14 calories per freeze pop and ten ingredients. Most read in Money However, Lucinda says: “This is low in sugar and cheap, but contains glycerol (E422). “Experts say slushie drinks with glycerol aren’t suitable for under- sevens. “It is used to keep ice pops and slushies from freezing solid and, in large amounts, can push blood sugar dangerously low. A small ice pop uses far less than a slushie, but it’s an ingredient I’d rather young children skipped.” Del Monte 100% Juice Ice Lollies £2.75 for 3 (most supermarkets) – 1/5 (20g sugar per 100ml) Del Monte 100% Juice Ice Lollies’ box boasts only 69 calories and ‘fat free’ Credit: Unknown JUST three ingredients, and the box boasts only 69 calories and “fat free”. But Lucinda says there is a catch: “The label looks perfect: just orange, grape and apple juice, with no added sugar. “So why the low score? Because freezing concentrated juice into a lolly makes the natural sugar very high. “And at 15g a pop, this is the sweetest on the list. ‘No added sugar’ doesn’t mean low sugar. It would be better to eat an apple and some pineapple slices instead.” Possibly not as refreshing in the heat, though. Wall’s Mini Milk £2.40 for 10 (most supermarkets) – 4/5 (12g per 100ml) Wall’s Mini Milk come in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry Credit: Supplied THESE come in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. We tested vanilla, which had the lowest sugar content. There are around 16 ingredients in each variation. Lucinda says: “This is a proper childhood classic – milk-based, which means a bit of protein, and a good hit of calcium.” She adds that each lolly is small, so the sugar stays low at around 4g. But there is more sugar than in Jude’s milk pops per 100ml. Aldi also does a Wall’s dupe which has similar sugar content and costs less than £1.20 for a packet of eight. Pip Organic Rainbow Lollies £4.20 for 6 (Waitrose) – 5/5 (10.6g sugar per 100ml) Pip Organic Rainbow Lollies scored full marks Credit: Supplied THERE’S 12 ingredients in this one, but all from real foods. Lucinda says: “These are about as clean as an ice lolly gets – made from nothing but fruit and veg, with a bit of apple fibre, and there’s no added sugar at all. “The sweetness comes straight from the fruit. It costs a bit more, but for a lolly with nothing fake in it, that’s a price worth paying.” There is far less sugar in these than other lollies made from concentrated fruit juice. Lucinda says that is because Pip uses whole fruit and veg, and adds fibre. Still, a milky option with lower sugar might be better for young kids. Asda Rocket Lollies £1.45 for 8 (Asda) – 2/5 (15g sugar per 100ml) Lucinda says: ‘Another nostalgic lolly, but the red, yellow and orange rockets are sweeter than milk lollies’ Credit: Supplied THESE retro rocket lollies are a real blast from the past, with 11 ingredients including pineapple, orange and ­strawberry juice, all from concentrate. Lucinda says: “Another nostalgic lolly, but the red, yellow and orange rockets are sweeter than milk lollies. “And nearly 9g of sugar per lolly is a lot for a small child. There’s a little real fruit juice, but sugar and syrup aren’t far behind. Definitely a treat lolly, not an everyday one.” Similar, rocket-themed ice lollies are available at most supermarkets. Twister Mini Pineapple Ice Cream Lollies £2.90 for 6 (most supermarkets) – 3/5 (14.2g sugar per 100ml) Twister Mini Pineapple Ice Cream Lollies are boxed for the freezer, are smaller and contain less sugar Credit: Supplied CLASSIC ice cream-based Twister ­lollies are often sold individually. But these 50ml minis, which are boxed for the freezer, are smaller and contain less sugar. Lucinda says: “There’s some real fruit juice and a bit of milk in here, which helps. But the sugar has climbed to around 7g per lolly and the list of 22 ingredients is long. “It’s sweeter than the plain milk lollies.” She added: “These are fine as a treat now and then, but not one to be handed out every day.” Rowntree’s Fruit Pastille Lollies £2.50 for 4 (most supermarkets) – 2/5 (17.7g sugar per 100ml) Rowntree’s Fruit Pastille Lollies are made from fruit juice concentrate, with 20 ingredients in total Credit: Supplied THESE are made from fruit juice concentrate, with 20 ingredients in total. Lucinda says: “They contain a good bit of fruit juice and all colours are natural, which I give credit for. “The problem is the sugar.” The NHS’s recommended maximum daily intake of sugar for a child aged seven to ten is 24g – this lolly accounts for almost half of that. Lucinda says: “At over 11g a lolly, one of these is about the same as a couple of teaspoons of sugar. Lovely as a pud, but too sweet for a snack in between meals.” Calippo Mini Orange & Lemon-Lime Ice Lollies £2.90 for 5 (most supermarkets) – 2/5 (17g sugar per 100ml) Lucinda says: ‘A bigger lolly than many of the others, and the sugar shows at 14g each, which is more than three teaspoons’ Credit: Supplied ANOTHER mini version of a classic lolly, Calippos have been sold in the UK for 40 years. The orange version we tried is made mainly from orange juice ­concentrate (20 per cent of the lolly). However, there are 12 ingredients in total. Lucinda says: “A bigger lolly than many of the others, and the sugar shows at 14g each, which is more than three teaspoons. “There’s some real juice, but sugar and syrup are the main ingredients. This is one for a now-and-then treat – and keep these only for older kids.” Comment now