“Today, healthy eating is becoming a part of a broader philosophical shift towards living a cleaner and a thoughtful life,” says Yohaan Dattoobhai, CEO and Founder of Sucres Des Terres, while I was busy appreciating the tender coconut chocolate ice cream. Sensing what I would ask next, Dattoobhai said, “We purchase peaches, peel, cut them, cook it up and churn them into ice cream in a time-controlled machine. While doing so, we control the incorporation of air in order to retain the essence of the flavour.” Established in 2014, the brand name is derived from the French term for Sugars of the Earth, which is the brainchild of Dattoobhai and his wife, Kunali, a trained pastry chef from Paris. Their ice creams are eggless; caramels are prepared in the kitchen, where, apart from dairy-filled tubs, their sorbets (frozen fruit pulp) are seasonal. Available at The Bombay Canteen, O Pedro, and Taj hotels, the brand has also collaborated with apparel brand Nicobar. I had a taste of Frugurpop’s sugarcane chia mint popsicle, owned by Sudheer Grover. Considered a pioneer for its paletas, their popsicles contain 100% natural fruits. They also produce indulgent desserts and a range of vegan sorbets. When Grover was studying in New York, paucity of fruits in his house led him to make a concoction of mixed fruits and freeze them in popsicle moulds which inspired him to cement the brand in 2012. Milk-based flavours like chocolate brownie and tiramisu being in demand, Frugurpop can be found in nine Nature’s Basket outlets, three Food Hall outlets and across Mumbai. Grover is all set to introduce the brand all over India, where, they also plan to increase the manufacturing capacity, and create a cold chain supply network.

The dark chocolate keto ice cream, introduced by Koldplay Creamery, left me with a wonderful aftertaste. While it was established in 2015, they introduced vegan options this year with the mango and raspberry sorbet. Sudip Putatunda, a trained food scientist and founder of Koldplay said, “Experienced in the food industry, I was convinced to introduce nutritious frozen desserts because I realized ice creams sold weren’t healthy.” He spoke about the presence of sugar polyols (sugar alcohol that provides the taste and texture of sugar at ½ calories), lesser amounts of stevia, reduced fat, and high protein.

As Varun Sheth, the founder of Pizza Kitchen by 1tablespoon documented his experience with borderline cholesterol, his wife Ashni Shah highlighted how they came up with NOTO. As I finished the 125 ml tub of French vanilla that left me satisfied, Sheth said, “We use milk from local farmers and avoid vegetable fats. We use a combination of stevia, erythritol, and less than a teaspoon of sugar. We are mindful over how our decisions shape the health quotient of the consumers of NOTO.” Their flavours like dark chocolate, caramel sea salt and spicy pink guava, consists of 75- 95 calories, 3 grams of fat, 75% lesser sugar and have a shelf life of six months. Catering to celebrities like Janhvi Kapoor, and Anshula Kapoor, NOTO has also collaborated with Digestive Health India, run by India’s famed bariatric surgeon, Dr Muffazal Lakdawala. Focusing for the first six months in Mumbai, the brand is all set to launch in Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Pune, and Ahmedabad.

Get-A-Whey’s chocolate brownie fudge left an aftertaste of mild bitterness that comes from unsweetened cocoa. The founder of Get-A-Whey, Jimmy Shah, uses whey protein isolate, erythritol and xylitol to maintain the nutrition of the ice cream.

As I tasted Good Fettle’s Mocha Almond, it got me conversing with the founders, Ayush Gupta and his cousin, Akhil Gupta. Considered as one of Asia’s first low-calorie ice creams due to the presence of 70 calories per scoop, it is 100% gluten-free and rich in prebiotic fibre. The carbohydrates (9 gms), fat, stevia and erythritol (5 gms) present in the ice cream are comparatively less than store-bought ice creams. “While watching movies, we always wanted something healthy to binge on. It was in October 2018 that Good Fettle popped up in our heads and it took us six months to finalize the ingredients,” explained Ayush. Launched in Pune and Bangalore, one can access Good Fettle from 14 Nature’s Basket outlets, and on Scootsy and Swiggy where, celebrities like Karisma Kapoor, and Soha Ali Khan Khemu enjoy it regularly.