Why not kick off a Food Reviews post with a little something sweet? Now I know what some of you are thinking, “but Seth, I need to avoid sugar in my diet” and I would say to you that while this is true, maybe just enjoy some in moderation 🙂
Overview: O’My Gelato advertises itself as dairy free, gluten free, soy free, and vegan while focusing on real, simple ingredients that pack a punch. The flavor choices are pretty interesting and range from “pretty safe” to “is it worth the pain?” from an autoimmune/digestive burden standpoint. The gelato itself is coconut based and has relatively high amounts of cane sugar (for those of us who can’t walk away from just one serving). I typically don’t have any immediate recourse for eating a pint of one of these bad boys, but I will notice some delayed after effects like my eyes being a bit red or running to the restroom with some mild cramping (if I do end up eating an entire pint). But let’s be honest, all things in moderation and especially so with autoimmune conditions.
Taste: As far as flavors go this brand offers pretty solid variety and better than average taste for an allergen friendly dessert. It is a coconut based ice cream so keep that in mind if you are not a fan of coconut flavors. However, I will say that they mask it pretty well and I don’t get an overwhelming coconutty taste. O’My!’s website boasts Chocolate, Vanilla Bean, Mint Chip, Coffee Chip, Orange Cream, Strawberry, Cake Batter, I love Chocolate, Cake Walk, and Root Beer Float options. Of those flavor profiles I have personally tried Mint, Coffee, Chocolate and Vanilla Bean. I have seen a few of the other flavors in stores but I have never caught sight of Root Beer Float or Orange in the wild. Another note is that the I Love Chocolate and Cake Walk flavors contain Allulose which is what makes the sugar count so low for those particular flavors (for you keto lovers out there).
Trying to stay objective… but I am a huge fan of Mint “ice cream” and it’s hard to find good mint flavors that are allergen free and somewhat legal with my dietary needs. The ice cream itself has a nice smooth consistency and definitely represents gelato well, but you don’t the “ice cream” fluff that you might be looking for. If you want something a bit fluffier I have another recommendation called Revolution Gelato – check out this review to read more about my thoughts there.
Availability: From what I can tell, O’My! is a bit more exclusive than some of the other ice cream substitutes out there. I will admit I have run into some O’My! flavors at Publix, but it was a one off during a beach trip on the east coast. When I got back from the trip I checked my local Publix, Harris Teeter, Lowes, etc. but had no luck. Whole Foods in my area doesn’t carry any of the flavors either, which was a bit surprise to me considering that Whole Foods usually has the widest selection of alternatives. Instead, I have been able to find most of the flavors consistently (and on sale) at Sprouts Farmers Market. On the plus side, the O’My! website does offer a retail locator if you are dying to try any of these: https://www.omygelato.com/find-a-retailer/
Affordability: This one is a bit pricey and is listed as $9.99 if you order direct from the O’My! website. However, I will say that whenever I have found this in stores it is never sold for $9.99. I think on average I get it on sale for about $5 – $7 a pint. So my advice would be, if you can find it on sale grab a couple of flavors and give it a shot (but for $9.99, I don’t know if I would order it direct from the site).
Compliance: Here’s the thing about diet compliance… it is going to be a little hard to find something that completely checks all of your boxes unless you make it yourself at home. With that being said, this stuff gets pretty close minus a couple of ingredients. Keep in mind, this brand is all about simplicity and I see a small list of ingredients I am immediately drawn in. Most flavors contain (at a minimum) Organic Coconut Cream, Water, Cane Sugar, Vegetable Gums (Acacia, Guar, Tara), and then add a couple more for flavoring (mint, vanilla, etc.). With all of this in mind I think the lower sugar options could work pretty easily for Keto, and if you are able to tolerate some of the vegetable gums you may be able to sprinkle this in now and again for AIP followers (assuming you into cheating your diet a little bit). This option doesn’t really work for SCD so I wouldn’t push your luck there, and as far as GAPS I would leave this out if you are pretty strict. BUT WAIT! for those gluten free, dairy free, soy free, or vegan readers out there… give this a shot and I think you might just find a new favorite frozen treat.
Quick disclaimer… O’My is extremely addicting and you can easily eat one every night of the week. Please do remember that moderation is key because sometimes my sweet tooth can get the best of me and I am speaking from experience here, plus one pint is about 750 calories :O.
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