Nothing tastes better on a hot summer day than a frozen treat. Being health-conscious or weight-conscious does not mean giving up this pleasure. Instead of making frozen desserts a forbidden food or eating them and spoiling your enjoyment with feelings of guilt, consider your options and make choices that work for you.

How often do you eat a frozen treat? If ice cream or other frozen desserts are only an occasional treat, eat a reasonable portion of whatever you like and enjoy it. Eating frozen desserts several times a week requires a little more thought if you do not want to expand your waistline.

Consider a frozen treat on a stick. Sugar-free popsicles and fudge bars are the lowest calorie choices. Even regular popsicles and fudge bars are relatively low calorie. For more nutritional value try frozen fruit and fruit juice bars. They are generally less than 100 calories, unless they are chocolate coated. If you eat just one, any of these choices can be a good light snack or dessert.

What about ice cream? The butterfat in regular ice cream makes it a concentrated calorie food (each 1/2 cup has at least 2 teaspoons of butter in it). There are reduced calorie options for scooped or soft-serve frozen desserts. One scoop (1/2 cup) of no added sugar, fat-free ice cream has 80-90 calories; fruit ice or sorbet has 100 calories, and frozen yogurt, sherbet and some ice creams are 120-150 calories. Premium ice creams, such as Haagen-Daz or Ben and Jerry's, add up to an amazing 240-330 calories per 1/2 cup serving.

Choose your cone. A traditional sugar cone has 30-60 calories. A waffle cone has at least 110 calories and as much as 320 calories if it is chocolate-dipped. (A small serving of Chunky Monkey ice cream in a chocolate dipped ice cream cone from Ben and Jerry's has 650 calories).

What are your toppings? Topping frozen desserts with fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries or peaches, adds less than 50 calories. Sundae toppings, such as hot fudge or caramel, have about 250 calories in 1/4 cup. Sprinkle on about 2 tablespoons of nuts or candy pieces and you have added another 100-140 calories.

Control your portions. Buy individually portioned frozen treats (frozen on a stick or in 1/2 cup containers) for home use. A half gallon of ice cream in the freezer may lead to portion problems unless you scoop into a very small bowl. Scooping ice cream into a cone actually may help you to limit your portion. If you go out for ice cream frequently, order a kiddie or small cone. If you need an occasional sundae, share it with someone or consider it a meal instead of a snack or dessert. Most sundaes contain between 500 and 1,000 calories, which is the equivalent of eating a whole meal.

A frozen banana is a nutritious frozen dessert. (Please note that you will have to try this on your own at home because Becky Crawford is on vacation this week and will not be at the Auburn Farmers Market with food samples again until Aug. 23).

Visit www.cce.cornell.edu/ cayuga for more nutrition information and easy recipes.

Christine Gutelius, MA, RD, CDN, is a nutrition resource educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County.

Frozen Bananas

Makes 8 servings

4 large bananas

8 ounces low fat or light vanilla yogurt

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Chopped nuts or

sprinkles (optional)

Peel bananas and cut in half. Insert wooden popsicle stick in end of each banana half. In small bowl, stir yogurt and peanut butter together until well blended. Coat bananas with this mixture. Sprinkle with chopped nuts or sprinkles. Place on cookie sheet or shallow pan and freeze for 60-90 minutes before eating.

Note: Leftover yogurt mixture can be used as a fruit dip.