When I first heard about Nubocha’s ice cream and saw their website, the first thought I had was, “Wow, I don’t think ice cream can get any healthier than this.” The company advertised the dessert as 100% vegan, low glycemic, gluten free and dairy free, among other things. Everything you hope for if you’re on a health kick, but don’t expect to get out of gelato. So immediately, I knew I had to try it.
I wanted to know for myself how nutritious, but also flavorful and satisfying the ice cream could be. And I will admit, as a fan of traditional ice cream, I was skeptical about what it would taste like.
But after speaking to Gianluca Franzoni, the founder of Nubocha, I quickly realized that I wasn’t going to be missing the dairy too much.
“Over there (Japan), I discovered six years ago, a fantastic sugar replacer called allulose that they were using,” Franzoni told me. “This was always my quest, combining a gourmet food with something really healthy for you, and allulose was the perfect match.”
According to MedicalNewsToday, allulose is a type of sugar similar to the one found in fruit (fructose). It provides 0.4 calories per gram, compared to the 4 calories per gram in sugar, has 70% the sweetness of sugar, and has little or no effect on blood sugar or insulin levels.
So after learning more about Nubocha, I tried their salted caramel and vanilla flavor and to my surprise, they didn’t disappoint. The allulose and other ingredients really helped mask the lack of dairy for me. They were soft and sweet and dissolved easily in my mouth. I just kept craving more.
“I was lactose intolerant ever since I was a kid. Milk was off off limits for me. So I wanted to make something everyone could enjoy,” Franzoni told me.
Nubocha’s three main ingredients are premium varieties of nuts or cacao, pure spring water, and of course allulose.
Launched amid the pandemic, Nubocha is now available at all Sprouts grocery locations across the country, and also direct to consumer on their website. They’re about $8-$10 a container.
If you ask me, Nubocha is a definite buy. Founder Gianluca Franzoni, who has also created the famed Italian chocolate brand Domori, and his wife Katrina Smith, have managed to make this gelato such a delectable dessert.