There are few things more enjoyable than spending a warm summer evening outside with a double scoop of ice cream. But if you're dieting this summer -- or even just trying to break even by not gaining extra pounds -- ice cream on a regular basis is a definite no-no. And Gelato, its lower-fat alternative, isn't much better either, as we told you a few weeks ago. So what's a cold treat lover to do?

Frozen yogurt seems like a good alternative. After all, yogurt's a health food right? What do you think?

When the days are hot and long, my favourite way to wind down in the evening is this: Walking with my sweetie and the dog to the local ice cream parlour. Once there, we each get a scoop and chad idly on the benches to our neighbours. Then we happily amble home, relishing the last few hours of warm sunlight.

There's only one thing wrong with this picture: The ice cream. Don't get me wrong -- I love it. Sweet, creamy and delicious, there are few things I enjoy more in life. But it's not exactly healthy. It's loaded with calories, fat and sugar.

But there are healthy options. Gelato, sherbet and frozen yogurt are all lower in fat and calories than regular ice cream. Right? right!? What do you think?

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Oh, ice cream ... heaven in a bowl. Now that the weather is getting warmer, a trip to the ice cream store is always a welcome treat. But that's exactly what ice cream should be ... a once in a while treat. Eat it too often and your hips (and butt, and stomach ... ) could pay the price. This decadent treat can pack a whopping calorie punch. Newsweek counts down the six biggest ice cream offenders (via Fitsugar).

• Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter (360 calories, 24 grams of fat)
• Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby (330 calories, 20 grams of fat)
• Haagen-Dazs Butter Pecan (310 calories, 23 grams of fat)
• Sheer Bliss Pomegranate with chocolate chips (320 calories, 20 grams of fat)
• Ben and Jerry's Vermonty Python (300 calories, 19 grams of fat)
• Coldstone Cookie Batter (300 calories, 19 grams of fat)

If you have to have your ice cream fix, search your grocery store freezer for lighter alternatives such as sherbet, sorbet, frozen yogurt, or light varieties of ice cream. (Be sure to check the label, though. Sometimes "light" isn't all it's cracked up to be.) And, if you're like me, you'll still indulge in a Coldstone "Like it" Cake Batter (with chucks of yellow cake and chocolate shavings) once in a while, because sometimes we all deserve a special treat!

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After dinner, I usually crave something sweet. Ok, always -- unless I am too full to think about eating ever again, which is unhealthy in itself. When it's hot out, I'm always on the prowl for low-calorie cold treats that remind me of the ice cream summers that I used to enjoy as a kid.

AOL has put together this list of low-cal treats that you can find at your local grocery store -- or Starbucks. McDonald's even has low-fat ice cream. Yummy.

Yesterday I picked up a treat that is tasty and refreshing. It's called Del Monte Fruit and Yogurt bars -- they're like creamsicles with frozen yogurt instead. And at 50 calories per bar, they're a calorie bargain.

What's your summer treat of choice?

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I think it's a bad sign that when we walked in to our local, seasonal dairy bar recently, the girl working behind the counter said, "Hey! Nice to see you! The usual?" The fact that we have a "usual" at an ice cream shop is indicative of the fact that we enjoy ice cream just a little too much, in my opinion.

But there are some situations when an ice cream is just called for: after a hot day at the beach, a hot day at the park, a hot day playing baseball, a hot day being hot. Let's face it, summer calls for a frozen treat...right? I could eat ice cream happily every day in the summer, but I once looked up the nutritional information for a large cone and realized that a daily ice cream habit is about as healthy as a daily quarter pounder habit. One ice cream concoction can contain nearly a day's worth of calories and a ton of saturated fat.

Luckily, people like me have options. This article will tempt you with promising new products that look nearly as yummy as the "real thing." Gelato, tastier frozen yogurts, and tangy new treats promise to pack a flavor-filled punch without the weight gain. What's your favorite flavor?

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Egg-white omelettes, grilled salmon, granola bars, apple juice -- these things are all good for you, right? Wrong, in some cases at least. By leaving the yolk out of the omelet, you are cutting out important nutrients. The salmon you bought at the grocery store and grilled? It's pumped full of chemicals, from antibiotics to dye. Granola bars are mostly sugar. Same with apple juice, cereal and frozen yogurt. So what can you do?

For one thing, check the labels to make sure there's not too much sugar in what you're getting. Secondly, when buying fish, look for wild fish, not farmed. And don't get hung up on always cutting fat. Sometimes a little fat -- like the fat in an egg yolk -- can be good for you in moderation.

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