Sherbets, sorbets, are made from either heavy cream or whole milk, sugar, more sugar, fruit pulp and more sugar. It is high end dairy, with lipids and sugar, an illusion of a lighter healthier desert than ice cream. Most commercial frozen fruit ices have even more sugar, but not the lipids from cream and whole milk. Those trendy and tasty gelato just add some gelatin to the mix, animal bones, hooves and hides broken down for the collagen.
My personal favorites include home made ice creams and granites. For both I can control the sugars, using real cane sugar rather than fructose, corn syrup, the latter prevalent in the commercial products. I can reduce the lipid content with low fat creams or unflavored yogurt, and when it comes to granites, I can use honey, maple and agave sweeteners and fruit or vegetable pulps, even peppers. Lower sugars and reduced lipids are a touch healthier, and the concentrated flavor means more palate satisfaction with smaller servings, less cloying aftertastes and a cleaner palate. Plus, even tho granite sounds fancy, fooling the ear, it is just frozen fruit and added sugar.
Still, on a hot summer day, there is nothing quite like a popsicle on a stick, or Italian ices in a paper cup, with the melting residue all over your face and hands, no matter how much you try to lick it off. Either choice means sticky fingers and a stickier face.
Damn, I hate green jello! Worse if it is made with canned fruit cocktail and tiny marshmallows.