The purple technicolor tinge of ube-flavored ice creams, drinks and pastries can be found everywhere. While these food items bear the name and color of ube, do they carry the same nutrients as the nutritional powerhouse they’re named after?

Ube itself is extremely nutrient dense; 3.5 ounces of ube provide 120 calories, no fat, 1 gram of protein, 27 grams of carbs, and 4 grams of fiber, plus it’s packed with Vitamin C and anti-inflammatory anthocyanins. Sadly, few of these nutrients make their way into the ube-flavored foods.

Foods with the ube name are often flavored with ube extract or ube halaya, a jam made of ube, dairy, and sugar that is popular in the Philippines and serves as a dessert in and of itself. Ube halaya is then used as a base in recipes that include additional sugar or dairy products, effectively canceling out any ube benefits that may be present.