We all know that eating a tub of ice cream isn’t good for you, but would it be better if you ate a tub of frozen yogurt. Since it first hit the market, it’s been a huge hit. After all, yogurt is a healthy option, but, is it? Frozen yogurt still has sugar and flavoring added. If you go to a fancy frozen yogurt shop, you can add tons of toppings that would make a candy manufacturer blush. That can’t possibly be healthy. The answer is that it isn’t.
Frozen yogurt begins its life as a healthy option, then begins the road to an unhealthy treat.
Both frozen yogurt and regular yogurt start out by adding live cultures of streptococcus thermophilis and bulgaricus to milk. Even though these cultures remain alive even after freezing, some do not make the cut through the other types of manufacturing methods. Those methods vary, so not all frozen yogurts actually have live bacteria. Also not all yogurt have the same added ingredients, which means some are less healthy than others.
Frozen yogurt contains less fat than regular ice cream does.
Given the probiotic content can’t be judged across the board, what about fat content? That also varies based on the way the frozen yogurt is manufactured. It is lower than ice cream. There are two main ingredients in both ice cream and frozen yogurt. One of those ingredients is milk and the other is sugar. After those two, flavorings and added ingredients like chocolate chips of fruit pieces are added into the mix. Ice cream uses cream, not lower fat milk. The problem is, when you remove the fat, you also have to add more sugar to make the product palatable. More sugar means it’s not as healthy.
Let’s compare the nutritional value of each.
Let’s compare the nutritional value of a ½ cup of each, vanilla ice cream and vanilla frozen yogurt. A half cup of vanilla ice cream is 140 calories, while a half cup of yogurt only 111 calories. That’s good if you’re counting calories, but when you get to carbs, the comparison turns the other way. Vanilla ice cream only has 16 grams and frozen yogurt has 19 grams. There are 7 grams of fat in vanilla ice cream and 3 grams of fat in frozen yogurt. Ice cream has 10% of the daily value of cholesterol, while yogurt has 7.5%. Comparing other nutrients, potassium and phosphorus are about the same, while there’s 8% of the daily value of calcium in vanilla ice cream with just 7% of the daily value in frozen yogurt.
- The truth is, neither ice cream nor frozen yogurt should be eaten on a regular basis to replace healthy foods. If you’re opting for frozen yogurt, always check the nutritional value and opt for the healthiest one.
- One way to make a quick tasty treat that is healthy is to use plain Greek yogurt. Top it with walnuts or other nuts, chopped frozen fruit, like black cherries, and even a little wheat germ and mix. The frozen berries make it thick, cold and tasty.
- If you want frozen yogurt or ice cream, it’s okay occasionally, but keep portion control in mind. The serving size for both is a half a cup.
- Our online nutrition and meal planning service can help you develop the habit of eating healthier and teach you how to chose food wisely.
For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training