I am going to start this blog out by shamelessly admitting my love for frozen yogurt. I would get into a very romantic and graphic description about it, but since I’m sure many of you share my sentiments, this would be redundant. Despite my love for frozen yogurt, I do recognize that it has its faults. Yes, it is low-calorie, but does low-calorie instantly mean it’s healthy? The answer is no, and I am actually surprised with how many people fail to realize the distinction.
To make it easy, I’ll break the epidemic down piece by piece.
Frozen yogurt vs. ice cream
Frozen yogurt does have fewer fat and calories than ice cream, making it overall a healthier choice than its very indulgent relative. However, you are definitely depriving yourself of the richness of real ice cream that you might crave. If you want ice cream, eat ice cream, but do it sparingly. Chances are you will end up consuming around the same number of calories due to the difference in portion sizes.
Meal?
No, frozen yogurt is never a meal no matter how many pieces of fruit and granola you pile on top of it. If you find one person who is honestly full after eating frozen yogurt for more than an hour, I will be shocked. Just because it is called yogurt, doesn’t mean that it is equivalent to protein-packed Greek yogurt.
Does it have the same benefits as regular yogurt?
According to Shape Magazine, although frozen yogurt does contain some probiotics (good bacteria that support the immune system and digestion), by the time it goes though the process of being processed, stored and frozen, most of the probiotic benefits disappear.
I can eat as much of it as I want and it doesn’t matter.
False. Although Tasti D Lite and many other branches have fat-free or low-calorie yogurt, not all frozen yogurts were created equal. Some actually pack as much fat and calories as ice cream, so pay attention to the label.
So, is it healthy?
Frozen yogurt offers little to no nutritional value and is often loaded with sugar. With reduced or no fat, added sugar is probably one of the sole reasons why frozen yogurt tastes so good.
In my mind, there is nothing wrong with the whole frozen yogurt fad except for the fact that a lot of people fail to see frozen yogurt for what it really is…a dessert.
Image source:
http://cltampa.com/dailyloaf/archives/2011/08/08/the-self-serve-yogurt-revolution#.TxyQsGNWpBw
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Duke chapter.