Since frozen yogurt hit the market, it has been known to be a healthier alternative to ice cream. But is it healthy for you? The answer is yes, as long as it's not eaten excessively. It is a healthy dessert option and is low in calories. Let's take a deeper look into frozen yogurt, its nutritional value, and possible health benefits.
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What Is Frozen Yogurt
Frozen yogurt is a very popular dessert with a creamy taste and texture. It is made similarly to ice cream, but rather than being made with cream, it is made with milk. It is typically served like ice cream in a cone or cup with toppings.
To make frozen yogurt, milk and sugar are added together. This mixture gets pasteurized to kill off any bad bacteria. Yogurt culture is then added to the mixture and then set aside to rest for four hours until it gets frozen.
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Health Benefits
Although you've likely never thought a dessert to have a health benefit, frozen yogurt can offer some positive things. Because it contains yogurt, some frozen yogurts can have probiotics in them. It all depends on whether the good probiotic bacteria can survive the manufacturing process. To contain probiotics, the yogurt cultures must be added after pasteurization. This study shows freezing is also likely not an issue for the good bacteria to survive.
Nutritional Value
Each frozen yogurt will have different nutritional values depending on the milk, flavors, and sweeteners used. For example, a frozen yogurt made with whole milk will have a higher fat content than a frozen yogurt made with nonfat milk. Also, any extra toppings that you add to your frozen yogurt will add extra calories.
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Is It Healthier Than Ice Cream?
Frozen yogurt is a healthier alternative to ice cream, especially if you don't overdo it on the toppings. Depending on the type of frozen yogurt you choose, you can find an option that offers significantly fewer calories and fat than its competition. But, looking at regular frozen yogurt, a cup of whole milk frozen yogurt contains about 221 calories, 10% fat, and 37 grams of sugar, whereas a cup of ice cream contains 273 calories, 22% fat, and 28 grams of sugar. In this case, frozen yogurt has more sugar but still has fewer calories and fat.
- Fresh, Never-Frozen Meals: A new menu of 30+ dietitian-designed options every week.
- Cooked to Perfection: Prepared by gourmet chefs and delivered fresh to you.
- Zero Prep, No Mess: Just heat and enjoy in minutes.
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