{"id":41447,"date":"2015-07-14T07:15:11","date_gmt":"2015-07-14T11:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=41447"},"modified":"2021-05-17T10:10:55","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T14:10:55","slug":"frozen-yogurt-vs-ice-cream-healthier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/frozen-yogurt-vs-ice-cream-healthier\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Frozen Yogurt Actually Healthier Than Ice Cream?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Is
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Few things hit the spot like a creamy cone on a hot summer day. But should you go for a double scoop of mint chip \u2014 or the more virtuous-sounding fro-yo? Market research shows that frozen yogurt sales have risen an average of 21 percent<\/a> each year since 2008, while the number of yogurt shops has doubled within the last seven years. And if you think frozen yogurt is healthier, you\u2019re not alone. According to a survey conducted by Menchies<\/a>, a frozen yogurt chain, roughly 95 percent of Americans believe the softer stuff is better for them than ice cream. <\/strong><\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 15 Healthier Homemade Ice Cream Recipes<\/a><\/p>\n

Dig into the nutrition facts, though, and the swirl of smooth and creamy self-serve dessert isn\u2019t always the superior option. Here\u2019s the scoop on why you may want to reconsider your next 16-flavor \u201c16 Handles\u201d bender.<\/p>\n

The Cold Truth: Frozen Yogurt Vs. Ice Cream<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t realize that frozen yogurt often has more sugar than ice cream.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Fro-yo might remind you of your favorite probiotic-rich morning Chobani \u2014 but not all \u201cyogurts\u201d are created equal. The freezing process<\/a> used to make your dessert may kill some of the healthy gut bacteria<\/a> found in regular yogurt. To compensate, some manufacturers of fro-yo (and standard yogurt, too) add extra probiotics after production.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook for the \u2018Live and Active Cultures\u2019 seal\u201d when browsing the dessert aisle, says Alissa Rumsey<\/a>, R.D., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This seal, created by the National Yogurt Association<\/a>, confirms that a product has 100 million cultures per gram, which, among other health benefits, can help lactose intolerant<\/a> people digest milk-based products. Chains like Pinkberry and RedMango and prepackaged pints<\/a> from Haagen-Dazs and Cold Stone Creamery all carry the seal.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 15 Healthy Recipes for No-Bake Desserts<\/a><\/p>\n

But probiotics alone don\u2019t make fro-yo a health food. \u201cPeople don\u2019t realize that it often has more sugar than ice cream,\u201d says Dana Kofsky<\/a>, a California-based nutritionist. Per each half-cup serving, frozen yogurt contains roughly 17 grams<\/a> of sugar. Meanwhile, ice cream only has about 14 grams<\/a> of the sweet stuff for the same serving size. \u201cIn order to get rid of the tart taste, [fro-yo companies often] add sugar,\u201d says Kofky.<\/p>\n

However, ice cream boasts more fat (there are roughly seven grams per serving in the frozen dessert compared to four grams<\/a> in fro-yo, according to the USDA). This isn\u2019t necessarily a bad thing, though. Fat can slow the body\u2019s digestion of sugar, meaning you\u2019ll feel more satisfied and won\u2019t experience a blood sugar spike like you might with a swirl of sweetened yogurt, says Rumsey. She notes that many fro-yo brands also add sugar substitutes that could cause digestive issues like bloating or cramping.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Are Artificial Sweeteners Wrecking Your Diet?<\/a><\/p>\n

Portion<\/a> control can also be common problem with frozen yogurt, says Rumsey. \u201cPeople trick themselves into thinking they can eat more,\u201d she says. \u201cThe smallest cup still tends to be pretty big. You\u2019ll get something that\u2019s 300 to 400 calories-worth.\u201d (In comparison, a half-cup serving of vanilla ice cream<\/a> is roughly 140 calories.) And if you\u2019re making it rain toppings on your Pinkberry cup, you\u2019ll likely add on another few hundred calories<\/a>. Rumsey recommends sticking to one or two spoonfuls of nuts or fruit if you want a little crunch.<\/p>\n

\"Frozen
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Frozen Dessert Dos and Don\u2019ts<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Whether you love ice cream or fro-yo, there\u2019s no wrong choice as long as you keep your serving sizes in check. According to Kofsky and Rumsey, your portion should be a half a cup, which will be roughly the size of a baseball or your closed fist.<\/p>\n

\u201cEat it slowly. Savor it,\u201d says Kofsky. Your best bet is to choose a dessert that will actually satisfy your taste buds, so you won\u2019t be tempted to double down on the scoops or swirls, or scrounge for more food later on. Both experts recommend seeking out reputable products that have real ingredients, and not a laundry list of preservatives or thickening agents.<\/p>\n

For a DIY dessert fix, Kofsky suggests making your own ice cream by blending up frozen bananas, cocoa powder, milk and almond butter. You won\u2019t even need an ice cream machine to whip up this healthy mint chocolate chip protein ice cream recipe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The next time you need to get your fix, simply swirl (or scoop) responsibly!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reaching for a frozen yogurt or ice cream cone during the dog days of summer? Here\u2019s what you need to know the next time you\u2019re ordering at the local scoop shop. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":41444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[428,23,7,9],"tags":[39,71,90,341,388],"class_list":["post-41447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dessert","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","category-recipes","tag-dessert","tag-nutrition","tag-summer","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2nutrition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41447","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41447"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41447\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}