Frozen yogurt has become a popular dessert choice, often marketed as a healthier alternative to ice cream. From the ice cream aisle to the food court, frozen yogurt comes in tons of varieties and flavors. Like regular yogurt, the tangy frozen treat - sometimes called "froyo" - is made from milk fermented with live cultures. These are living organisms that aid in the fermentation process. The frozen stuff also typically contains sugar, flavorings, stabilizers, and cream. But is it truly a guilt-free indulgence? This article dives into the nutritional content of frozen yogurt, its potential health benefits and drawbacks, and how it compares to other frozen treats like ice cream and frozen custard.
What is Frozen Yogurt?
Frozen yogurt is a frozen dessert made with yogurt. It has a creamy texture and sweet, tangy taste. Frozen yogurt is quite similar to ice cream, but the main difference is that it’s made with milk instead of cream. Additionally, like ice cream, it is often sold in cups or cones with a wide range of topping options, such as fruit, cookies and chocolate chips. You can buy frozen yogurt in stores or make it at home. It’s also sometimes used as an ingredient in drinks like smoothies, or in desserts as a substitute for ice cream.
To make frozen yogurt, producers mix regular yogurt with pasteurized milk, cream, and sugar. It contains other ingredients, such as stabilizers, fruit, and flavors. Frozen yogurt might contain live bacteria, which become dormant when it's cold. Once you eat it, your body temperature warms and activates the bacteria.
Ingredients can vary slightly between brands, but the main ones are:
- Milk: This can be liquid milk or powdered milk. Powdered milk is referred to “milk solids” on the ingredients list.
- Yogurt cultures: These are “good” bacteria like Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus.
- Sugar: Most companies use regular table sugar, but some brands use alternative sweeteners like agave nectar.
Many frozen yogurts also contain ingredients like flavorings and stabilizers to improve their taste and texture.
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To make frozen yogurt, manufacturers mix together milk and sugar. They pasteurize the mixture, heating it to a high temperature to kill any harmful bacteria. The yogurt cultures are then added and the mixture is allowed to rest for up to four hours before it’s frozen.
Nutritional Information
Frozen yogurt makers often claim it's a healthier alternative to ice cream, but that depends on the ingredients. It's usually lower in fat and calories than ice cream, but it can be just as high in sugar. The nutrition content of frozen yogurt can vary depending on the type of milk, sweeteners and flavorings used in the yogurt mixture. For example, frozen yogurt made with nonfat milk will have a lower fat content than varieties made with whole milk (1). Additionally, the toppings you choose can add extra calories, fat and sugar to the final product.
Here's a general nutritional breakdown for a half-cup serving:
- Regular Frozen Yogurt: Approximately 120 calories, 4 grams of protein, 2 grams of fat, 17 grams of sugar, 22 grams of carbohydrates, and 150 milligrams of calcium (12% of the Daily Value).
- Nonfat Frozen Yogurt: Approximately 110 calories, 3 grams of protein, 0 grams of fat, 24 grams of sugar, 24 grams of carbohydrates, and 100 milligrams of calcium.
- Low-Fat Frozen Greek Yogurt: Approximately 100 calories, 6 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat, 14 grams of total sugar, 18 grams of carbohydrates, and 100 milligrams of calcium.
Because of the variations in recipes, always check the label to make sure what’s in your frozen yogurt. The exact nutrition details differ depending on the brand and ingredients. Check the nutritional information on the package before you buy, or ask at the frozen yogurt shop.
Potential Health Benefits
Frozen yogurt may have some health benefits, compared to other frozen desserts. It can contain beneficial nutrients and bacteria, lower levels of lactose and fewer calories than desserts like ice cream.
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- Probiotics: Most frozen yogurt contains live probiotic cultures. These are good bacteria that can help build a healthy gut, lower blood pressure, and improve your immune system - your body's defense against germs. The amount of probiotics in a scoop varies. Frozen yogurt often has fewer cultures than the refrigerated version. And some products have no live probiotics at all. If these good bacteria are what you're after, look for a seal that says "Live and Active Cultures."
- Lower Lactose Levels: If you have lactose intolerance, eating dairy products can cause digestive issues like bloating, gas and pain (9). However, most people with lactose intolerance can tolerate small amounts of dairy, especially if it contains probiotics (10). This is because probiotic bacteria break down some of the lactose, reducing the amount per portion. Because some frozen yogurts contain probiotics, people with lactose intolerance may be able to eat them without any digestive problems. However, it’s important to note that not all varieties contain live bacteria, so they may not have the same benefits (11).
- Bone Health: Frozen yogurt also contains reasonable amounts of some of the nutrients linked with good bone health, like calcium and protein (12). However, despite this potential benefit, it’s worth noting that you can also get these nutrients from regular yogurt.
- Lower in Calories: If you’re trying to cut back on calories, frozen yogurt is lower in calories than regular ice cream (2, 13). However, make sure to watch your portion sizes and topping choices. If you’re not careful, these can easily bump up the calories.
Potential Drawbacks
Despite these potential benefits, there are some downsides to consider:
- High Sugar Content: Unlike most plain, regular yogurts, frozen yogurt usually contains a lot of added sugar (3, 14).In fact, sugar is one of the most important ingredients in the manufacturing process.Adding sugar to yogurt before it’s frozen prevents large ice crystals from forming and ensures the frozen yogurt retains a creamy texture similar to ice cream. It also makes the taste more acceptable, so that it’s sweet and tangy, rather than sour. However, frozen yogurt can still contain more added sugar than regular sugar-sweetened yogurt (2, 15).
- Fewer Probiotics: Frozen yogurt often has fewer cultures than the refrigerated version. And some products have no live probiotics at all. If these good bacteria are what you're after, look for a seal that says "Live and Active Cultures." If your frozen yogurt was pasteurized after the good bacteria were added, then they will have been killed off.It has also been suggested that the freezing process could reduce the number of good bacteria. However, some studies have suggested this isn’t the case, so freezing may not be an issue (6, 7, 8).
- Not a Health Food: Remember that frozen yogurt is a dessert, not a health food. Don't overdo it. It's easy to turn a little treat into a super-sized sundae.
Frozen Yogurt vs. Ice Cream vs. Frozen Custard
Frozen yogurt generally has fewer fat grams and calories than ice cream. The sugar content can be about the same. Ice cream usually is made by blending together a variety of dairy products. These can include:Milk, Condensed milk, Butterfat, Cream. Some ice cream flavors also include pasteurized egg products. Homemade ice cream might include raw egg yolks in the base. Producers add sweeteners, flavorings, coloring, and substances to keep the ice cream stable. Depending on the flavor, ice cream also might include fruit, candy, and nuts. The FDA regulates ice cream. By law, it must contain at least 10% milk fat and 20% total milk solids by weight.
Frozen custard is another type of sweet, cold treat. Nutritionally, it's closer to ice cream than to frozen yogurt. The main difference between it and ice cream is that custard contains more eggs. The FDA requires frozen custard to have at least 1.4% egg yolk solids. Less air is whipped into frozen custard, so its texture is denser and creamier than ice cream or frozen yogurt.
One of the reasons people choose frozen yogurt is because it’s thought to be a healthier option than ice cream. The main difference between the two products is that frozen yogurt is made with milk and not cream. This means that ice cream contains more fat (2, 16).
However, it’s important to note that manufacturers often make up for this lack of fat with sugar. So beware - your frozen yogurt can contain as much, if not more, sugar than ice cream. This is especially true for the nonfat versions of frozen yogurt, which tend to contain more sugar.
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Combined with large serving sizes and a variety of high-sugar topping options, this means that frozen yogurt can end up having way more calories and sugar than an ice cream cone. So despite the healthy-sounding name, frozen yogurt is a dessert just like ice cream. Neither is better than the other, and either can be enjoyed occasionally as a treat.
How to Choose a Healthier Frozen Yogurt
To make your frozen yogurt as healthy as possible, try the following:
- Portion Control: Check serving sizes for guidance. And limit yourself when using self-serve machines. Choose a small dish, and avoid the temptation to fill the whole cup. Despite being a sweet treat, frozen yogurt generally comes in much larger serving sizes than ice cream. To keep your portion in check, stick to around half a cup - about the size of a baseball.If it’s self-serve, you could also try filling your cup with fruit and serving a smaller amount of frozen yogurt on top.
- Healthy Toppings: At the toppings bar, skip candy and sprinkles and choose unsweetened fruit and nuts, which will help fill you up. To make your dessert healthier, go for a topping like fresh fruit. Other toppings like candy, fruit syrups, cookies and chocolate chips can bump up the sugar content without any added fiber or nutrients. If you do want a more indulgent topping than fruit, try dark chocolate or nuts, both of which contain less sugar and come with some beneficial nutrients (17).
- Read Labels Carefully: Aim for the frozen yogurt with the fewest ingredients. Fewer ingredients means fewer additives. Look for Varieties Without Added Sugar. Some frozen yogurt is made with artificial sweeteners, rather than sugar. If you want to keep your calorie intake in check, consider trying it.
- Avoid Fat-Free Options: Keep in mind that if a dessert is fat-free, it probably has more sugar, thickeners, or emulsifiers. You want to get the best of all worlds: the lowest sugar, fat, calories, and sodium. Fat-free varieties contain more added sugar than low-fat or regular varieties. Eating excess added sugars has been linked with poor health outcomes, so it’s probably better to stick to a low-fat or full-fat frozen yogurt (18).
- Look for Live Cultures: Due to their potential health benefits, frozen yogurts that contain live probiotic cultures are the best choice. To pick a variety that contains them, look for the words “live active cultures” on the nutrition label.
- Make it at Home: Some appliances sold as ice cream makers can help you make frozen yogurt at home. Check your instruction manual - it might even include recipes. To avoid the extra sugar often added to frozen yogurt, you can freeze regular yogurt into pops. Making your own frozen yogurt at home can give you more control over the ingredients and calories in your dessert. There are lots of simple recipes online, like this one and this one. Some people like using Greek yogurt as a base due to its higher protein content (19).
Homemade Frozen Yogurt Recipe
But you don't need a special ice cream appliance to make frozen yogurt. You can do it using a blender or food processor. Here's one basic recipe:
- 4 cups of frozen fruit, such as peaches or berries
- 1 cup of nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
- 1-3 tablespoons of sugar (or to taste)
Blend or process the ingredients until the texture is creamy. This should take 2-4 minutes. You can eat it right away, or put it in an airtight container and store it in the freezer. You also can choose vanilla-flavored yogurt and skip the added sugar.
Here are some additional recipes for homemade frozen yogurt: Fast strawberry frozen Yogurt, Raspberry-chocolate chip frozen yogurt, Instant mango frozen yogurt.
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