Why go for ice cream when you have yogurt? ;)

Why go for yogurt? Well mainly because.....

Ice Cream is made from milk, cream, eggs, sugar and any flavoring. There are some varieties, such as Dreyers Slow-Churned Light ice cream, that are made with Splenda or other sweetners to decrease the amount of fat and calories. At ice cream stores, such as Baskin-Robbins and Coldstone, most of their ice cream flavors are made with sugar and whole milk, offering very minimal light or low-fat choices. The average amount of calories in regular, whole fat ice cream is 250 calories per ½ cup. If you are like most people, you probably consume more than ½ cup, especially if you get a scoop from an ice cream shop. For light ice creams, such as Dreyers Slow-Churned, the average amount of calories is 120 per half cup. In addition to having a load of calories, ice cream does contain calcium and about 6 grams of protein from the milk (on average).


Frozen yogurt is made from yogurt (which is fermented, by adding live bacterial cultures to the milk), instead of cream. Sugar or another sweetener is added, in addition to any flavoring. Since frozen yogurt is made from yogurt, instead of cream, it contains less fat and calories than ice cream. In addition, since it’s fermented, it contains live bacteria (probiotics) that help digestion and enhance the body’s immune system. The average amount of calories is about 120 (for vanilla) per ½ cup, but who follows the proper portions when stopping-in at your local frozen yogurt shop? Most people get a heaping portion that is probably at least double the amount of calories (at least 250), not to mention the amount of calories from any toppings that are added.

In the end, frozen yogurt does come-out as a healthier option then regular, whole-fat ice cream, due to the nutritional benefits of the probiotics in the yogurt, as well as having less fat and calories overall. But, it all comes down to portion size. If you have a heaping portion of frozen yogurt topped with m&ms for example, you are most likely consuming the same amount of calories (if not more) as one scoop of ice cream.

Reference:
http://www.examiner.com/article/frozen-yogurt-vs-ice-cream-1


-Katrina A. Tan