Frozen Yogurt or Fro-Yo Back Hits, Healthier Than Ice Cream?

JAKARTA - The frozen yogurt trend or fro-yo is back in vogue in various cities. From new outlets that are always crowded to millions of videos on TikTok, this dessert seems to get new attention.

But many people still wonder, is fro-yo really healthier than ice cream, or just a different look?

In general, ice cream and fro-yo have similar basic ingredients, but the process and composition are different. Ice cream usually uses cream and milk, while fro-yo uses fermented milk with live cultures (good bacteria).

Julie Stefanski, a certified nutritionist from Baltimore explains the difference.

"With so many frozen dessert options, it's sometimes hard to tell which is ice cream and which is frozen yogurt," he said, quoted from the Everyday Health website.

Fro-yo tends to be lower in fat than ice cream, but added sweeteners and the freezing process can affect its nutritional content.

If you look at the nutritional content, the main difference between ice cream and frozen yogurt is seen in fat and sugar. Half a cup of vanilla ice cream contains about 137 calories, 7.26 grams of fat, 2.3 grams of protein, 15.6 grams of carbohydrates, and 14 grams of sugar.

Meanwhile, a half cup of vanilla frozen yogurt has slightly lower calories, namely 114 calories, with 4 grams of fat, 2.9 grams of protein, 17.4 grams of carbohydrates, and 17.3 grams of sugar. From these numbers it can be seen that fro-yo is indeed lower in fat, but the sugar content can be higher than ice cream.

"The freezing process and additional sweeteners often make live cultures difficult to survive, but supermarket packaged fro-yo tends to contain more live cultures than fro-yo from outlets," said Emily Villaseca, a nutritionist from Dallas.

This means that although fro-yo looks healthier because it is low in fat, the sugar content is sometimes higher than ice cream.

Choosing a healthy dessert is not just about fat or sugar. It is necessary to look at the overall eating pattern and personal health goals.

"Frozen yogurt may be lower in fat, but many options contain sugar equivalent or even higher than ice cream," said Villaseca.

"Pay attention to calories, fat, and sugar, then choose the one that suits your personal health goals. Desserts are good because of their fat and sugar, so it's important to limit their consumption," added Stefanski.

Tips to Enjoy Fro-Yo Healthily

Fro-yo can be enjoyed guilt-free if you pay attention to a few things:

1. Pay attention to added sugar

Choose a maximum of 10 grams per serving.

2. Check the portion

Take one serving only, don't supersize or take directly from the container.

3. Choose toppings wisely

Fresh fruit and nuts are healthier than caramel or chocolate.

4. Enjoy slowly

Stefanski emphasized that the first and last bites are often the most enjoyable.

"Enjoy every meal to be more satisfied," he said.

This way, fro-yo can be a delicious throwback treat while still being healthy.