Froyo – my favorite post-race treat. ;) Ever since self-serve frozen yogurt joints started springing up all over the place, my friends and I love to stop in during movie nights or shopping trips. It helps that they boast non-fat flavors and plenty of healthy fruit toppings. As an ice cream lover, it seems like a healthier choice over a pint of Ben n’ Jerry’s, right?!

Since ice cream is made with heavy cream, it’s unavoidably a fattening dessert. There’s really no getting around it, although most companies are making lower-fat and lower-sugar varieties which definitely reduce calories and fat.

Already, frozen yogurt is less fattening because many flavors use a non-fat yogurt base. (Be careful – not all do! Anything with ‘Peanut Butter’ or ‘Cheesecake’ is probably a dead giveaway that it is not non-fat. Look at the labels.)

Some Surprising Truths:

I compared 1 cup of soft-serve Golden Vanilla frozen yogurt to 1 cup of Ben n’ Jerry’s Vanilla ice cream. One point for froyo as is clocks in at about half the calories – 240cals vs 460.

Frozen yogurt contained 75% MORE sodium though! It contained 130mg, or 5% of our daily value. I didn’t expect yogurt to have a significant amount of sodium.

The two were equal in carbohydrate content, 46 grams.

Frozen yogurt, fat-free or not, is still very high in sugar. 1 cup holds 35 grams of sugar, compared to ice cream’s 40.

While ice cream has significantly more fat, it really is just about moderation. I don’t think frozen yogurt is drastically more healthy than ice cream, if you know portion control!

(Well….anything’s gotta be better for you than this right?)

Remember the story of the pig and the trough?

Your toppings can really make or break the nutrition value of your cup! When in doubt, pile on the fruit ;) Sliced almonds, pecans, pretzels, dark chocolate chips or carob chips are also great.

Your best bet? Make your own! Try Peaches n’ Pecan Greek Frozen Yogurt or Strawberry S’mores Greek Frozen Yogurt at home!