Frozen yogurt; guilt-free snack or calorie-counter's nightmare? The truth lies somewhere in between - column

Frozen Yogurt

Guilt-free snack or calorie-counter's nightmare? The truth lies somewhere in between.

Once upon a time, we all screamed for ice cream. Today, many of us prefer frozen yogurt. Although some sports-active people don't touch the stuff ("I don't like yogurt, so why should I even try frozen yogurt?"), others think it's the greatest treat around ("When I want a guilt-free snack, I'll get a frozen yogurt"). The frozen yogurt business is growing by leaps and bounds, from a $200 million business in 1985 to $1.5 billion in 1989. Frozen yogurt has expanded the frozen dessert business, as indicated by the fact ice cream consumption has held steady this year. Are these consumers attracted to yogurt because of its healthful image? The questions arise: Is frozen yogurt really a healthful food? Is a cone of frozen yogurt for lunch as nourishing as a cup of non-frozen yogurt? Is frozen yogurt a "free food" for dieters? Let's take a look at the hype and separate some fact from fiction.

True of False: Frozen yogurt is a good diet food because it has very few calories?

False. A large cone of frozen yogurt--nine to 13 ounces--"costs" 25-30 calories per ounce, totaling 225-325 calories per serving. These calories are mostly from carbohydrates, so they are more likely to fuel your muscles than get stored as body fat, and are preferable to ice cream calories. However, these calories quickly add up. Hence, eating "diet portions" is the key to consuming frozen yogurt. Be cautious of heavy-handed servers who give you six to eight ounces, when your calorie budget is planned for only four ounces.

The calorie content of frozen yogurt also depends on whether you get non-fat or lowfat varieties, flavors filled with almonds, pralines or fruit, frogurt sundaes smothered with chocolate sauce and nuts or just plain vanilla. TCBY's lowfat frozen yogurt flavors vary between 200-280 calories per eight ounces. Elan premium yogurt provides 260 calories per eight ounces for vanilla and 320 for chocolate almond. That's not "low calorie."

True or False: Frozen yogurt is nutritionally similar to non-frozen yogurt?

False. Regarding calcium, most frozen yogurts provide about half what you'd get in a regular yogurt. A medium cone of frozen yogurt has about 20 to 30% of the RDA for calcium. Columbo lowfat frozen yogurt has 20% of the RDA for calcium per eight ounces. For the same number of calories, a cup of regular Dannon lemon yogurt provides twice that calcium (40% of the RDA).

In terms of protein, regular yogurt is also the better choice. It provides about eight to 12 grams protein per eight ounces, as compared to only two to eight ounces for frozen yogurts. TCBY has less then two grams of protein per eight ounces, Columbo frozen light has eight grams. In comparison, Dannon non-frozen vanilla has 11 grams protein. The suggested protein intake for sportsactive people is about 50 to 70 grams per day. That could be at least a half gallon of frozen yogurt!

In terms of carbohydrates, flavored frozen and regular yogurts are carbohydrate-rich. Plain, unsweetened yogurt has about 16 grams of naturally occurring milk sugar. The food processors add about four to six teaspoons sugar, so both regular and frozen yogurts end up with about 30 to 45 grams carbohydrates. A cup of regular Dannon vanilla yogurt has 31 grams of carbohydrates, and TCBY has 48 grams. Since yogurt has very little fat in it,sugar provides the flavor and taste appeal--great for carbohydrate loading and recovering after a hard workout--not so great for the dental bill.

True or False: Frozen yogurt is better for your health than ice cream?

Generally true. When compared to premium ice creams, frozen yogurt certainly is a bargain. Most varieties of frozen yogurt have fewer than four grams fat per eight ounces. TCBY has only two grams fat per eight ounces--that's 1/18th the amount in a large scoop of Haagen Dazs. Your arteries will definitely know the difference.

However, some brands try to fool us with deceptive advertising. For example, a Yoplait frozen yogurt boldly advertises on a pint container "97% fat free." That's 97% fat free by weight. By calories it's only 80% fat free. Elan Premium Yogurt is another sneaky product. One might assume with "yogurt" for a name, the product is low in fat. Elan vanilla has six grams fat per cup--you could have Light 'n' Lively Ice Milk for the same amount of fat and 60 fewer calories. Elan also advertises "less than 80% the fat in ice cream." When compared to the super premium ice creams, perhaps. But Elan chocolate almond has 14 grams fat per cup--that's no bargain. Forty percent of those calories are from fat. Buyer beware--the name "yogurt" doesn't always mean "low fat."

To help you resolve the fat confusion, here's how frozen desserts compare. Standard ice cream is about 10% butterfat by weight. Premium ice creams (such as Steve's and Haagen Dazs) are about 16% fat. Ice milk is 2-7% fat. Frozen yogurt made from whole milk is 3-4% fat; lowfat milk, 1-2% fat; skim milk, 0% fat. If frozen yogurt is made from skim milk, the label boasts 100% fat free; if from whole milk, 97% fat free. Unfortunately for consumers, frozen yogurt is a relatively new product and the government has yet to define it's maximum fat content. That's why you have to be aware of deceptive advertising and carefully select a lowfat product that's healthy for your heart.

Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D., is a nutrition counselor at Boston-area's SportsMedicine Brookline and frequent contributor to American Fitness magazine.

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