Unfortunately,
a report released by consumer watchdog CHOICE today reveals that the growing
number of frozen yoghurt chains may not be offering as healthy a product as
they perhaps claim too.
A
few years back it was pies, then muffins, followed by juices and over the past
couple of years, it seems that every shopping centre is now home to at
least couple of frozen yoghurt chains –
Wow Cow, Mooberry, Yoghurtland, Yogurberry and Zwirl just some of the
well-known brands. Served in a range of flavours, cup sizes and with the option
of assorted toppings, suddenly yoghurt has taken on a whole new meaning.
While
frozen yoghurt may sound like a particularly healthy option, the yoghurt you
are buying bears little resemblance to classic, plain Greek yoghurt that most
nutritionists would suggest is consumed as your daily yoghurt of choice. While frozen
yoghurt does contain some of the key nutrients found in yoghurt including
calcium and some protein, the truth is that with the amount of added sugar,
frozen yoghurt has a nutritional profile much closer to that of ice cream than
to natural yoghurt. And that is without taking into account the vast range of
sauces, confectionary, nuts and fruits that can be added to serves at the
various frozen yoghurt chains. In each of these examples at least 2 teaspoons
of extra sugar is added to a small serve of frozen yoghurt, with each topping
added, which also naturally significantly increases the calories. In fact, a
medium serve of frozen yoghurt, topped with chocolate and nuts can contain as
many calories as a small meal.
Perhaps
the most concerning thing of all is that because we think it is a ‘healthy’
choice, we give ourselves permission to eat more of it. A small serving cup of
ice cream suddenly becomes a large portion of frozen yoghurt simply because the
perception is that it is a better choice. So, stop kidding yourself. If it
sounds too good to be true, it usually is, in life and in our food selections
and this is again the case with frozen yoghurt.
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