Frozen Yogurt: A Heart-Healthy Treat? Nutrition & Label Reading Guide

A heart-healthy diet emphasizes low fat and low cholesterol. If you're on a heart-healthy diet but really would love to have some ice cream, frozen yogurt can fit the bill. However, you'll need to do some research and read labels to make sure the frozen yogurt you choose is one of the more healthy types available. Some have lots of fat or added sugar.

Fat

• When compared to regular ice cream, frozen yogurt has much less fat. However, some frozen yogurt is higher in fat than low-fat or light ice cream.

Sugar

• Producers of low-fat yogurt often add extra sugar to make up for the loss of taste normally obtained from fat, and that is not beneficial for a heart-healthy diet.

Dairy Nutrition

• Eating frozen and regular yogurt is a good way of obtaining calcium and other dairy nutrients. Frozen yogurt is lower in calcium and protein than regular yogurt, but some frozen yogurt is fortified with extra calcium.

Lactose

• Many people with lactose intolerance have no problems with frozen or regular yogurt, so can gain the benefits of heart-healthy dairy food without lactose issues.

Calories

• Most frozen yogurts are lower in calories than ice cream, which is great for people on a heart-healthy diet who also need to watch their weight.