With more and more self serve frozen yogurt (froyo) places popping up like Forever Yogurt and Red Mango it can be really easy to overdo it on this healthier summer treat.
These places provide you with very large cardboard bowls that welcome you to fill them up to the brim. Each bowl can hold upwards of two cups or sixteen ounces.
To help keep this treat on the healthier side. Check the calories per ounce on each flavor. This can be found on the labels next to each froyo dispenser.
I chose the Slam Dunk froyo flavor for my treat the other night. It’s sign shows that it has 30 calories per ounce. The problem is it can be really hard to put only a three to four ounce serving in the gigantic bowls these froyo places provide you with. The size of the bowl is a marketing ploy, because these companies make more money on every ounce in your bowl. Luckily, I have dietitian super powers and am very skilled at eyeballing portion sizes.
When filling your bowl, try to imagine only filling up one-fourth of it. This visual should help you keep your portion size to a minimum. After you fill your bowl with a healthy serving, the next challenge that greats you is the display of endless toppings.
In the words of the Grail Night in Indiana Jones, “You must choose. But choose wisely.”
Here is a list of types of toppings that can be added and the calories per two tablespoons to help you choose wisely.
| Froyo Toppings | |
| Type | Calories (2 Tbsp) |
| Strawberry slices | 7 |
| Pineapple chunks | 9 |
| Dried cranberries | 47 |
| Blueberries | 11 |
| Rainbow Sprinkles | 40 |
| Coconut flakes | 73.4 |
| Walnuts | 96 |
| Chocolate syrup | 109 |
| Frosted Animal Crackers | 39 (2 crackers) |
| Crushed Butterfinger Bar | 115 |
| Chocolate chips | 83 |
| Reese’s Pieces | 117 |
I would recommend that you weigh your froyo serving prior to adding any toppings to help you estimate the calories you are consuming. As you can see, here is my serving of the slam dunk froyo weighed before any topping was added. This amount based on the flavor sign (30 calories per ounce) equals to 117 calories.
Adding the topping after checking the weight will help you better estimate the calories you are consuming at a self serve froyo place. Weigh, pay, and enjoy in moderation!
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