Photo: Yo Mama

A Healthy Alternative to Ice Cream

Ice cream is making way for a healthier and far lighter dessert, namely frozen yogurt. Back in the days we all yearned for ice cream after our dinner, but not anymore. Many youngsters, as well as adults have already been convinced of the healthy aspects of frozen yogurt. The frozen yogurt business is growing rapidly and is probably also the reason for our increasing number of “fro-yo” shops in Hong Kong.

In most cases, yogurt will be healthier than ice cream, especially if the yogurt is very low in fat and calories like the one served at Yo Mama, Yogurtime and Berrygood. Unlike other frozen yogurts on the market, which are made from yogurt powder, the delicious snack at Berrygood contains real yogurt and is freshly made in-store every day with ingredients from Europe and New Zealand.

“I get the base from Italy,” says Candice Suen, who is the owner of Yo Mama near Star Street and who’s family runs Triple O’s in Hong Kong. “It’s low fat, almost no fat and no calories.” Suen also works closely together with her food specialist to achieve the taste that so many can’t resist. “Moms don’t mind bringing the kids every day, as long as they’re not getting toppings such as M&M’s,” she continues. “We have a guy who comes in four to five times every day, and he always gets a large! People start craving it, and then they really get addicted. People even come from Stanley.”

Yogurtime has an impressive selection of 100 flavours, followed by Berrygood, which also lets customers choose from a wide array, including Pomegranate, Green Apple, Earl Grey Tea, Lychee, Pina Colada and Guava to name a few. Yo Mama swears by its only two flavours though, Original and Green Tea. “I’ll try to have different flavours,” says Suen. “One weekend I’ll do ginger for example. But they don’t like it! They like the main flavour. If I do a flavour that people really love, then it will be worth it. I don’t want to do a flavour that will waste. But the flavours come from the toppings, and we have a lot of toppings.”

Toppings range in most places from healthy fresh fruit, such as strawberry, blueberry, lychee and mango to cereals and confectionary. A favourite among many consumers is the Japanese glutinous rice cake, “mochi”, which is home-made at Yo Mama as well as Berrygood.

“Now we also have people coming in for breakfast,” ads Suen. “It’s almost the same yogurt you have at home, it’s just cold. In the beginning people would come in after dinner. Nowadays people come in at 11am, when we open. They have it with granola, and if people want something that we don’t have, they can bring it with them.”

Maybe not ideal as an alternative to a whole meal (even though in LA they call it the Hollywood Diet; they eat two large cups per day), the frozen yogurt does seem like a great substitute for ice cream.

On top of the low fat/low calorie advantage, frozen yogurt is also high in protein and calcium and contains probiotics (live bacterial cultures), which are good for the digestive system. Furthermore, the lactose found in the yummy snack also appears to be more digestible than the lactose in milk. This is particularly important for people with lactose intolerance.

Most frozen yogurts are not completely sugar free though, but you can look out for brands that are sweetened with Splenda instead, something that Yo Mama will add to their new IFC shop, which will open on September 1.

The healthy “fro-yo” shops not only replace ice cream, but also act as a great alternative to bars and clubs. Ditch the routine and try something new, something healthy!

Vivienne Tang

In Hong Kong frozen yogurt is available at:

Berrygood

Best Berry

Yo Mama

Yogurtime