Is Pinkberry good for you?
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It’s getting hot. You think, I’ll stop at my local frozen yogurt shop. You rationalize: It’s better for me than ice cream. But is it?
What’s the nutritional value of Pinkberry?
Let’s run down the facts.
Pinkberry — the self-proclaimed “soft swirls of chilly bliss with a distinct pouty peak” — now has three flavors: original, green tea and pomegranate.
The original variety has 28 calories per ounce, green tea has 32 calories per ounce, and pomegranate has 34 calories per ounce. Not too bad, it seems. But buyer beware. A large Pinkberry contains 3.8 servings, meaning you could slurp down almost 400 calories without realizing it. And that doesn’t include the delicious toppings. Add chocolate chips, coconut and Cap’n Crunch on top of your swirly goodness and that could be half your calories for the day.
On the other hand, there are only 150 calories in a small original with no toppings. Not a terrible treat on a blazing hot California day.
Beyond calories, Pinkberry frozen yogurt contains no fat, no saturated fat and no trans fat. All good signs.
But the stuff is not completely guilt-free. Sugar? The original has 20 grams per serving. Carbs: 21 grams per serving. On the up side, the original also has 3 grams of protein per serving.
Interestingly, the yogurt carries the seal of approval from the Natural Yogurt Assn., as it contains active live cultures.
If you are an ingredient reader, here is what is actually in the original:
Nonfat milk, sugar, cultured pasteurized nonfat milk with live and active cultures, contains less than 2%: cultured nonfat milk powder, fructose, dextrose, natural and artificial flavors, citric acid, guar gum, maltodextrin, mono- and diglycerides, lactoglycerides, propylene glycol esters, rice starch, and silicon dioxide (for anticaking).
Might make for a fun summer lunch. Happy eating.
-- Lori Kozlowski
More Times coverage of Pinkberry and frozen yogurt:
Pinkberry settles yogurt suit
Suit filed by disgruntled customers contending that the popular frozen treat might not be yogurt
Pinkberry serves lawsuits to six frozen yogurt shops
Pinkberry passes test, but cold war goes on