Another Food FYI Post: Cultures in Frozen Yogurt

Did you know that many frozen yogurts have the same live active cultures that are in regular yogurt? According to the National Yogurt Association (NYA) “The freezing process does not kill any significant amount of the cultures—in fact, during the freezing process the cultures go into a dormant state, but when eaten and returned to a warm temperature within the body, they again become active and are capable of providing all the benefits of cultures in a refrigerated yogurt product”. Check out their interesting set of FAQs on the Association’s webpage.

As mentioned in another yogurt post on my blog “live active cultures” such as Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, are living organisms which change pasteurized milk to yogurt during fermentation. In addition, some yogurts contain Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidus cultures as well. These live active cultures are a hot topic in health research and show promising results in helping digestive function, boosting immunity, preventing osteoporosis and fighting cancer. However the NYA does warn that not all frozen yogurts are created equal, and states “To make sure that a frozen yogurt contains yogurt produced by traditional fermentation and has a significant amount of live and active cultures, look for the NYA Live & Active Cultures seal.” Luckily, many popular frozen yogurts chains such as Pinkberry do indeed carry the seal. So dig into a small cup with a healthy topping like fruit this summer and enjoy!