Confetti Yogurt Pops

Mainely Dish: Confetti Yogurt Pops

July 25, 2022 Nutrition, Recipes, Spoonful

Looking for a tasty and refreshing snack, without the excess sugar? Try out our Confetti Yogurt Pops. These frozen treats are sweet, savory, and easy to make – the perfect trifecta for a snack on a hot summer day. This recipe is a great way to use in-season berries during the summer to avoid food waste. One of my own biggest faults is buying fruit, forgetting about it, then freezing it when it’s on its last leg, and then forgetting that I have fruit in the freezer. With this recipe, you’ll be excited to open up the freezer and have the ingredients to make this recipe. 

Yogurt Galore!

This recipe calls for low-fat vanilla yogurt, but you can always be creative and try different types of yogurts. Grocery stores carry a large variety of products, with yogurt being no exception. It can be confusing choosing which product is best for your health. Below is a list of popular types of yogurts, with descriptions to help you choose which type of yogurt would best fit your needs.

  • Traditional Yogurt

      • Traditional (and generally most) yogurt is made by heating up milk, adding a bacteria, and waiting for fermentation to occur (resulting in probiotics). Traditional yogurt is high in calcium, protein and contains probiotics, which help promote gut health.

  • French Yogurt

    • French yogurt is unique because it is created in small batches using whole milk. This technique increases the fat content, resulting in a richer product. Due to its high saturated fat content, french yogurt is best in moderation.

  • Lactose-Free Yogurt

      • Lactose-free yogurts are a great yogurt alternative for those who cannot properly digest lactose, a sugar found in dairy products. When looking for lactose-free products, the labels vary in design but should be located on the front of the product’s packaging. 

  •  Low “Added Sugar” Yogurt

      • Yogurts that advertise being low in added sugar, or “keto-friendly” generally contain less than 10 grams of sugar per serving. This may be an option for you if you are aiming to control your blood glucose levels. Adding mixed berries and the pretzel rod would increase the number of healthy carbohydrates you consume, adding more energy and fiber into your diet.

  • Greek Yogurt

      • Greek yogurt has gained popularity in the past decade due to its high protein content, containing about 15-20 grams of protein per serving. Greek yogurt can be made from a variety of milk, ranging from whole milk to nonfat milk. This would also be a great yogurt to use for the Confetti Yogurt Pops to stay more full for longer.

  • Yogurt Alternatives

    • Yogurt alternatives are available for individuals who prefer to avoid dairy products. Currently on the market, the most popular yogurt alternatives are soy yogurt, coconut milk yogurt, cashew yogurt, and almond yogurt. Of these options, soy yogurt has the highest protein content, containing 7 grams of protein per serving. 

 

Yogurt has many health benefits, including probiotics, protein, calcium, and vitamin D. Some yogurts can also contain an unnecessary amount of added sugars. Yogurts that have a “flip container”, or that contain candy that you can “add in” are higher in added sugar. For example, a single serving of one of these types of yogurt has 22 grams of added sugar. That’s almost 5% of daily calories (based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet) from added sugars; whereas the recommendation from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 states that we should aim to have less than 10% of our calorie intake from added sugars. The best way to check what nutrients are in products is by reading the Nutrition Facts Label. You can then compare the nutrients among products, and choose the items that best fit into your healthy lifestyle. Check out our Read the Label and Set a Healthy Table to help you read a Nutrition Facts Label. 

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By Kayla Parsons, MS, LD, Ph.D. Student in Food & Nutrition Sciences