Frozen yogurt is a dessert that is very similar to ice cream, but instead of being made with cream it's made with yogurt. Frozen Yogurt started on the scene in the 1970's, but was dismissed because of it's tart flavor. It tasted just like yogurt was the main complaint people had. In the 1980's they sweetened it up and the health conscience generation picked it up and never looked back. Ironically, some of the most popular frozen yogurt franchises today have reverted back to the tart taste.

Frozen Yogurt vs. Yogurt: Taste wise, I would take frozen yogurt hands down. But if we're talking about nutrition, standard yogurt has a distinct advantage over frozen yogurt. Frozen yogurt is generally lower in calcium and protein than yogurt found in the dairy case. The calcium content of regular yogurt is actually around twice that of the general frozen variety. Both forms of yogurt can be quite high in carbohydrates since companies use sugar to add "taste". If you're really concerned about the sugar content, you can look for frozen yogurt franchises or brands of frozen yogurt that don't have added sugar or are equipped with artifical sweeteners.

Frozen Yogurt vs. Ice Cream: This is as popular of as debates get, rivaling even that of Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James. It's probably best to look at frozen yogurt as an inbetween of real yogurt and ice cream, pertaining to health value. Frozen yogurt contains a healthy amount of protein, but it can dip as low as one-third of the level compared to regular yogurt. Sometimes it's equivalent to that of ice cream. While ice cream is quite high in fat, frozen yogurt varies more widely. It typically has less fat than a comparable ice cream, but higher amounts of fat and substantially more calories than a comparable regular yogurt. Fat free frozen yogurts exist, but they often have even more added sugar than other varieties to add taste that some people need.

Another additional health benefit of frozen yogurt over ice cream is that the lactose found in frozen yogurt appears to be more digestible than that of ice cream. This is especially helpful to those that are lactose intolerant.

The last big difference between ice cream and frozen yogurt is with live active cultures (probiotics). Probiotics are dietary supplements of live bacteria or yeasts thought to be healthy for the host organism. Probiotics have been shown to help with the following:

• Managing lactose intolerance
• Prevention of colon cancer
• Lowering cholesterol
• Lowering blood pressure
• Improving immune function and preventing infections
• Helicobacter pylori
• Antibiotic-associated diarrhea
• Reducing inflammation
• Improving mineral absorption
• Prevents harmful bacterial growth under stress
• Irritable bowel syndrome and colitis

In summary of these comparisons, frozen yogurt is not as healthy as a standard yogurt in terms of protein and calcium content. However, it does have some obvious advantages over ice cream. These include greater digestibility and the presence of probiotic cultures in some brands. In terms of fat and sugar content, you should read the nutrional facts before buying.

Another reason frozen yogurt is so popular these days is that it's easy to make at home in a variety fo flavors. Here are easy to follow directions to making frozen strawberry yogurt without a machine:

• Put 1 cup of water, 2 cups of plain yogurt and 1 cup of frozen strawberries into your blender. Blend thoroughly on the highest setting. You may need to stop, unplug the blender and stir the ingredients to free the blades occasionally if the batch freezes up.
• Add 2 cups plain yogurt, 1 cup frozen strawberries and 1 cup of strawberry syrup to the blender. Blend thoroughly on the highest setting. Again, stop, unplug the blender and stir the ingredients to free the blades if the batch freezes up.
• Add more water to thin out the mix. When you have achieved a good blend slowly add a few pieces of ice at a time until the blender is full and you have reached the desired consistency.
• Serve your frozen yogurt straight from the blender, or put it into an airtight container and store it in the freezer

There are dozens of ways to do it, but that's the easiest one I could find. It may pay off to buy some sort of ice cream making machine, and then find a comparable recipe for frozen yogurt.

Frozen yogurt franchises have been gaining in popularity since the 1980's. Today it's hard to not see one while driving down a street. The most popular ones of today include:

• TCBY
• Red Mango
• Pinkberry
• Golden Spoon
• and many, many more...

If frozen yogurt is something you have a passion for, and you're interested in making money, then it might be beneficial to start your own store. Many frozen yogurt franchises offer support and information on franchising your own store. It might not be a bad idea with the frozen yogurt train showing no signs of slowing down.