When it comes to the battle of frozen yogurt vs ice cream, the clear winner in terms of consumption is ice cream. What isn't clear is why this is the case. Fro-yo, as people who love this tasty treat affectionately call it is clearly the healthier choice of the two. It has health benefits that ice cream doesn't, and doesn't contain anywhere near the level of fat. It also is a lot easier for those who are lactose intolerant to tolerate. This may be why it's been gaining ground in recent years and has become a popular treat for those in the know.

Yogurt is made by adding live bacteria cultures to milk, then letting it ferment. The good live bacteria that are added release lactic acid while they ferment, thickening the milk and protecting it against harmful bacteria. Even when frozen, the live bacteria remain and enter the eater's digestive tract. While most people are a little concerned when they find out they've been eating live bacteria, rest assured that these are actually good for you. These bacteria and enzymes aid with digestion and help those who can't normally handle milk products digest this product.

While frozen yogurt is often touted as being a healthy choice, that's only partially true. In comparison to ice cream, it's much healthier, but when you compare it to regular yogurt, it's less healthy. It has elevated levels of sugar and approximately a third of the protein. This makes fro-yo a healthy alternative to ice cream, but not as good of an option as a cup of the regular stuff.

The area where frozen yogurt is a clear winner is in the fat content department. This is important to anyone who's trying to watch their weight because the calories from fat are the worst ones to be taking in. It has less than 1 percent fat content by volume while ice cream typically has 10 to 15% fat by volume. The difference is the presence of milk fat. Fro-yo only uses enough to give it a creamy consistency, while its less healthy cousin uses it and milk solids in large amounts. This makes the clear winner obvious for those wishing to choose the healthier option for dessert.

The biggest selling point of ice cream over frozen yogurt over the course of the past 20 years has been taste. When fro-yo was first thought up, it had a tangy taste to it and wasn't as sweet as it is now. This gave it a bad rap that has followed it for the past 20 years, even though that's no longer the case. You can still find restaurants that sell the tangy stuff because it has a loyal fan base, but it can also be made so that it is practically indistinguishable from ice cream. One thing's for sure; if you give it to your family, chances are they won't be able to tell the difference. Substituting it is the healthy choice, and it is one you should make sooner rather than later.