Buy Walking VideosPinkberry: Healthy Dessert?
The buzz around the foodie circles is a new dessert that is supposed to be healthy. It’s called Pinkberry and it’s a frozen yogurt.
Yeah, frozen yogurt. Remember that? It was a fad in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Well, it’s back.
Pinkberry is supposed to be different because it tastes less like ice cream and more like yogurt. And, it’s “healthy.”
When you look at the nutrition facts, it does look really healthy. No fat, only 25 calories, but when you look at the serving size, it’s for 1 oz. You have to go to the menu page to find out how many ounces are served. The photo above is an 8 oz. serving, so your “healthy” dessert just jumped up to 200 calories. That doesn’t even count the fruit added. I give them props about the fruit because they serve only fresh, unsweetened fruit, so that IS healthier than most frozen yogurt shops.
When I checked the nutrition facts for Golden Spoon, however, their 8 oz. serving of fat-free yogurt is 136 calories. The nutrition facts for TCBY’s non-fat frozen yogurt is a little more at 220 calories. What Pinkberry is doing isn’t amazingly low in calories. It’s very similar to the frozen yogurt of years past.
The difference is supposed to be the taste. Kristen at Accidental Hedonist went to Pinkberry with some of her friends and described it here:
We all tried to describe what, exactly, the yogurt tastes like. Eun-Duk thought it tasted like Japanese yogurt drinks while I thought of something similar: yogurt-flavored Hi-Chew candy. For lack of a better adjective, it’s very yogurty. It’s much like a slightly sweet, frozen, Greek yogurt, creamy without being fatty, with a very lactic, almost sour, tang. The fruit is extremely fresh, never frozen, and unsweetened.
My second thought: Did I seriously just pay six bucks for this?
In the end, I would rather have a half-cup of REAL ice cream than a full cup of frozen yogurt. With real ice cream, I feel like I am splurging for the same 200 calories. When it comes to dessert, it’s not about hunger or quantity for me. It’s about indulgence.
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April 25th, 2007 at 6:31 am
Laura,
There’s a place that’s local to me, in Tampa, that serves a product called “Only 8”. The name comes from the fact that there’s 8 calories per ounce. It appeals to me, because I also happen to be lactose intollerant (even to frozen yogurts).
“Enjoy nonfat frozen yogurt or a dish of “Only 8″, a non-fat, sugar-free no-cholesterol yogurt. It is generally regarded as medically acceptable for most hypoglycemics, diabetics and lactose intolerants.”
It’s the best “fake” ice cream I’ve ever had, but one editorial note: eat it right away. It isn’t as goodonce melted or frozen.
Here’s a link to my local place, but the product has it’s own web site out there somewhere too.
http://www.britans.com/yogurt.htm
~ Ernie
April 25th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
It’s a dairy product. It’s not good for humans consume (in terms of sustained health and longevity), no matter how “healthy” or “tasty” anyone claims it to be. It’s still a man-made dairy product. Yech. I say throw the diet “foods” out the window and just eat naturally healthy foods. 😉
Ernie, that place is right across the street from where I work 🙂
April 25th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
I like dairy but the 25 caloeries per ounce does seem like a trick.
Ernie wow I say I wish I had an only 8 around here
April 26th, 2007 at 4:52 am
Jim,
It’s right down the street from where I live. Small world.
I know it’s a man-made “dairy” product, but for a guy who is lactose intollerant and watches his calories it’s not a bad deal. Plus, it comes in all kinds of wacky flavors!
April 27th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
who cares? I’d eat it by the gallon were it cheaper~
April 27th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
Justin, I completely agree. Screw the cost. I’ll whore myself for Pinkberry.
April 30th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
Fat people think they’ll get thin by eating pinkberry. They replace ice-cream with yogert and say they’re being proactive and healthy. But frozen yogert doesnt make you any less fat. In fact the problem is not the food but the person. People are fat often because they eat too much. If you want to be thin then eat less. No one’s solving any problems by replacing ice-cream with pinkberry. Yet some people are delusional enough to claim that their allegence to pinkberry has nothing to do with their latent craving for ice-cream. This is just bullshit. No one likes frozen yogert over ice-cream. If you claim to then youre a liar. Get real, stop eating so much, and stop deluding yourselves.
April 30th, 2007 at 8:11 pm
If you had read the review of Pinkberry that I linked to, the author says that it tastes very different than normal frozen yogurt and ice cream. It has a different flavor, so if someone claims to like it more than ice cream, that actually could be true.
May 5th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
Guess what folks its NOT yogurt. The FDA told them to remove the word yogurt from their menu and pacakaging!
May 8th, 2007 at 5:59 am
Well, anonymous poster posing as the FDA,
Here is an update to that question:
Starling Fitness » Is Pinkberry Really Frozen Yogurt?
May 16th, 2007 at 2:11 am
I don’t like Pinkberry as it tastes like frozen sour cream,,,,high priced and its a formula from Korea…to high priced… make the owner worth a millionare..
June 25th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
why dont ppl just leave them alone? its not yogurt, so what? ppl like it and it tastes good thats why they get,
it its not like ppl are getting sick and dying from eating that stuff. ive never had it but and the guy thats sueing the company is an ass.
oh yeah i think ppl are getting retarded about this stuff bcuz ”holy crap! it doesnt have enough cultures in it were all gonna die!”
and i think we should be happy for the owner because he’s making money.
and the reason why they wont tell thier recipe is probably because so other ppl cant copy their idea
July 15th, 2007 at 8:40 pm
Pinkberry or PinkScary
It’s Candy in a cup…
According to the nutritional information on the Pinkberry website.
One 13-ounce large size has 65 grams of sugar. That’s 16 teaspoons of sugar and 300 calories in just the yogurt.
One 8-ounce medium size has 40 grams of sugar, which equals 10 teaspoons of sugar for 200 calories.
The sugary toppings like white chocolate add even more sugar and fat.
Pinkberry has refused to release the ingredients in their yogurt. Why, if it’s just yogurt?
They advertise their desert as a healthy snack but hide the truth. It’s loaded with sugar and hidden ingredients.
December 28th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
Pretentious store, horrible food, ridiculous prices.
December 28th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Tastes disgusting, like sour milk. But, at least it’ expensive!
March 8th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
I like Pinkberry, it’s one of the few frozen products I do like. And it’s not like this is some new product, it’s been a flavor in Asia for a long time. I went to the site and looked up the nutritional information, it’s 70 calories per serving, with a small cup being about 1.4 servings. That’s 98 calories, it’s not exactly going to break your diet. It’s like putting a layer of mayo or some cheese on your sandwich.
June 1st, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Good point, Pf. Someone’s inaccurate, either Pinkberry or this blog I’ve never seen before. Considering this page comes up second after Pinkberry itself when I Googled “Pinkberry nutritional information,” the owner of this blog should be responsible and update the entry to provide accurate information.
While it’s true that food companies play loose-and-fast with portion sizes to make their products seem less unhealthy, it’s kind of absurd to think any ice-cream or frozen-yogurt maker would consider 1 ounce an actual serving size! Why not just link to the actual Pinkberry site and let people decide for themselves? http://www.pinkberry.com/html/about_3.php
12g of sugar per 1/2-cup is considerably less than in regular ice-cream, making Pinkberry a legitimate choice for dieters (those who can afford it anyway!).
June 1st, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Paul,
If you notice, that nutrition facts that I listed was from Pinkberry’s website. Back in April of 2007, that is how they listed their nutrition facts in order to make their dessert seem more healthy.
If they were willing to try to deceive you back then, do they really deserve your business now that they’ve “come clean”?
Laura
June 4th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Oh come on, they’ve “come clean”, like they were hiding a deadly secret about its lead content. Look if you like the taste, it’s far and away a thousand times better than any of those “100 calorie” snack packs. If you’re on a diet, get the small size, load it up with berries for antioxidant benefits and enjoy eating again.
June 15th, 2008 at 9:39 am
I thought this stuff was less fattening, but turns out i was wrong. Having it several times a week, I went from 122 pounds to 129! ICK!
I had no idea how I was gaining weight until I went online and saw my medium pinkberry has 6 teaspoons of sugar per serving! Yikes!
Can’t eat it anymore, even though I love it!
June 21st, 2008 at 2:24 am
Pinkberry,, taken from Red Mango in Korea.. the chick and the bouncer ,, who opened their first store in West hollywood got lucky.. a Hit.. and all the suckers that loved the sugar lowered yogurt paid and paid highly.. making them rich… and now the competitors are on the take,, same product ,, lower prices and closing in on the cash,, soon pinkberry or crackberry as they are called ,will go by the boards like penguins icecream ,, you ho ho.. make a buck and leave the scene,, I’ve got mine ,, laughing all the way to the bank and you fools paid a high price for sour cream tasting yogurt,, a sucker is born everyday,,
July 13th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
I personally love Pinkberry its way better then any other regular ice cream.
August 20th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Actually, if you go to their website, you will see that your information is outdated:
http://www.pinkberry.com/html/product_6b.php
August 21st, 2008 at 6:46 am
Laura,
If you look at the nutrition facts on their website, they are STILL a little deceptive.
They have the serving size as 1/2 cup now, but NONE of the sizes that they sell are 1/2 cup.
The small is 1.4 “servings.”
The medium is 2.2 “servings.”
The large is 3.6 “servings.”
How many people do you know can multiply by 3.6 in their head?
Let’s do the math, shall we?
The small is 70 calories.
The medium is 110 calories.
The large is 180 calories.
All of that WITHOUT any fruit or other mix-ins.
It tastes good, but you’re fooling yourself if you think that it’s lower calorie than any other frozen treat.
August 23rd, 2008 at 7:33 am
uh, that IS lower calorie than your average frozen treat. 8 oz. of ice cream is approximately 400-500 calories.
no one except people who think healthy food means “eat all you want” food should be fooled here.
idiots.
November 8th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
I think a few people here could really benefit from researching a bit more into the calorie count of some of the foods they enjoy on a daily basis. It might make it a bit easier to truly appreciate the fact that a small order of Pinkberry frozen yogurt has only 125 calories. Half of the new craze “designer” protein bars and cereal bars have anywhere from 180 calories to 260+ calories per bar, and taste like cardboard, syrup and saw dust. 🙂
If you’re trying to cut back on sweets and watch your fat/calorie intake, it’s a great way to do so. By the way, almost half of the “sugars” you’ll find in pinkberry (or any yogurt, for that matter) are simply natural sugars that are contained in the milk that’s used to make the raw yogurt, and not your wholesale, white, processed cane sugar that’s far worse for the body.
The toppings? Well, that’s all on you… 🙂 But if you stay reasonable and pick the right one’s, your desert could very well have less calories than the “healthy” salad you had for lunch. It’s creamy, tart, light and full of flavor. It’s not for everyone (hence the “rotten milk” and “sour cream” flavor comments, etc.), but it’s definitely something worth trying if you haven’t. I grew up on conventional ice cream, but I have to admit, this flavor is so new that I’d probably rather have it even if it wasn’t so damn healthy. It doesn’t weigh you down like fatty creams and heavy sugars do…
PS. I encourage all of you to visit http://www.calorie-count.com before you decide to take the “healthy” route and order a salad next time you’re at your favorite restaurant. It’s not uncommon for salads to have upwards of 800-1300 calories at most major chain restaurants…
December 27th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
I tried Pinkberry for the first time today and loved it! Keep in mind that I DO NOT like ice cream, nor most other sweets – tasty to me is a cigar and good scotch, so the sourish Pinkberry flavor was delicious to me, plain with no toppings. Yum!
January 26th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Pinkberry may not be an every-time replacement for ice cream, but it is Refreshing! The tangy flavor really complements the toppings and it doesn’t have that chemical, fake, bland taste of every other frozen yogurt that I’ve ever tried. In fact, some of those other froyo’s that are especially cheap in calories don’t even feel Cold – blech.
Pinkberry’s a fine lower cal alternative to fattening ice creams and other brands of icky frozen yogurts.
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:03 pm
You’re also forgetting all of the fat, cholesterol, and sugar that ice cream has that yogurt does not.
April 12th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
But it’s so yummy… i add a double serving of mochi, too.. jus that makes my medium pomegranate about 250 calories… or more? T.T
April 28th, 2009 at 8:35 am
2 . You spell so bad ! ( at least I have an excuse if I make mistakes , I actually learn english )
But still , think of the amount of fresh fruit you could eat instead ; ) And I don’t care about the price
July 28th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Its great im eating it right now:)
It may not be as healthy as what people think, but oh well! let your body divulge once in a whilee!
January 24th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
Jo. S, I must say it would likely be in your best interest if you reviewed your OWN grammar skills before hypocritically homogenizing “American attitudes” about people who eat “different ice creams.” Honestly, its pretty hilarious that you are so comfortable condescendingly criticizing one’s spelling ability when your critique was grammatically HORRIFIC! hahaha “you spell so bad”- horrible grammar. In fact, it makes you sound like a five-year old child; either that, or Sarah Palin.. “your spelling is very bad” or “you spell so badLY!” …Also I don’t think you can accuse someone of honestly maintaining that EVERYONE who eats ANYTHING other than “typical american” (not sure what that is) or Italian ice cream (not an “American tradition or culture trait….) FAT AND STUPID. Everyone knows that is a blatant fallacy, so if someone actually said that noone would even need to correct them because that “ideology” is so blatantly a fallacy…The point is, fat people indulge in copious amounts of calories every day. It doesn’t matter WHAT TYPE of food they are eating necessarily, but about HOW MANY CALORIES they are eating compared to HOW MANY CALORIES THEY ARE EXCRETING and BURNING on a daily basis. FAT people have stretched their stomachs bigger and bigger by overeating for long periods of time and over indulge on a daily basis. Frozen Yogurt doesnt make you fat 8,000 frozen yogurts a day on top of all the oreos you had earlier just might add some extra cushion to your booty….
March 25th, 2010 at 11:25 pm
For those who are bashing, you guys are so pathetic. Stop blaming the things you eat. You are the one that put them in your mouth, it didn’t just fly in there. You know deep down what’s bad and what’s good for you. Most good tasting food will make you gain weight, so eat it in moderation. I feel like I’m reading a bunch of fast food eater bashing the fast food place they eat at. “Oh my god, McDonald made me so fat, I’m going to sue them!” “Pinkberry made me gained 2lbs because my dumb butt at it every single day”.. like seriously? Do more then finger exercise and maybe you wouldn’t be double digit or have to go through a double door just to get through.
June 22nd, 2010 at 3:09 pm
@ CarrieUnderwoodforPresident: Jo. S indicated that (s)he is learning English, meaning (s)he is not a native speaker.
Additionally, many people who are fat DON’T eat the way you imply that they do–there are plenty of people who have other health issues that result in weight problems, and genetics play a huge role. For example, I eat whatever the hell I want, and yet because of my genetics I’ll never have to worry about being fat–the most I’ve weighed in my life was 126 lbs, which was when I was eating 4 all-you-can-eat meals EVERY DAY, which usually included a corn dog, a grilled cheese, a salad, fruit and cottage cheese, some type of pasta dish, a bowl of cereal, a glass of milk, and a glass of juice (and sometimes pizza).
Lifestyle does play a big role in your weight, but genetics are an important factor that many people discount.
August 27th, 2011 at 12:35 am
I knew theres sumtin fishy goin on with pinkberry, i got so addicted to original frozen yogurt, after two weeks i noticed my arms got bigger…i weight 115 for the past 10 yrs n male 32yr old, i dunno how much i gained but…im not eating this anymore, it does taste like sour cream or mayonnaise, now i wanna throw up!! just ate a large ugh!
October 25th, 2014 at 12:14 am
I Started to be addicted to pink berry and I realised that I gained weight dramatically STOP EATING THIS CRAB Something is fishhhy in the ingredients
Liars