Did Someone Say Mango?

An Angora Ice, one very popular fruit is mango. We have two smoothies featuring mango, among others that include the fruit, and it is a very common frozen yogurt mix-in. Mango is typically popular because of the refreshing, sweet taste, but did you know that it also has many health benefits?

First, the fruit is high in Vitamin A, which helps protect eyesight and enhances night vision. Also, mangos help unclog pores, and in doing so, clear up acne. Mangos are high in fiber and Vitamin C, both of which help to lower the bad type of cholesterol. Additionally, the antioxidants in mango help protect against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers.

Moreover, mango helps diabetes because it helps maintain insulin levels. Lastly, the high amounts of Vitamin C and A help boost the immune system.

Next time you come into Angora Ice looking for a healthy option, check out the Takes Two to Mango or Mango in the Morning smoothies, or mix it in with your froyo. Mango goes great with lots of things--try green tea, pineapple or dark chocolate!

Who Says You Can't Have It All?

Quite often we face the predicament: smoothie or frozen yogurt? At Angora Ice, you can have it all. We have the best of both worlds with our dessert smoothies. One of our most popular dessert smoothies is the Oreo Cookie Monster.

This delicious smoothie starts with a vanilla frozen yogurt base. Then, bananas and real Oreo cookies are added. To top it off, we add milk and chocolate syrup.

The dessert smoothie is an excellent option when you're looking for something great to eat. Keep in mind we can also do everything in soy!

The Healthy Choice: Dark Chocolate

When you come to Angora Ice, it can be very tempting to get something sweet. Instead of candies and sugary pastries, why don't you try some dark chocolate in your frozen yogurt? Surprisingly, researchers keep finding more and more health benefits to dark chocolate.

First, the flavonoids in the chocolate promote healthy circulation and helps prevent against Type 2 Diabetes. Also, small amounts of dark chocolate can help lower pressure. It is also high in vitamins and minerals, like potassium, copper, magnesium and iron. Additionally, dark chocolate contains theobromine, which hardens tooth enamel and prevents tooth cavities. Lastly, dark chocolate is high in antioxidants.

Besides being healthy, dark chocolate mixes well with other healthy things! Try it with a fruit like strawberries or bananas--or both! So next time you come into Angora Ice and are craving something sweet, add dark chocolate instead.

Peanut Butter and...

Peanut butter classically is combined with jelly. However, at Angora Ice, there are many ways to indulge in this great treat. The spread has many great vitamins and other healthy benefits as well.

First, let's try and take a look at some healthy ways peanut butter can get involved. Some great combinations for frozen yogurts are peanut butter plus Cracklin Oatbran, granola or honey grahams. Trying to re-create that classic PB&J? Try peanut butter plus strawberries, raspberries or blueberries.

On the less healthy side, peanut butter also mixes great with chocolate! Go Parent Trap style and try peanut butter and Oreos! We can also mix in nutella, fudge brownie or chocolate chips for a crunch.

If you're trying to get really crazy, combine more than two flavors. How about peanut butter plus strawberries and granolla? Or PB plus cheesecake and honey grahams!

The options are endless when it comes to peanut butter, so come by and see what you can do.

Pass the Flax!

One thing that you can add into any smoothie or frozen yogurt to make it even healthier is flax seeds. Flax seeds are one of those underrated foods that can actually do miracles for your health. Let's take a look at the great things this little seed can do.

First, one tablespoon of flax contains 37 calories and 1.9 grams of fiber. Flax seeds can help lower cholesterol levels and prevents blood platelets from becoming sticky; hence, it helps prevent heart attacks. The supplement is also high in ALA, or Alpha Lipoic Acid, which is a fatty acid that converts sugars into energy. It is also an antioxidant and helps brain functioning. So the high ALA content in flax seeds is great for your health!

With a high antioxidant content, flax seeds also aid in cancer prevention. Lastly, flax is a great source of fiber.

Next time you're looking for an added nutritional bonus, try adding flax seeds to your dish!

Sprinkle Me Not

Sprinkles, jimmies, nonpareils, candy confetti -- no matter what you call them, they are one of the most popular frozen yogurt toppings. At Angora Ice, we have rainbow and chocolate "sprinkles" to either be mixed in or put on top of your frozen yogurt. But when you walk in, how do you order them, and why are there so many names for them?

Nonpareils, the proper name for sprinkles, date back to France in the mid to late 1800's. Chocolate sprinkles were first invented by the Dutch in the early 1900's.

In Massachusetts, one of the more popular terms for sprinkles is jimmies. Although there are many rumors for the origin of this term, the most popular one referring to the Jim Crow laws, nothing is confirmed.

So when you go up to the counter at Angora Ice, how do you order this colorful or chocolate sweet treat on your frozen yogurt?

Go Bananas!

Almost all of our delicious smoothies include bananas. Aside from being a tasty fruit, this food has some great nutritional benefits!

Most people know that when you have a charlie horse or exercise a lot, you're supposed to eat bananas. This is because of their high potassium content. One banana has 467 mg of potassium! Because of the high potassium, bananas help keep hearts healthy by fighting high blood pressure and strokes.

Furthermore, bananas are also good for energy and mood balancing because their vitamins and minerals and because they have norepinephrine, serotonin and tryptophan, which all guard against depression. Additionally, bananas help suppress acids in the digestive track, helping you digest. They also help the body absorb potassium.

So next time you get a smoothie at Angora Ice, make sure not to overlook the bananas! Or even try some in your frozen yogurt!

How Very Berry of You

This week, we'd like to take a better look into one of the most popular items on our menu: the Very Berry smoothie.

The smoothie has a raspberry sorbet base with strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, and orange juice to finish it off. The combination creates a citrusy sweet flavor.

Berries are a powerful healthy food. Whether frozen or fresh, they hold their nutrients. Besides being filling, they also help you lose weight. This is because they are high in fiber and water, so they make you feel full faster and help you digest. Also, women who have a consistent amount of berries in their diet experience a smaller mental decline with age. Additionally, berries are still being researched, but there is proof that they can prevent and Parkinson's Disease and boost heart health. Lastly, berries can help prevent cancer as well.

So next time you come into Angora, try a Very Berry smoothie. You don't know what you're missing--for your tastebuds and your health.

Kale - You Don't Know What You're Missing

Angora Ice has some great healthy options. An on-menu item is the Kale Fusion, but kale can be added to any smoothie of your choice. Notably, kale is one of the best things that you could consume for your health.

Typically, kale has a bit of a negative reputation. People think it might taste bitter or grassy, but it actually has a light, crisp and refreshing taste. The vegetable is a leafy green that comes in a few varieties. When mixed into a smoothie with other fruits and veggies, kale is typically masked by the other flavors.

Kale is low in calories and high in everything good for you. This includes calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C and an immense amount of vitamin K. It also contains antioxidants that help prevent cancer and promote eye health. Furthermore, kale is high in fiber and also helps to lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce heart disease.

One other fun fact about kale is that it is one of the few vegetables that thrives in the winter time. Get your taste buds used to the flavor now with an Angora smoothie so that come winter when the veggies aren't fresh, you can dig into some kale!

Sorbet Please!

When you think of Angora Ice, I’m sure you’re main focus is either frozen yogurt or smoothies. However, we also have great sorbet. Our sorbets come in two flavors: lemon and raspberry.

Sorbet is very refreshing, especially in this summer heat, and it has some wonderful health benefits. For example, it is naturally fat free—there are not additives or processes that get rid of the fat in sorbet. Also, you get the benefits of eating fresh fruit, like vitamins and minerals.

Who thought a cold, sweet treat could be healthy for you? Next time you stop in Angora Ice, mix things up and check out one of our sorbet flavors!

How About a Little Protein with That Shake?

In the hot summer months, a heavy meal doesn’t always sound too appetizing, so many replace breakfast or lunch with a refreshing smoothie. But a smoothie is missing one thing: protein. At Angora Ice, you have the option to add protein powder to your smoothie.

The single Protein Powder Nutri-Pak offers 26 grams of whey protein, 6.3 grams of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAS), and 1.6 grams of L-Glutamine.

There are many health benefits to a protein-enhanced smoothie, especially after a workout. The powder can help to increase the endurance of an athlete in the long run and can help to repair muscle damage. Whey protein particularly can help you lose fat, preserve muscles, increase strength and reduce hunger.

So next time you’re in the mood for a smoothie, but don’t know what you should do for lunch, come by for a protein infused treat. Also, don’t forget to swing by after your workout at the SportsClub/LA to reward your workout!

Chunky Monkey - Angora Style

You might have heard of one sort of Chunky Monkey or another, but have you tried Angora-style Chunky Monkey? Many people think of Angora as a place to create your own frozen yogurts, which we love to do, but most do not realize that there are also frozen yogurt blends on our menu. One of these includes Chunky Monkey.

The pint size froyo is a chocolate base with banana, Butterfinger and peanut butter, It’s a perfect treat for the chocolate-peanut butter lover!

Next time you step into Angora and want to try something new, don’t get too overwhelmed by our large amount of mix-ins. Remember, we have some suggestions for froyo blends, and Chunky Monkey is a great one!

Lactose Free, No Problem!

As a race, humans are slightly indulgent. For example, all lactose items are not supposed to be consumed after a certain young age because we lack the enzyme to break it down and the nutrients are no longer as important. However, we love cheese and milk and ice cream.

For all of you who are lactose intolerant, we offer a solution: soy-based yogurt! The vanilla flavored yogurt is a great alternative that allows anyone the ability to still consumer frozen yogurt. Also, there are many benefits to using a soy base, rather than a normal vanilla one.

Soy naturally has protein, so when you want that ice cream for dinner, you don’t have to feel as guilty because you will be getting protein! Moreover, soy can help reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers.

In addition to soy yogurt, we also offer soy and almond milk as alternatives for smoothies. If you’re lactose-free and craving that sweet ice cream, stop by and try out our soy base!

Did Someone Say Cheesecake?

We know that the many options of mix-ins at Angora Ice can be overwhelming. If you’ve never tried cheesecake as a mix-in, you are seriously missing out. Whether a chocolate or vanilla base, cheesecake makes for a creamier, sweet frozen yogurt treat.

The other beauty of this particular mix-in is that it goes with nearly everything. Are you a fan of strawberry cheesecake? How about strawberry and cheesecake frozen yogurt. Oreo cheesecake? No problem. I think you get the idea.

It might not be the healthiest treat for your non-fat frozen yogurt, but keep in mind: at least the froyo is non-fat! Treat yourself to a cheesecake frozen yogurt, and if it makes you feel a bit better, you can always request a sugar-free base!