Speech Outline: Frozen Yogurt Frenzy

Introduction:  

After the Chem 110 exam, my friends and I experienced exhaustion and a desire to reward ourselves for the hours of studying we did in preparation.  We were a 5 minute walk from a bus stop, making the Creamery a viable option.  Then, one of my friends interjected, saying “I ate way too much junk food while studying, let’s get Kiwi froyo instead!”  Over the past several years, frozen yogurt shops have been popping up across the nation.  The trendy, modern facilities boast a sweet treat you can feel good about eating.  Let’s face it, eating yogurt sounds so much healthier than sitting down with a bowl of ice cream. However, the true facts of the matter undermine the commonplace that froyo is healthier than ice cream.  Once one considers the issues of portion sizes, unlimited toppings, and a false notion that the dessert is healthy, frozen yogurt begins shifting from a good thing to a misconception which it is our civic duty to correct.  

Body 1: History

Transition: While most people are well-aware of the growing frozen yogurt trend, they can rarely cite the origin of the phenomenon.

 

  • Debuted at “The Country’s Best Yogurtin 1981 (“Our Story”)
  • Exponential growth of sales in 1980s
  • An abundance of companies jumped in on the trend as well
  • In the 1990s, Americans strived for high-protein, high-fat diets and frozen yogurt sales decline
  • When John Wudel invented live probiotic powder-based mixes, the froyo trend emerged once again (“The Origins of Frozen Yogurt”)
  • In this decade, demand for frozen yogurt has reached an all-time high, with large chains and small businesses taking advantage of the trendy alternative to ice cream

Body 2: Commonplace

Transition: With the overwhelming abundance of frozen yogurt shops in existence today, many individuals who are trying to be health-conscious decide to try the trend out.  This isn’t surprising since the commonplace that frozen yogurt trumps ice cream as a healthier dessert alternative is accepted by the vast majority of Americans

  • Contains fiber, protein, calcium, and vitamin D (“Healthy Benefits”)
  • Under 120 calories (“Healthy Benefits”)
  • Low fat (“Healthy Benefits”)
  • Contains 7 types of live and active cultures (“Healthy Benefits”)
  • Why would anyone disagree?  Everyone indulges in the decadence without feeling the remorse associated with an ice cream binge
  • Modern atmosphere makes froyo places feel like a “health food” cafe

Body 3: Refutation

Transition: While some of these benefits may be 100% accurate, many important factors are being buried by the manufacturer.  As opposed to exposing the possible negative aspects of the treat, the shops hide the facts and disregard their civic duty to inform the consumers of what they are actually consuming.  

  • Self-serve nature leads to increased portion sizes
  • Many places remove and then re-add the probiotics, thus causing them to lose some of their health benefits (Orlov)
  • Myriad unhealthy toppings to choose from
  • Most people choose sprinkles, peanut butter cups, and gummy bears before looking at blueberries, strawberries, or chopped nuts
  • People think froyo is healthy, so they don’t exercise self-control
  • Sometimes, frozen yogurt can contain more sugar than ice cream (Orlov)

Conclusion:

After analyzing the positive and negative attributes of frozen yogurt, I do not strive to discourage anyone from indulging in the sweet treat.  I simply urge all to educate themselves briefly on the latest trends before simply becoming a follower.  It is our civic duty to understand what exactly we are engaging in, and weigh the pros and cons before making decisions.  Frozen yogurt prevails as a unique dessert which I highly recommend, but simply accepting the commonplace that it is healthier than ice cream creates an uneducated community.  While it’s good to moderate the consumption of any dessert, feel free to treat yourself to froyo in the near future, whether it be Kiwi or the cheaper option in Redifer!

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Works Cited

“Healthy Benefits.” The Country’s Best Yogurt, TCBY, 2017. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017.

“The Origins of Frozen Yogurt.” Frozen Yogurt Solutions, 8 June 2015. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017.

Orlov, Alex. “The Real Scoop.” CNN, 10 Aug. 2015. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017.

“Our Story.” The Country’s Best Yogurt, TCBY, 2017. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017.

1 Comment on Speech Outline: Frozen Yogurt Frenzy

  1. Ninad Mahajan
    September 21, 2017 at 8:05 pm (7 years ago)

    Kristin,

    I really like the personal touch you immediately add to your speech by talking about your Chem exam as an anecdote. I think choosing froyo for your artifact is an awesome idea and I think your speech is going to be really effective in clearing up misconceptions about the healthiness of the treat. I also really like the stance you take with ensuring that people educate themselves before falling for any mainstream or trendy fad. I personally feel that our generation can often fall into that trap and by citing scientific sources in your speech, you’ll be right at the forefront of educating all of us.

    I really look forward to hearing your speech!

    Ninad

    Reply

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