When I first discovered that NuVal had been introduced into Price Chopper supermarkets, I had to see what the scoring system was all about. I shop at Price Chopper all the time, and I like to think I’m well-informed when it comes to buying groceries. I spend a lot of time in the produce section; I always choose whole grain breads and brown rice and low-fat dairy products. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if NuVal was going to help me that much, but I definitely wanted to check it out. So while I did my weekly shopping, I poked around the aisles and snapped photos.
For many of us healthy eaters, fruits and veggies are a given. But when we don’t have time to carefully read food labels or are simply uniformed about nutritional values, NuVal steps in as a guide to help you eat better. I was surprised to find that a 20-point box of Pepperidge Farm Soft Baked cookies scored significantly higher than a box of Wheatables Hearty Multigrain crackers worth only 4 points. I was pretty bummed to find that the NuVal scores weren’t on the displays at the end of the aisles
Cereal was a surprisingly low scorer. I expected low scores from Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Honey Bunches of Oats, but who would think so-called “healthier” cereals like Grape Nuts and Cascadian Farms Maple Granola would have similarly poor NuVal scores? It just goes to show you – oatmeal is truly a breakfast superfood!
I was so happy to find that my healthy standbys all scored well: peanut butter, yogurt, frozen fruits, almond milk, and turkey, to name a few.
Instead of advertising certain products, NuVal simply displays the points and gives you the knowledge to make better nutritional choices. When I was in the bread aisle I saw an older man holding two loaves of bread in his hands. He smiled at me and said, “I know whole wheat is good, but I never know which brand to buy, you know?” I pointed out the NuVal score underneath the label. Problem solved! He picked his loaf of bread and went on his way!
Many of us healthy eaters already know the basics of good eating, NuVal definitely helps to fill in the nutritional blanks. The system is useful makes it simple to do everyday grocery shopping or just “healthify” your favorite recipe. Come on over to my blog, Notes On A Page, and see how I used my new-found knowledge – with dessert, of course! You’ll find a recipe for Fully Loaded Fruit Crisp and step-by-step instructions on how to make this easy and fruit-packed dessert.
Developed by an independent panel of nutrition and medical experts, the 
That was fun to read about NuVal in action!
[...] If you read Carrots N Cake you may be familiar with Tina’s other blog, Trading Up Downtown. Tina works for NuVal, a nutritional values system that is being implemented in supermarkets, including my beloved Price Chopper. I wrote a post for Trading Up Downtown on my own experiences with NuVal. [...]
you have a wonderful site!