What’s the Deal with Puffins?

Author: Tina | Posted: 02-02-2010 | Category: Score Surprises, Trade Ups, Uncategorized

Cereal-Puffins-Peanut-Butter_B19F9D7BI love Peanut Butter Puffins… like, a lot. When it comes to taste, they’re probably my favorite kind of cereal. So, when I discovered how low they score on the NuVal scale (24), I was a bit bummed. How could my beloved Peanut Butter Puffins score so low? I thought they were good for me!?!

I decided to ask Rachel Rodek, NuVal’s Nutrition Communications Manager and Registered Dietitian, what’s the deal with the low score for Peanut Butter Puffins.

Here’s what she said:

“Although you’d think that because a cereal is ‘all natural’ or ‘organic’ it would score high, but it turns out this isn’t the case.  It all comes down to what’s in it – and sometimes, what’s not in it.  Let’s measure Barbara’s Puffins against another all-natural yet higher scoring cereal for an even comparison.  Bear Naked All Natural Peanut Butter Granola scores a 45 – now, why is this higher than Barbara’s?  First, it has much less sodium (15mg) whereas Barbara’s has 230mg, bringing the score down like a lead weight.  Second, Bear Naked has more omega-3 fatty acids from canola oil, while Barbara’s primary fat source is peanut butter – no omega-3s to be found.  So while Barbara’s doesn’t really have any ‘bad’ ingredients in it, it simply doesn’t have many of the ‘good’ ingredients.”

While my Peanut Butter Puffins aren’t necessarily a “bad” cereal option, they’re definitely not the most nutritious one out there. I still enjoy Peanut Butter Puffins, but I recently traded-up with Uncle Sam’s Original High Fiber & Flaxseed Cereal (NuVal score: 59) and Kashi 7 Whole Grain Cereal Puffs (Nuval score: 90). As you can see, they’re much more nutritious!

NuVal Buzz

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Category: Score Surprises, Trade Ups, Uncategorized by Tina

51 Responses to “What’s the Deal with Puffins?”

  1. 1. Maria, on February 2nd, 2010 at 11:18 am Said:

    What are the cinnamon Puffins? Just curious. I love cereal, I try to make healthy choices, but I don’t eat cereal for breakfast, only dessert. So I am ok splurging a little. I do love Puffins:)

    ReplyReply
  2. 2. Sarah, on February 2nd, 2010 at 11:21 am Said:

    What about the honey rice (gluten free) variety? Thanks!

    ReplyReply
  3. 3. Tasha - The Clean Eating Mama, on February 2nd, 2010 at 11:27 am Said:

    I’m with Maria – I eat cereal for dessert =)

    ReplyReply
  4. 4. Tina, on February 2nd, 2010 at 11:42 am Said:

    @Maria: @Sarah: Cinnamon Puffins and Original Puffins both score a 29 due to more fiber. The Honey Rice variety scores a 25 because they have less fiber. Hope this helps!

    ReplyReply
  5. 5. Evan Thomas, on February 2nd, 2010 at 12:06 pm Said:

    I think as long as you throw puffins on top of something higher scoring, it all works out :-)

    ReplyReply
  6. 6. Lauren @ Eater not a runner, on February 2nd, 2010 at 12:07 pm Said:

    I think the cinnamon ones are better for you…

    ReplyReply
  7. 7. Lisa @ Early Morning Run, on February 2nd, 2010 at 12:47 pm Said:

    Thanks for this post – it’s important to point out that things that ’seem’ healthy, aren’t always healthy in the end.

    ReplyReply
  8. 8. Katie @ Health for the Whole Self, on February 2nd, 2010 at 1:54 pm Said:

    Thanks for this information! It’s a good reminder that a food’s health profile is as much about what’s NOT in it as it is about what IS. Too often we focus on which foods/ingredients we should avoid, rather than emphasizing which ones we should be getting more of.

    ReplyReply
  9. 9. Michal, on February 2nd, 2010 at 7:51 pm Said:

    Wow I never would have thought puffins would be that low!

    ReplyReply
  10. 10. GEORGE, on February 2nd, 2010 at 11:00 pm Said:

    I do like to snack on the PEANUT BUTTER PUFFINS. I guess i’ll try the BEAR NAKED ALL NATURAL.. :-}

    ReplyReply
  11. 11. Trading Up Downtown » Blog Archive » Guest Post: Adriane Trades Up, on May 4th, 2010 at 6:02 am Said:

    [...] at the chance. I debated back and forth about what type of “Trade Up” to do until I saw this post on Trading Up Downtown. Peanut Butter Puffins used to be my favorite cereal. In fact, back in the [...]

  12. 12. Trading Up Downtown » Blog Archive » Peanut Butter Lovers, on June 2nd, 2010 at 11:24 am Said:

    [...] of Peanut Butter Puffins (NuVal score: [...]

  13. 13. Trading Up Downtown » Blog Archive » My Top 10, on June 16th, 2010 at 10:57 am Said:

    [...] favorite kind of cereal is Peanut Butter Puffins, but they only score a 24 on the NuVal scale. Despite how delicious they taste, I knew that I could [...]

  14. 14. journey to a healthier me » Blog Archive » Glutton for Punishment, on August 21st, 2010 at 8:47 pm Said:

    [...] (source) [...]

  15. 15. Trading Up Downtown » Blog Archive » What’s Your Favorite Cereal?, on September 8th, 2010 at 6:22 am Said:

    [...] few months ago, I wrote a post about my favorite cereal: Peanut Butter Puffins. They’re delicious… and, oh, so addictive! I’d eat them day and night if I could. [...]

  16. 16. Trading Up Downtown » Blog Archive » Score Surprises: Cereal, on November 18th, 2010 at 5:28 am Said:

    [...] few months ago, I wrote a post about my favorite cereal: Peanut Butter Puffins. They’re delicious… and, oh, so addictive! I’d eat them day and night if I could. But, sadly, [...]

  17. 17. Goals for 2011 « Carrots 'N' Cake, on December 28th, 2010 at 10:29 am Said:

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