The other day, I received an email from a reader asking why her reduced-fat peanut butter scored lower than the regular version. She said she thought she was doing something healthy because she chose the reduced-fat option, so she didn’t understand why it received a lower NuVal score. Thanks to NuVal, you can read through those “reduced fat,” “low-fat,” and “no fat” labels to see what’s the most nutritious option for you.
Ok, let’s talk peanut butter.
The average reduced-fat version of peanut butter has 12 grams of fat per 2 tablespoons (versus 16 for the regular stuff), but it also contains more sugar and sodium– and only 10 fewer calories. Surprised? According to the NuVal scale, most full fat peanut butters score higher than the reduced-fat kind. Check out these scores:
Regular peanut butter:
- KREMA PEANUT BUTTER NATURAL SMOOTH & CREAMY: 51
- BRAD’S ORGANIC SMOOTH PEANUT BUTTER: 37
- TEDDIE ORGANIC ALL NATUREAL PEANUT BUTTER: 36
- POLANER REGULAR CRUNCHY: 34
Reduced-fat peanut butter:
- SMUCKER’S REDUCED FAT NATURAL STYLE PEANUT BUTTER: 26
- KROGER CREAMY REDUCED FAT PEANUT BUTTER 25% LESS: 25
- SKIPPY REDUCED-FAT PEANUT BUTTER: 18
- JIF REDUCED-FAT PEANUT BUTTER: 7
As you can see, reduced-fat peanut butter generally scores lower on the NuVal scale. Why? The fat in peanut butter is the healthy monounsaturated kind, so swapping it out for sugar and salt just doesn’t make sense from a health standpoint. When it comes to peanut butter, it’s more nutritious to choose the full fat variety.
As you can see, “reduced fat” isn’t necessarily synonymous with more nutritious. Foods can be low in fat, but high in sodium or sugar. Foods can be low in fat, but have very few positive nutrients (think fiber, calcium, vitamin D) that still benefit our health. Also, not all fat is bad.
Have you ever traded-up from a “reduced fat” or “low-fat” product for the regular variety?
I love working at NuVal because I’m always learning new things about the food that I eat, which, in turn, helps me make more informed decisions about what I buy at the grocery store. I love to get the most bang for my buck, so purchasing the most nutritious food is almost always my goal– unless I’m in the mood for Pillsbury Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (NuVal score: 1). Hey, it happens sometimes! Here are some of the NuVal scores that surprised me and changed the way that I shopped in 2011.
As you probably know, coconut water is all the rage right now. The media portrays it as a magical health beverage and plenty of celebrities drink and endorse it. Clearly, coconut water is “hot,” but is it nutritious? Find out what I discovered about my beloved coconut water.
I have worked at NuVal for a little over two years now. But, in those two years, I have barely (if ever) looked up scores for store-bought hummus. Crazy, right? I’m a huge fan of hummus and I eat it quite often, so I’m surprised that I don’t know the top scoring hummus varieties at the grocery store. Thankfully, I have access to the NuVal database of scores, so I did a little research the other day to see how my favorite kinds of hummus scored. Check out these hummus scores– some of them might really surprise you!
I love these kinds of bars– they’re great as a snack or dessert– but they’re also a hot topic in the NuVal world because their scores range from 2-57 (with a median score is a 19). Snack bars can be healthy, but not always, so it’s helpful to pay attention to their NuVal score to figure out the most nutritious option. With that said, KIND bars are a great trade up in the snack bar category!
I originally thought that all gluten-free breads scored low on the NuVal because they don’t include nutrients such as wheat, barley, and rye. Even though some of the other flours used to replace wheat flour, like potato and rice, don’t have these nutrients, some of them are still nutritious options. I wouldn’t have realized this if I didn’t have NuVal in my life. NuVal made trading up my low-scoring gluten-free bread to a higher one so easy.
I just figured sunflower butter would score just as high as my other beloved nut butters (Teddie Unsalted Peanut Butter gets a 49). But, when I looked at the category median for nut butters, it’s just a 22. My favorite brand of sunflower butter, SunButter Natural Crunch, scores a 40 on the NuVal scale, so it’s actually pretty nutritious!
I love those little packets of chocolate powder than instantly turn into a warm mug of hot cocoa, but I always thought they didn’t provide much nutrition (if any). I figured all of my favorite brands scored a 1 or a 2 on the NuVal scale. I mean, aren’t they just sugar? For the most part, most hot cocoa on the market is just sugar, so they score pretty low on the NuVal scale, but there are several varieties that are either fortified with vitamins and/or have no sugar added, which brings up their score and make them a more nutritious hot cocoa option.
Oh, how I love macaroni and cheese. The homemade kind is my favorite, but, of course, I don’t always have the time to prepare it, so I resort to the boxed variety. But, as you probably already know, some boxes of macaroni and cheese are loaded with calories and fat (and usually weirdo ingredients), which means it’s often not a nutritious option for a meal or even a side dish. Even still, I love mac & cheese and want to enjoy it on occassion. Thanks to NuVal, I already knew that some boxed varities don’t score too high, so I went in search for some more nutritious options. See what I found!
What NuVal scores surprised you last year?
It’s that time of year again: hot cocoa time!
I love those little packets of chocolate powder than instantly turn into a warm mug of hot cocoa, but I always thought they didn’t provide much nutrition (if any). I figured all of my favorite brands scored a 1 or a 2 on the NuVal scale. I mean, aren’t they just sugar?
For the most part, most hot cocoa on the market is just sugar, so they score pretty low on the NuVal scale, but there are several varieties that are either fortified with vitamins and/or have no sugar added, which brings up their score and make them a more nutritious hot cocoa option.
Check out these scores:
- Ghirardelli White Mocha Premium Hot Cocoa Chocolate (NuVal score: 1)
- Nestle Hot Cocoa Mix Milk Chocolate Flavor (NuVal score: 2)
- Land O Lakes Chocolate Graham Hot Cocoa Mix (NuVal score: 3)
- Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Mix with Marshmallows (NuVal score: 8 )
- Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets No Sugar Added (NuVal score: 14)
- Swiss Miss Great Start Hot Cocoa Mix (NuVal score: 22)
- Nestle Fat Free Rich Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix (NuVal score: 25)
- Green & Black’s Organic Cocoa Powder (NuVal score: 29)
- Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets Diet – 25 Calories Hot Cocoa (NuVal score: 33)
What’s your favorite kind of hot cocoa?
Developed by an independent panel of nutrition and medical experts, the 