Tina has graciously given me the opportunity to do a guest post about NuVal at my local Hy-Vee in Ames, IA.  I decided to focus on cereal since it is one of the few things I buy as a college student living in the dorms and eating in the cafeteria for 14 meals a week! I decided to start my little adventure in the Health Foods section of the store (called the Hy-Vee Health Market).

For the most part, the NuVal scores in this area were higher than in the regular cereal section, BUT not as high as I thought when looking at the boxes.  Also, when you’re a college student, the price is pretty important, so I’m going to do a little comparison of that too!  First, just so you know, the score range for cereal is 4-100, with the median being 25.  Cereals with higher NuVal scores tend to have more whole grains and fiber and less sodium and sugar.

• Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs: $3.09, NuVal score 90
• Kashi U: $4.99, NuVal score 41
• Kashi Island Vanilla: $4.39, NuVal score 36
• Kashi Honey Sunshine: $4.39, NuVal score 31
• Kashi Good Friends Cinna-Raisin Crunch: $4.29, NuVal score 24
• Kashi Strawberry Fields: $4.29, NuVal score 11
• Alpen: $4.49, NuVal score 87
• Shredded Wheat Original (18oz): $3.99, NuVal score 91
• Shredded Wheat Wheat’n Bran (15oz): $3.99, NuVal score 91
• Hy-Vee Shredded Wheat (17.2oz): $2.49, NuVal score 89
• Mom’s Best Naturals Toasted Wheat-fuls (24oz): $2.79, NuVal score 91
• Mom’s Best Naturals Mallow-Oats: $2.79, NuVal score 15
• Peanut Butter Bumpers: $4.69, NuVal score 14

Some key things I’d like to point out from this list.  First is the surprise that Kashi Strawberry Fields has a LOWEST score of the cereals I looked at – even lower than the Mallow-Oats!

Second is the fact that just because something is natural or organic and located in the Health Foods section does not mean it’s all that healthy, such as with the Peanut Butter Bumpers that advertise that they’re made with “real natural peanut butter.”  Also, the Peanut Butter Bumpers were quite pricy considering their nutritional value!

Third, I’d like to look at costs comparisons, specifically with the shredded wheat cereals, all of which had great scores from 89 to 91.  The Post brand was the most expensive, and therefore taken off my list. BUT, the next best buy would actually be Mom’s Best Naturals Toasted Wheat-fuls, NOT Hy-Vee Shredded Wheat because Mom’s Best gives you more ounces for the price! It pays to comparison shop!  And here are just a few of the pictures I took (while shoppers eyed me as though I was some crazy out-of-towner) for you to peruse:

Thanks for reading!  Feel free to check out my personal food blog Food, Fotos, and Fun!

Why do egg whites score so low on the NuVal scale? I’m surprised that they score that low. What about Egg Beaters? How do they score?

The score for egg whites also surprised me. Egg whites were low in calories and fat, but high in protein. However, when you take nutrition into account, they only score a 26 on the NuVal scale.

So, I asked Rachel Rodek, Registered Dietitian and NuVal’s Nutrition Communications Manager, why egg whites score so low in comparison to eggs and Egg Beaters. Here’s what she said:

Egg whites, by themselves are not as nutritious as eggs.  About half of the protein is removed when the yolk is removed along with many nutrients, including carotinoids (a form of vitamin A), vitamin D, and phosphorous — of course so is a bunch of fat and Cholesterol.  However, the high scoring Egg Beaters products are almost always fortified with vitamins. The low scoring (26) products are 100% egg whites with no fortification.

When it comes to nutrition, however, not all frozen waffles are the best option for breakfast. Check out how frozen waffles score on the NuVal scale:

• Aunt Jemima Homestyle Waffles: 4
• Aunt Jemima Blueberry Waffles: 5
• Kellogg French Toast Waffles: 17
• Kellogg Special K Low-fat Waffles: 20
• Kellogg Homestyle Mini Waffle: 23
• Van’s Wheat Free Buckwheat Waffles: 24
• Kellogg Nutri-grain Blueberry Eggo: 25
• Kashi 7 Grain Frozen Waffles: 36
• Kashi Flax All Natural Strawberry Waffles: 40
• Earth’s Best Organic Homestyle Mini Waffles: 43

As you can see, not all frozen waffles are created equally. Aunt Jemima’s Homestyle Waffles score a mere 4 on the NuVal scale, which isn’t a nutritious way to start your day! However, Kashi Flax All Natural Strawberry Waffles and Earth’s Best Organic Homestyle Mini Waffles score in the 40’s, which is at the top of the frozen waffle category.

I think it’s time to help my husband trade-up his choice in frozen waffles!

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!

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